Photo Credit: Flickr 

By Amelia Looi

Malaysians have been exposed to a number of languages since they were kids. We learn Bahasa Malaysia at school as the national language together with other languages such as English, Mandarin and Tamil. International schools also provide lessons for students to learn other foreign languages. 

There are many benefits of learning a foreign language. One of them is that the learner would be able to learn about a foreign culture and have an understanding about other cultures around the world.  

A person who is able to speak in foreign languages such as Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic or French would be an advantage of them while seeking jobs as businesses require people to constantly interact with one another and companies are hiring people from abroad. Speaking a common language would be a bridge to close a business deal. Nelson Mandela quoted “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

Studies have also shown that learning a foreign language would aid in cognitive development. People who learn a foreign language might also do better in their academics at school. They would also possess better memory and listening skills compared to their peers. 

A philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein quoted “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Learning a new language is fun as one gets to learn about a new culture and will be more responsive to cultural differences.