In the past five years learning Polish has been the best decision I’ve made. For starters it has allowed me to effectively communicate with my wife’s family. Which in my opinion is priceless. I don’t know if I would be considered “fluent” but at this point I like to think that I can get by. It’s exciting.
Based on this experience I think everyone should learn a foreign language.
Opens up a new world.
Being able to consume foreign language content in their original language is game changing. No matter how well a piece of content is translated it loses something in translation. Learning a foreign language opens up an entire new world of quality content.
Establish deeper connections.
I mentioned this above but it’s worth mentioning again. Connecting with someone in their native language allows you to really know who this person is.
Practice discipline.
It takes discipline and commitment to learn a new language. It’s something that you have to do everyday in order to see progress. If you stick to it you see results and it’s super rewarding. I can’t think of a better way to practice “delayed gratification”.
Boosts brain power.
It’s pretty widely accepted that challenging your brain and continued learning is important for brain health. Learning a foreign language is just one of many ways to challenge your brain and keep it healthy.
I’m sure I’ll be writing more about foreign languages on my blog in the future as it’s one of my hobbies. Stay tuned for more.