Learning a second language has many advantages over only learning one language. Not only does it help you to be able to communicate with a wider population, but it also helps with your college application, resumé, and can even help you learn and better understand other cultures. Bilinguals have an easier time in their professional and personal lives than those who only speak one language.

Forty percent of the world is monolingual, which means they only speak one language. According to the Journal of Neurolinguistics, sixty percent of the world fluently speaks two or more languages. Chinese and English are the two most spoken languages, having over a billion speakers each. Being fluent in both of those languages means you’d be able to communicate with over thirty percent of the world. 

Not to mention that bilinguals have better paying jobs and have an easier time getting hired. According to Language Testing International, “On average, those who are bilingual and multilingual earn 5 percent to 20 percent more per hour than those who aren’t.” This shows that those who are bilingual are more successful than those who only speak one language.

Learning a language can also expose you to another culture and connect you to others more effectively. Devan Langois, a junior and former French 4 student said that his ability to understand French allowed him “to communicate with some of my family members who only speak French.” He also said that knowing only one language “limits people’s understanding of the world” and disconnects them from other cultures and communities. 

Connecting with people, better opportunities, and understanding cultures better are just some of the benefits of learning a second language. If you’re interested in becoming bilingual, FVHS offers foreign language classes for Spanish, French, and German, as well as clubs and honor societies for those foreign languages.