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General benefits of being bilingual?


evapfromm

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If you are bi- or multilingual, what benefits have you seen in your life from speaking more than one language? Personally, I believe it has opened my mind to different cultures and new experiences. I also benefit from being able to read world news in more than one language, to see different cultural perspectives on things. How about you?

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I agree that being multilingual has exposed me to more cultures and their tradition even the songs. Another thing that I like being multilingual is the fact when I want to learn a whole new language,I won't struggle as much with having different accent completely since I've been there done that. It has helped me to connect with people outside my country as well as the food. Once people found out I learnt their language or speak the language,they started to introduce me more about what attraction in their area, food and even some of the stuffs that are going on in their area.

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Being bilingual of multilingual has a lot of benefits, such as, being able to properly communicate with more people, it's an advantage when abroad and it's a good benefit when looking for a job. Being bi-lingual, or knowing many languages can be a huge plus when applying for a job, especially when its related to the job. Its also good exercise for the mind in my opinion.

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Being multilingual comes in handy when I'm traveling to different places and can't get around. Even if I can't read/write another language, as long as I can speak it, I won't have a problem finding my way. I love traveling and learning about different cultures so being able to speak their language really comes in handy for me.

It's also nice to help out others who struggle with English. There are quite a few tourist around where I live and I'm often asked for directions in Chinese or Japanese. I get a little disappointed in myself when a Spanish speaker comes and asks me for directions and I have to tell them "I don't know" because I can't understand what they're asking.

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Being multilingual lets you learn about other cultures. Moreover, it also teaches you to respect them, since a language is part of a culture, too.

As mentioned above, if you are multilingual, you can travel to places where your target language is spoken without trouble.

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Guest isabbbela

I find that, specially when you have a native language that is not English, and your second language is English, that obviously a great addition to your resume for any jobs, but specially in multinationals. I currently work at a very large multinational, and speaking 3 other languages other than my native one certainly helped me get this job!

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Another benefit of being bilingual, is music! I love the beat involved in so many different music genre from country to country, but it would be cool to know what their lyrics are saying as well. Sometimes I wonder if the song I'm listening to is really saying something I don't agree with! If I were bilingual, I wouldn't have to worry about that!

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One of the great benefits of being able to speak more than one language is that you can make friends easily. :)

Strangers would often feel comfortable when they know that you can speak their language. Also, it is one way of showing your appreciation to their culture. :)  :wacky:

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I'm bilingual, and to be honest learning english was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.  If it wasn't because I started learning it when I was 16, I'd not have been able to take all the oportunities that knocked in my door.  I think I'd have never had those oportunities if it wasn't because I' speak english!  I found a good job some months ago because I'm bilingual, and that gave me a huge adventage over the other workers, or so my boss used to say.

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Oh wow, thank you for all the responses, guys. I wasn't expecting so much feedback. It is awesome to hear that other people see the tremendous amount of benefits in speaking more than one language... More jobs, more friends, music, more places to travel to... I couldn't imagine NOT being bilingual now.

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Being able to speak another language helps me a lot when I'm traveling to other countries. Being able to communicate with their own language makes it easier for me to adapt to the place. Another reason is that I was able to apply to the job I want. It is one of the keys in finding success in my chosen career.  It helps me to learn more easily and improve myself better.

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I've also found that learning other languages has helped me understand my own native language better. I'm Dutch, fluent in English, have a good working knowledge of French and German and have done some Latin as well. Despite their differences, I find it fascinating that words and even expressions sometimes occur across all of those.

With English and Dutch, in particular, I find sometimes that essentially the same word will have a subtly different meaning. This makes me eager to learn more about etymology and the development of languages and how they have influenced each other over the years.

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Just bilingual. English and my first language. It helped a lot especially when our relatives from Australia dropped by to visit. Many Filipinos do understand English although we can be very shy if we cannot express ourselves well. Instead of our cousins keeping to themselves, we were able to talk about many things and do more fun stuff.

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I've also found that learning other languages has helped me understand my own native language better. I'm Dutch, fluent in English, have a good working knowledge of French and German and have done some Latin as well. Despite their differences, I find it fascinating that words and even expressions sometimes occur across all of those.

With English and Dutch, in particular, I find sometimes that essentially the same word will have a subtly different meaning. This makes me eager to learn more about etymology and the development of languages and how they have influenced each other over the years.

I have noticed this as well! I think you might've seen my other thread on the Dutch forum, but I have found that, as a German speaker, I can find words that are similar in both languages. I see this in German and English as well, like you do with English and Dutch.

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If you are bi- or multilingual, what benefits have you seen in your life from speaking more than one language? Personally, I believe it has opened my mind to different cultures and new experiences. I also benefit from being able to read world news in more than one language, to see different cultural perspectives on things. How about you?

Personally, I believe that the main benefit for being bilingual is that I am given the opportunity to learn, explore, and understand cultures, traditions, and norms outside of my own. I can also use the opportunity to travel to the native country of the language that I'm studying. I can also choose to not only immerse myself in the culture, but to work and live there as well.

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You can curse at people right in front of you in a different language! I'm kidding. A great benefit of being bilingual  or even multilingual is that people don't look down on you. It shows that you were proactive and learned a new language. Also, there's the other additional benefits of being able to speak to others in their native language and learning their culture.

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I admit, I am somewhat guilty of that, GetFresh! Since German isn't commonly spoken at all in America, my father, brother and I will converse about people right in front of them. We are able to stand in a grocery store and comment on somebody's haircut that we don't like, etc. It's somewhat amusing, however slightly evil. :angel:

Good point Rand Paul. I wouldn't have met my American boyfriend if I hadn't first learned English. And Mareebaybay, I haven't looked into the benefits of being bilingual protecting against alzheimer's/dementia, but I can certainly believe it.

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