I just returned from a trip to Japan and it was only the second time I had a hard time with the language. The other time was in Morocco. I’ve visited 35 countries, many multiple times and while I don’t speak all the languages, I can usually figure out what is being said or at least figure out what is written because they use the Roman alphabet. Japan on the other hand uses Japanese characters. It was so difficult for my brain to make any sense.
It made me think of all the people who move to the United States and do not speak English. Many of them live here for years and they can’t communicate properly with the majority of the population and when they go to the stores they have to rely on pictures on the packaging for their purchases. How difficult it must be. The same goes for Americans who move abroad and don’t speak the language of the country where they are living.
I am fortunate that I grew up speaking Portuguese, which is natural for me, but I understand it is a very difficult language to learn because of all the complex tenses and sounds that are not present in other Romance languages. I also was fortunate that I started learning English in first grade. During my school years it was really just school English. But as I grew older and my parents understood the importance of speaking English, they sent me to English classes. I enjoyed them immensely.
When I moved to the US in middle school I was given the opportunity to take French classes. I took French throughout high school and even thought about getting a minor in French in college. Learning a second, or in my case a third, language has so many benefits. They include increased cognitive abilities, expanded career opportunities, improved communication skills and a deeper understanding of diverse cultures. And might I hope that it also teaches tolerance to other people.
Because I spoke three languages already, learning Spanish and Italian was very easy for me. And while I don’t boast fluency in these languages I can communicate with others, get my meaning across and understand what they are saying. I find that after a few days in a country I start to think in that language.
When my children started high school in Rochelle, many people discouraged them from taking French, thinking that Spanish would be more useful for them. While I agree that in Rochelle there are many native Spanish speakers, limiting our ambitions to our little part of the world is short sighted. My son has since lived in France and Switzerland. Because he spoke French, Spanish was easy and because he learned Portuguese at home learning these languages was easier. Since then he has expanded his languages to include German and Catalan. I think speaking all these languages helped him with his career choice.
I am not telling you this to boast but to make you think about the need for foreign language education. Once you learn one, it is easier to learn others. It gives you the opportunity to see the world differently. It also helps with your decision making, increases your attention span, helps you memorize other things and overall improves your communication skills.
Technology has made language learning cheap and available to everyone. There are many apps that will help you learn. There are also podcasts and books. So, choose a language, set time aside every day and just dive in. In no time you will be speaking or at least understanding a foreign language. (don't you want to know what they are saying at the nail salons?)
And when it is time for your children to go to high school, encourage them to take a foreign language, even if they already speak one. You can never know too many languages.
Silene Walters is a CPA, the owner of Walters Accounting Inc in Stillman Valley. When she is not preparing taxes she travels with her husband George and shares her experiences on https://www.facebook.com/dreamoftraveling
