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Song JungIn
Vincent Gilhooley
English writing2
25 May 2016
The positive effects of learning a second language
We give special treatment to the bilingual people. You might have heard about this
phrase if you have tried to find a part-time job or work. Most people think learning a second
language is important only for finding works or for the College Scholastic Ability Test.
However, knowing a second language can be a benefit all the time. Nowadays, there are over
7000 languages in the world and the importance of learning a language is increased.
Therefore learning at least one will massively help you in life. Learning a second language is
exciting and beneficial. It offers practical and intellectual benefits. Knowing a second
language can be a great opportunity regardless of age or education level. Learning a second
language has three positive effects on career, the brain or learning ability and understanding
the world.
Being bilingual can give better prospects for jobs. There are still many people
seeking full-time positions cant find jobs and are forced to take part-time jobs instead (Walsh
1). However, knowing a second language gives a person more strength in an increasingly
competitive society when searching for jobs, or maintaining your career. As global companies
are increasing, they need people who are bilingual (Heeseon 1). Employing Bilingual people is
more efficient from the economical view point. It is much cheaper to employing one bilingual
person than employing two native people. As well as the costs, employing bilingual people
makes the translating process easier. In addition, Bilinguals will be indispensable at work,
because they can bridge the cultural gap between global companies. Most people think that
Korean companies dont need any bilingual people. However, there are many companies that

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give preferences to bilingual people, even though they are not global companies but Korean
companies. Regarding the marketing, companies need bilingual people who know the
foreigners taste and demand. Bilingual people know not only the language but also the
foreign culture.
Learning a second language has great effects on the brain and ability of learning
languages. Being bilingual improves your hearing and helps with attention span and working
memory. A second language makes learning a third or fourth language easier because people
have already learned one and memorized how to learn a new language easily. Learning a
second language also significantly delayed the onset of many brain related diseases such as
Alzheimer and dementia, compared to those who can only speak their native tongue (Bak 1).
This mental health advantage even extended to people who were illiterate, meaning that
simply knowing how to speak two languages is beneficial even if you cant read. In addition,
most people have better understanding of their first language, because they can compare
grammatical structure between the two. By comparing two languages, people can find
differences and similarities. Knowing multiple languages also forces your brain to pay
attention to relevant sounds, while blocking out irrelevant sounds (Leopold 1). As a result,
their language learning ability can be improved more than learning only a native language.
Furthermore, Bilingualism improves decision making. People who routinely make decisions
in a foreign language rather than their native tongue might be less biased in their savings,
investment, and retirement decisions.
People can understand the world and experience new cultures through learning a new
language. Learning a new language gives you a greater global understanding of the world.
People will be able have more experiences as they can communicate effectively with much
more people. Since a language is a doorway to a particular culture, learning a new language

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enables a person to have a broader understanding of that race or culture (Smith 1). Opening up
to a culture allows you to be more flexible and appreciative of other ways of doing and
looking at things. As a result, bilinguals will become open-minded and view things with
different perspectives regarding the new culture of the world. Different culture have their
own music, style, history, literature and many more interesting aspects which people will be
able to enjoy and understand. This means that there are many chances to meet different
worlds literature. Bilingual people can connect through books and TV, ultimately broadening
their horizons and interests. Therefore, the chances to broadening their view can be increased.
Overall there can be no denying that learning languages is wholly positive for
individuals and society and that it is highly important to know more than one language.
Learning a second language has great effects on a person. It can be beneficial to people
regardless of the education level or age. Foreign languages are becoming a basic subject
alongside English and Math as they already are in the countries. Most Korean students think that
learning a second language is not vital because it has little relevance with the College Scholastic

Ability Test. Although learning a second language doesnt help in the present, it will help in the
future. As a result, it is important to know the positive effects of learning a second language.

Knowing a second language can be a help to every time. Being bilingual as soon as possible
is good to everyone.

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Works cited
1) Walsh, Ben. "The Job Market Is Still Hurting, In 2 Charts." The Huffington Business. The
Huffington Post, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 May 2016.
2) Heeseon, Kim. "There Are Many Companies Which Need the People Who Are
Bilingual." Union News. NAVER News, 29 Sept. 2005. Web. 25 May 2016.
3) Bak, Thomas. "Speaking a Second Language May Delay Dementia." BBC News. BBC
News, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 May 2016.
4) Leopold, Wendy. Bilingualism Fine-Tunes Hearing, Enhances Attention: Northwestern
University News. Northwestern News, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 May 2016.
5) Smith, Jennifer. "The Benefits of Learning a Second Language." Omniglot. Omniglot, 22
Oct. 2014. Web. 24 May 2016.