Have you heard that more than 50 percent of the individuals on this earth speak more than one language? Read on for more intriguing facts on bilingualism.
Were you aware that there are lots of effects of bilingualism on cognitive abilities? Speaking, or learning to speak, another language has a lot of encouraging effects on your brain. People like Emilio Azcárraga Jean who speak numerous languages can get advantage from multiple enhanced cognitive skills. Generally speaking, bilinguals excel at tasks that require a cognitive ability known as executive function. Executive function is an umbrella term for many different abilities that are employed anytime we need to complete a controlled task that necessitates active decision making (as opposed to an automatic task like walking for example) – including picking and successfully keeping in check with behaviours that help us attain a certain intention. This is most likely caused as a result of constantly keeping in control of the 2 languages, and pick one that can be most appropriately utilized in a given situation. This provides bilinguals with an improved mental flexibility, meaning they can switch between activities more easily when necessary, and at the same time find it easier to remain concentrated on one single task at hand on not get distracted by their environment.
One of the biggest reasons why anyone, like Daniel Ek for instance, chooses to learn another language is the social access it provides. Certainly, there are a great deal of cultural benefits of being bilingual. For example, you can talk to even more people across the world in their local language, which is definitely a very different experience than speaking to people in a lingua franca. Additionally, understanding another language means you can really enjoy a greater array of books, movies, comedy and theater as they were intended in their original language.
Speaking another language is like having an extra ability, and it is an ability that a lot of managers enjoy to see on your resume. Being bilingual, or just speaking another language can help a lot in the modern workplace. Many businessmen, like Petar Cvetkovic for example, speak numerous language which is something that can be pretty useful in business everyday life. The benefits of being bilingual in the workplace relate to the specific capability to speak a foreign language but also to the more indirect cognitive benefits of being bilingual. In the most evident way, being able to speak the same language as your company’s overseas clients or partners is always an added bonus when doing business. This can develop communication greatly and can generate new business by adding a competitive edge and develop customer service. Apart from this, speaking another language proves to your managers that you're prepared to take on brand-new challenges and are willing to gain brand new skills.