should I learn a foreign language?why or why not?
459469
It's always good to learn as much as you can. If you have the opportunity to do so, grab it.\n\nWhen I was in school, I studied Mandarin Chinese for two years. I loved it, but never had a chance to pursue those studies any further. For years, I have wished I could speak the language fluently. You just never know when you might use it.\n\nI spent five years taking the police emergency calls (e.g. 911 in the States) and the number of times I needed to get interpreters on the phone to help people was phenomenal. By far, the most common language I needed to get an interpreter for was... Mandarin Chinese. I remember a time I received a call from a woman who was clearly desperate. The operator who diverted the call to me couldn't work out what service she needed (whether she wanted Police, Fire, or Ambulance) so she put the woman through to Police. I couldn't understand what the woman was saying, but I was able to recognise what language she was speaking. After about ten minutes, I finally established (with the help of the interpreter) that her mother had had a suspected heart attack and she needed an ambulance - not police at all.\n\nIt takes only three minutes without air, and a person begins to die.\n\nI had lost at least ten minutes already, and that didn't count the time it took to ascertain basic details and transfer the call to the ambos, who in turn would have to get another interpreter for the finer details, and of course, the time it would take for the ambulance to reach the woman.\n\nDid she make it? I don't know.\n\nBut had I been able to speak Chinese - or had she been able to speak English - she would have had a fighting chance.\n\nI strongly urge you to learn another language if you have the opportunity. You never know when you might use it - and you never know when it could save a life.
921584
there isnt really any point unless you plan on living in a place that speaks that language.\n\nits more usefull to learn a language of a place you plan on visiting or a secondary language that is common in your area.
516402
I am a conference interpreter for German and I can tell you for sure that you cannot learn a language in a month. Everyone who tells you otherwise is simply lying, or they want to convince you to buy a book, or a tape or a video, which can never acomplish what they promise. Every serious person will tell you that learning a foreign language requires hard work and a lot of patience. And this is even more true in the case of German: from my personal experience I can tell you that this is a language that requires lifelong learning.\nOf course, you can learn certain words, phrases or sentences in a month that could help you to get by for a very short period of time. \nI believe it very much depends on your definition of "learning a language": whether you mean that you want to understand or speak a language, if you only need to learn the basic vocabulary or if you want to learn the language proper.
724967
are you looking to learn a specific language?  There are many programs you can take, but most of the  month long ones dont offer college credits, but i remember tehre are some that do (i cant remeber the websites of them, but im sure you can find it using a google search).  If you dont want college credit, it is very easy to find a language course for as long/short of a period of time as you want.
973024
The average adult knows anywhere from 40-50,000 words. I doubt anyone could learn to speak a foreign language better than a native without having lived there. You can't grasp all the nuances of a language without being immersed in their culture.
161548
Listen, I'm not going to start with that hippie-like stuff everybody else says, that it's never too late, we all live in a pink world, etc.\nThe truth is - it only depends on you if it's too late. It certainly is a lot harder to learn a language at 22 that it is when you are a kid, just like everything else. But it's all in your motivation. Do you really want to learn it - then I assure you you will learn it, even if it's hard for you.\nIs the language hard to learn? Is it similar to a language you speak? How many languages do you speak? Are YOU good at learning languages? These are the questions you should ask yourself, but none of them is important if you're motivated enough.\nGood luck.
1168814
i had french, it is an interesting language..\ndepends on u , whether u want to experiment something new or not
784080
It's going to depend on which languages you want to learn.  If the languages you want to learn are European in origin, I have a suggestion.  \n\nWhen I was in High School, I wanted to take a foreign language course, and I had to choose between Spanish and French. I chose Spanish, but for various reasons, I failed it. For the next 24 years I was under the impression that I couldn't learn a second language.\n\nThen when my daughter was taking Spanish in High School, I found that I still remembered quite a bit of it, and began to rethink my impression about my linguistic ability.\n\nOne day I read that Esperanto was the easiest language on earth to learn. I began learning it as an experiment to see if I really could learn a foreign language. Now I'm fluent at it, and have gone on to learn Spanish (I finished the 3 Pimsleur's Spanish courses in 1 year), and moved on to German. Later I learned a little Polish (to take a business trip to Poland) and studied Mandarin Chinese (just because a friend told me about the free course work on chinesepod.com).\n\nKnowing Esperanto first, helped greatly in my other linguistic experiences, but the thing that surprised me the most was that there is a culture around Esperanto that is alive and vibrant, with Music and Literature (both translated and original). Esperanto is my favorite of all the languages, and the easiest to learn of all my language experiences.\n\nPope John Paul II has called Esperanto the "New Latin".  \n\nThis article on Wikipedia is a very interesting article about the benefits of learning Esperanto before other languages.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaedeutic_value_of_Esperanto
304517
Do it now, so that when you do your Foreign Language requirements for your college degree its easier because you've already had some practice. Plus, this is your last chance at getting information and guidance like that for FREE! Use it!
548505
Everything is relative from your mother tongue. You could say that Spanish is easy for you if you speak Portuguese but it might be not so easy for English speakers. Gaelic is such a small language that is really worth learning just so you can say you speak a rare language. GO FOR IT!!
676284
I would suggest majoring in one or two languages, and minoring in something like business or poli sci.  These are not topics that make me jump for joy either, but they help you keep your options open.  Foreign languages can be used in a variety of settings, so it's always good to be flexible…and, let's face it, a majority of the careers that you will find with a degree in foreign languages will be related to business, government, or education.  The reason I don't suggest a minor in education is that it wouldn't help you post-graduation; you'd have to major to get your teaching credentials.*\n\nIf you majored in Spanish and live in the US, you certainly could do some kind of work with community or non-profit organizations.  \n\nWith languages, diplomatic work also suggests itself as a possibility. \n\nAnother logical choice–not the best choice, necessarily, but something that logically flows from studying several languages–is a graduate degree in linguistics, comparative literature, or the literature of one particular language.  I've studied several Romance languages and Latin, and this is the career path I chose.  Unless you go into linguistics/language acquisition, jobs tend to be hard to come by.\n\nHope that helps.\n\n-Fuz\n\n*One more thing: if you know of some field that you are interested in besides languages, minor in that instead.       Say you like art; minor in art or art history.  That could open up careers in museum/gallery work, for example.
462820
To experience a different culture and give you a new perspective on your own. Also, if you can learn a second language while abroad, it can give you a competitive edge in finding a job, especially with the ongoing increase of globalization.
124397
I would see if there were any classes near you that you could attend. Maybe a local community college? It is easier and more fun to learn a new language with others than to try to do it by yourself.
265390
There are no should's in languages. You can't prevent people from speaking whichever language they feel most comfortable with in their everyday life.\n\nBesides, USA would be culturally a lot poorer if they dropped other languages spoken there. Multilingualism makes people culturally better.\n\nAnyway, I sense a certain intolerance and narrow-mindedness in your question, and I wonder if you really care to enrich your cultural background.
103055
I'm currently in a German language course. It is easy once you get the hang of it's sentence structure, as the language is not difficult to read and write (very phonetic, unlike English).\n\nIt is definitely worth learning, as it can be used not only in Germany, but also in many parts of the EU. Some countries (apart from Germany) also make the language a requirement for job applications.\n\nAll said, even if you intend to learn it for fun, I say go for it! Because knowledge is never wasted.
704510
I know English and I am learning French. I know a lot of Urdu and understand it, but I cannot speak it fluently. My first choice to learn another language would be French cause it is really beautiful, but i am already learning it. I would choose Greek because it is rich in history.
244744
You better if you're in my country. Learn the language or leave