We’re pretty sure many of you will scribble “learn a new language” on your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2019. Learning a new language is always a good idea, but how do you decide, of the more than 3,000 all over the world, which one to choose? Your decision could be based on job opportunities, schooling, travel plans, love for a particular country or culture, intrigue with the sounds of the particular tongue, or it could be motivated solely by your desire to learn something new. The truth is: it doesn’t matter which one you pick, for they all offer incredible professional and personal development opportunities.

Here are five reasons you should start today:

#1 You stay mentally fit.

Learning a new language means you always have to be thinking about words and different grammar structures. And that is good because with these things you’ll stay mentally fit. You train your memory and improve your concentration.

#2 You have more fun while travelling.

If you are able to speak the language of the country you are visiting, it will be easier to ask somebody for directions or to meet natives in pubs, bars or cafés. After a while, you would have learnt a lot of new words and met a lot of new people. In addition, different languages could also help you while studying abroad: There are always people from all over the world in a language school and they all have different mother tongues. So you will also have the possibility to use your language while attending a course for another language.

#3 You build more self-confidence.

With every minute spent learning a foreign language, you make progress. And these little steps will help you to be more self-confident. You are more motivated, open-minded and inquisitive. Moreover, it won’t be possible to learn a foreign language without making mistakes, but these mistakes are perfect for helping you improve.

#4 It’s good for your career.

With every language you are able to speak, you become more marketable because you can potentially fill roles your company has in other countries, or land positions in entirely new companies overseas.

#5 Languages are for you and your life.

In addition to improving your educational and employment chances, languages also improve your personal interests. They can cause you to meet the love of your life.

Even if, after a while, you decide your selection isn’t the perfect one for you and you move on to another language, at least you would have picked up enough in the first to allow you to have basic conversation with others.

Get started today!

— coursefinders.com/blog/en/18761/5-reasons-to-learn-a-new-language