Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language

by Kathy Foust

I have to admit, I'm a fan of people learning the language of the country they are in. I live in America and I am sick of having to press 1 to hear my own language. I know my ancestors had to learn it and I don't see why anyone would even go to a foreign country and not attempt to speak the language, though I do understand it takes time. So, when it came to having to take a foreign language in high school, I took the one that I enjoyed the sound of, French.

When it came to college, I struggled my way through Spanish, though it's very similar to French. I was struggling because of my own personal irritation with having to learn a second language rather than visitors having to learn the language of the land they moved to. But, in retrospect, I always kept in mind an instance where knowing the language would have served me well. In the end, the incident was quite humorous, but it could have worked out a lot simpler if either of us had known the other's language.

I was 17. I was in a foster home in Chicago. Lucky for me, the foster family was extremely nice. I was done with high school though and the mother of the family didn't work, so it was just her and me at the house all day. She spoke Spanish and I spoke English.

At the corner of our block was a small store with a deli. She motioned for me to go down to the deli. After a bit of laughing and improvised hand signals, I understood that she wanted me to go get her sausage, coffee and chips. Feeling light-hearted and impressed that we had dealt with the language barrier in a sufficient manner, I strolled down to the store, bought the items and brought them home to her. I bought a pack of sausages, a can of coffee and a large bag of chips.

Imagine my surprise when she burst out laughing when I walked in the door with a smile on my face. After some more hand motions and slow speaking of words neither of us understood, I finally figured out what was so funny. I had thought she needed supplies, but all she really wanted was lunch! While I understood what she wanted, I had quite lost the idea of the quantity!

My mother's family is 100% Polish. Growing up, their accents were a welcome comfort to my ears and that accent still is today. Never in my life would I have thought to learn Spanish though! But, after that incident, I did understand the value of a second language even if I resented the requirement of it. After all, what would that incident have turned out like if it had been an emergency?

Thank you, Kathy, for your guest post here.

Kathy Foust is a great writer and friend with a background in education. You can find some of her articles on Bright Hub where she writes for the Education Channel, among others.