Mutilingual Essay

Multilingual

I recall a friend asking me, “What do you call a person that speaks two

languages?” To which I responded “bilingual of course.” Then he proceeded to asking, “What do

you call a person who only speaks one language?” As I sat there dumbfounded searching deep in

the back of my mind for the correct word, he said “an American” and began to laugh. It may

seem like a just a little joke—perhaps funny or not, depending on how you take it—but it has a

strong reality behind it. Americans tend to only speak English. They’ve managed to get by with

this because others countries have adapted and learned their language to get a piece of the

American economy. But as we look further into the future with the U.S. economy falling and as

other economies such as China and India’s began to grow, their will to learn a foreign language

may no longer be there. Americans need to realize that learning a second language is vital for the

prosperity and growth of not only the individual himself, but for the country as a whole.

Learning a second language can help kids boost their brain power, adults with their career and

help you in your decision making in the everyday life.

A foreign language can help you go different countries or regions that do no use your

language. You can communicate with people by learning a language of the country that maybe

you always wanted to visit. People in this country may believe that speaking English can help

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you in any country you go to but they are wrong. In some countries people don’t believe that

English is an important language for their country to learn. If you go to another country it will be

necessary for a person to know how to speak the language, how to read the signs and how to read

menus.

Learning a second language should be mandatory for each individual from a young age.

Studies show that a young child picks up a foreign language more easily than at any other point

in their life. Learning a second language at a young age helps kids with their brain activity such

as making fast decisions, solve internal conflicts and strengthens the brains cognitive muscle.

This helps the kid see what is out there in the world instead of being in their own little world. At

a young age, the children are curious and eager to know and learn new things. They want to see

what is out in the world and how many different things there are. At a young age the child does

not have to fear to make a mistake. They can repeat words without feeling embarrassed, whereas

adults worry about making mistakes. The child can pick up a foreign language easily than a adult

at the age of 14. It is hard for kids to think that they need to learn another language at the age

of 14 when they have never been exposed to another language other than English. They believe

that they can go anywhere in the world if they only know the language of English. At the age of

14 kids have other subjects to learn than a foreign language. I believe that a child should learn

a foreign language at a earlier age than the age of 14. They will be able to pick up the language

quicker and will be able to learn more than one language.

Learning a foreign language can help a person train their brain in many ways. You

can better communicate with everyone and you will also be a good communicator. You can

properly understand the grammar and interpret the different meanings of different words in

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different languages. Speaking multiple language will help you think fast and solve real world

problems faster and easier. A person can learn that the way they communicate is not the best

way they thought it was. They can learn great communication skills and train their brain for

the best. Studies show that a person who speaks multiple languages can solve any real world

problems easily. Studies also show that bilingual children can perform better when it comes to

multitasking and other things. They have the ability to select which situation is the best. Learning

a foreign language can help the child think in many ways. They constantly have to filter content

of different languages, their attentiveness, interactivity, inhibition and listening talents are also

heightened, which is a requirement for good conversationalists.

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-being-bilingual.html

Being Multilingual is important in the job world of today. Employers are looking for

people that can speak multiple languages. Being bilingual can make you have a better salary

than a person who just speaks English. In the United States there are many different cultures

that speak different languages so it is likely that an employer will hire a person that speaks

multiple languages. A University of Phoenix Research Institute studies show that a demand for

Americans who speak Spanish and Chinese will rise over the next decade. The results showed

that 42 percent of employers expect business proficiency in Chinese to be in moderate or high

demand within the next 10 years, while about 70 percent anticipate Spanish to be a sought after

skill. (Phoenix Research Institute) This shows that it is very important that our generation starts

speaking multi languages at a young age so that they could be successful in the future. In the job

field there will be competitions in the future. The person with that speaks multiple languages will

be hired instantly than the person who just knows how to speak English. A multilingual person

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can help the company they work with such as if they were a trading company and they trade with

other countries they would not have the need to hire another person that can translate for them.

The companies of today want people that can speak multiple languages and those who can take

their companies higher.

Although speaking another language is good thing, some believe that it can also have

negative effects on people. They believe that a person will mix the languages while they are

speaking to others. They also believe that people will not be able to speak in any of the language

fluently or know any of the language well enough to speak. They will never know any of the

language well enough even if they are bilingual. The child will not be able to think in one

right way and they will always think in many perspectives and will never be able to make any

decisions.

In this era the world is connected more than ever. 75 percent of the world population

does not speak English. Is English going to an important language for other countries to learn?

The answer is no. Americans who think that English is the most important language to learn are

wrong. They need to understand that in the future people are not going to find it necessary to

learn English. They will learn some Chinese language over English because that is the language

that will be important in the future. The English language will not have any importance in the

world like Americans think it will. Americans who believe that others should learn how to

speak English are wrong. It is Americans who need to start learning other languages in order to

communicate with others.

Growing up I was always told that it is necessary for me to speak another language.

They always said that knowing one language is not enough. At the schools I was put into it was

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required that I learn to speak another language. It was beneficial because as a child I learned

how to speak 3 languages. As I went to high school and had to take a foreign language, I learned

that it was hard to learn a language at the age of 15 than at the age of 5. It was hard to pick up

on what they were trying to teach because of me already being used to speaking the other three

languages. In my experience, I believe that if you want your child to speak another language it

should be at a younger age than at the age of 15. It should start early on because as a child the

brain can pick up things easier. A child brain is better at learning languages than an adults brain.

Learning multiple languages is important in the society today. It can have a good effect

on a childs brain as they are growing up. They can grow up to solve problems easily and

efficiently. It is easier for the child to learn at a young age rather than when they are already

grown up. Speaking multiple languages can also help the brain think more efficiently. In the

career field knowing another language can help the person get hired more easily. Employers

want to hire employees that can perform multiple tasks for them rather than them hiring another

person to translate for them. The person who knows how to speak multiple languages can move

further in their career. Americans need to start realizing that knowing English is not enough for

the future. This world is becoming diverse and the importance of knowing multiple languages

has become important in the world today. In the United States kids need to start learning another

language at a young age rather than at the age of fifteen. Kids need to start on at an early age.

Learning a second is vital for the society today. Knowing only one language will not

get anyone ahead in life much. People need to understand that the society is very diverse and

we need to be able to communicate with others as well. Being bilingual will benefit a person in

many ways.

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Work Cited

"Why Learn a Foreign Language?" Why Learn a Foreign Language? N.p., n.d. Web. 25

Feb. 2013.

“The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker." EasyBib. N.p., n.d. Web. 25

Feb. 2013.

Bibliography: and Citation Maker." EasyBib. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.