Language Learning and the benefits in your career
Language Learning and benefits in your career
Learning a language has helped me learn an incredible amount about myself and my own abilities. I wish all people really tried to learn a language, at least to a B1 level - you will truly appreciate your colleagues and friends who need to work everyday in English.?
If you need tangible studies, results and information on the benefits of language learning then I have found some of the very best material out there - especially how a language can help your career.?
NOTE -?
If you are an English native speaker who needs that motivation, push or encouragement to keep going then hopefully this can help.?
Languages and benefits to career
“In jobs such as sales, marketing or technical support, languages can open doors for you, and Missen estimates a language can add between 10% and 15% to your wage.”
Learning a foreign language: Now you're talking (2010) The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2010/aug/28/learning-foreign-language-boost-career (Accessed: April 13, 2023).?
“Language is rewarded in the labor market. The earnings of those who speak a foreign language are higher than the earnings of those who don’t. This earnings differential does not seem to be driven by unobservable differences between these two groups of individuals”
Saiz, Albert & Zoido, Elena. (2002). The returns to speaking a second language.?
“In contrast, there is strong evidence for a positive effect of learning a language on creativity in language use. Fluency, originality and creative flexibility are improved in one’s first language when learning a second language.”
The Cognitive Benefits of Language Learning project was led by Professor Bencie Woll FBA, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London and Professor Li Wei, Institute of Education, University College London
“The L2 groups (English schoolchildren who learn a language at school) outperformed the control group on posttest measures of English reading accuracy and different aspects of phonological processing”
MURPHY, V., MACARO, E., ALBA, S., & CIPOLLA, C. (2015). The influence of learning a second language in primary school on developing first language literacy skills. Applied Psycholinguistics, 36(5), 1133-1153. doi:10.1017/S0142716414000095
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And let us not forget “Regret” - “64 per cent wish they had kept up the foreign language they studied and 58 per cent regret not spending more time studying;”
British Council Survey, 2020
My own opinion - Self Confidence
Have you read the book Grit by Angela Duckworth? If not, she did an excellent Ted Talk summary : Grit: The power of passion and perseverance.?
She demonstrates that those who are most successful are not the smartest but simply the ones who can keep going and keep finding their field interesting.?
What I have learnt from language learning is that success does not come overnight. It is the? compounding effect of days and hours of consistent work.?
If you can reach B2 in a language (whilst working, fitness etc) then I believe you can take on any challenge that comes at you. If someone can show me they have learnt a language then I know they possess many skills - organisation, self-discipline, curiosity, emotional control and cultural awareness.?
Highly Recommended Reads
How much is a second language worth?
Learning a foreign language: Now you're talking
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance?
If you read this far - thank you, leave a comment and share with me your journey / thoughts on language learning.