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It’s never too late to learn new language

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Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you’re never too old to learn a new language. (Courtesy pic)
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WELL think again, it’s nev¬er too late to learn a new language. But can you re¬ally teach old dog new tricks? I have recently had an experience where I wished I had at least tried to learn Portuguese or the basics. I mentioned this to someone and they said it was too late. Can a grown adult really learn a new language later in life? Or is it sometimes just too late to learn a new language. 

Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you’re never too old to learn a new language. As you get older, it can be more difficult to learn a new language, though. 

But what are the benefits of learning a new language; 

• Knowing a new language makes you more marketable 

• Knowing a new language makes you more marketable, which is something everyone can appreciate. It helps you communicate with more of the world and therefore, get your message across in a better way. You can understand people who speak other languages than your own, too. 

• Speaking multiple languages can improve your memory 

The study of bilingualism and how it affects the brain is relatively new, but researchers have found that speaking multiple languages can improve memory. Bilinguals who speak two or more languages show greater activity in the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with memory, according to research. 

While bilingualism has no effect on short-term memory, long-term memory seems to be enhanced by speaking multiple languages. 

Learning a new language can help you learn new things 

Learning a new language is a great way to learn new things. By learning how to communicate in a different way, you are forced to think differ¬ently and do things that you wouldn’t normally do. It helps your brain grow in ways that it doesn’t usually get the chance to. 

Learning how to speak another language is like learning another skill; once you have mastered one language, it becomes much easier for your brain to learn others because now there are connections between all of them. 

You get to know another culture better 

Learning a new language can help you to better understand the cul¬ture of a place. You might be able to communicate with people from that culture or even understand the history and traditions of your new home better. You will also be able to appreciate the food and music of your adopted country more fully. 

You get to travel and see new places with relative ease 

Travelling is fun. It allows you to see new places and experience different cultures. By learning a language, you can get a better view of the world, meet more people and make some friends along the way. 

It’s never too late to start learning a second language, so dust off that high school or college textbook and start speaking. I hope you will consider picking up a new language, just like my goal is to start working on my Portuguese and the next time I visit Mozambique, I want to be good at it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much time and energy because it can be done at any age, even if only for personal growth purposes.

 

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