Lexicon wonders: the benefits of languages, and their worth in communication languages of the world and broadening horizons: significance and strategies

Malaz Dhirar

Languages are what allow people to share ideas, thoughts and feelings. There are languages all around the world, allowing people to bond and make connections. Thus, they play a vital role in creating identities and culture, even shaping communities. Languages are a reflection of the society and culture from each land. 

Thousands of languages exist, forming bridges that connect individuals through cultures. Not only are they useful when traveling, they help people  connect to people and cultures. Languages have the power to make or break a society. They can be taken for granted by some but their role in the world is deeply profound and they have much to offer. 

Significance of languages and the power of words 

Some believe learning languages is pointless, with English being the lingua franca and the development of translation apps and AI. However, that remains a narrow-minded view. Translation programs may be useful but they’re hardly perfect, in fact, they miss a lot of context and nuances in a language due to lack of real world experience. Translation isn’t just about the words, the syntax and context has to be considered as well. Languages have numerous benefits that can be reached with just a bit of effort, such as:

1- Enhancing the brain and improving creativity, reasoning and problem solving skills. 

2- Improving listening skills, memory and attention span. 

3- Children with more than one language develop faster. 

4- Growing understanding of one’s native tongue. 

5- Furthering career opportunities. 

6- Better confidence. 

7- Breaking language barriers and making friends. 

8- Finding Happiness and a sense of achievement. 

9- Better time management.

10- Increasing patience and determination (1)(2)(3). 

Strategies to learn languages

Learning languages may not be easy but things worth doing rarely are. It doesn’t have a tedious process however, there are ways and means to help smooth it along. Including:

1- Goal setting; choosing a suitable pace to learn is important by making reasonable challenges. 

2- Habit loop; making language learning a habit can be done through integrating it into routine and most importantly setting a reward later. 

3- Reading in the target language; be it news or any other text, adapting to reading with the target language can be a great way to get accustomed to it.

4- Watch movies and use subtitles; not only are movies a fun way to learn, they’re a great way to be immersed in the culture of the target language.

5- Squeeze language learning into the day; listen to audio during chores and review flashcards while waiting. Even 15-minute tutor sessions can boost progress (4)(5)(6). 

All in all, the importance of languages cannot be understated. No need to dismiss them just because learning one may be troublesome, a little effort goes a long way. With languages, one is at home anywhere. One never knows when they might need to know more than one tongue. The benefits will be more than worth the effort!