The Importance of Learning A Second Language Essay Sample

Although there are numerous highly spoken languages in the world, only a quarter of K-12 students are taking a foreign language. Mandarin, Hindi, and Spanish are 3 of the top four languages spoken in the world, but students are only required to learn English. Speaking only one language you may not be able to communicate with all the people you encounter in your workplace, or on travels. Learning an extra language is a tool to further learn about other cultures and people, acquire a satisfactory job and do better in school or English altogether.

Taking a foreign language may help you to have a greater understanding of people who are different from you. According to Renate Latimer from Auburn University,  “foreign language study creates more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward people who are different.” What this basically means is if you take a foreign language you are more positive towards people that speak different languages or that are from a different country. This is an excellent quality for any student, or person in general, to have. Along with being less prejudiced towards different people, learning a second language can also help in obtaining a job you desire. 

Taking a foreign language in high school and/ or college helps students acquire a better job, or have a higher chance to obtain a certain job that they apply for. Isabelle Mitchel at ef.edu states “Language skills can be the career gift that keeps on giving: Being able to speak, explain, and negotiate in another language makes you more employable, increases your confidence, and can lead to a higher salary.” When you know a second language you are more desirable to employers, and could even lead to a higher salary. In addition to getting a better job, taking a foreign language can also help to improve your english.

Taking a foreign language can improve your English and even help you score higher on the SAT and ACT. According to Susan Gleason from excelsiorclasses.com, “Learning a foreign language draws your focus on the mechanics of the English language: grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure, as well as sounds. This makes you further aware of language, and how it can be structured and manipulated. This helps you be more superior at communicating and writing, which is a definite advantage when taking the SAT and ACT exams.” It seems odd that learning another language can help with English, but it enables you to focus, and understand additional parts of English grammar, among other concepts. With a further understanding of English, you can also score higher on tests like the SAT and ACT. 

Requiring students to take a foreign language is critical in the ever changing society of today. Learning an extra language is a tool to learn more about people and cultures that may be different from yours, obtain the job you prefer, and do work of  higher quality in school and with English altogether. Even though some students may not like extra work, a foreign language is something they will never regret learning.