Golnar Beikzadeh

Hosgeldiniz! Willkommen! Khosh oomadin! Bienvenido! You probably at least once in your life were in a situation you really wished you could speak one more language and know what’s going on around, especially when you are in a foreign country. When we are born we are not able to talk, we cry instead to say we are hungry, thirsty, or we need something. Language is a necessary part of our lives: we introduce ourselves, start a conversation and may start a friendship, relationship, business, or even be a witness to a person and change someone’s life forever. When there are thousands are languages among billions of people from so many different nationalities, why are we limiting ourselves with only one language? What don’t we teach our society the importance of being bilingual? The world with so many different languages is like a pencil case with different colours and shades; we don’t want to colour our picture with only one colour pencil. Our education system needs to aware of this; then our painting, our soul, and our understandings will be more colourful.

My history of the issue and kairotic relevancy can be combined together. I immigrated to the United States of America about two years ago, so as a foreigner and a person who can speak more than one language, I always felt very blessed and thankful to get to experience bilingualism. It’s a very different way of thinking. I see this as a need for the American education system to make it mandatory and take it seriously as they might take science and math at high school education all over the nation. It is very important for people to be able to speak at least one other language than their mother tongue. I remember back in the days when I wasn’t able to speak English, the time I was constantly misunderstanding people and being misunderstood, I had a very different understanding of a Western society than I do have now. It might sound crazy, but in my culture we have an idiom that it goes like this: if you know three languages, then you can be counted as three people in a body, and if you know four it’s the same, you will count as four people in a body. I believe these words because in this case you can have a wider perspective and understanding of the world and different cultures. You can put yourself in someone else’s shoes and walk the streets of life with them, feel how that person feels and view the life how the other person views.

I find it necessary for people to learn additional languages so they can understand and be understood by more people. Our community needs people with higher sympathies and awareness for the world because it’s not only about us, our family, our community, or our country; in fact, it’s about humanity. We as Christians should constantly search for people in need and be a voice for the voiceless. Whether we like it or not we need to realize one of the most important keys in cross-cultural relationships is language, because as I said language brings culture with it. Rather like sympathy, being able to speak other languages is very beneficial for our brains and souls, our personal development, our statement in life, and our relationships with one another. It also changes how society views us.

Since I’m talking about the benefits of being bilingual and why should the education system in the United States of America needs to take this issue more seriously, I’m going to define the term  bilingualism. Dictionary.com defines bilingualism as being fluent in two languages; a native speaker who can communicate very well in a language besides his is called bilingual. Some people argue if bilingualism means being fluent or just being able to speak and communicate in a basic level. I think it is being able to connect and understand what they mean behind what they say. Also, no matter what level of learning a language you are in, you must strive more than you think you can to truly see the unseen behind the curtain.

In order to prove taking four years of an additional language must be mandatory and be taken seriously, I will confirm four arguments: it keeps our brains dynamic and work actively whether we use it or not; it’s an important element in cross-cultural relationship and gives people different worldviews, so we become less judgmental individuals; it opens a door to a sea of opportunities; and last but not least it gives us so many social benefits. I will then refute two counterarguments: we cannot force anyone to take a language class and high school students are mature enough to choose what class they want to take; and we don’t need to learn an additional language as long as we don’t go out of the country, and even if we go we can always find English speakers all over the world because English is an international language and everyone all around the world must learn it.

My first confirmation is the purpose of learning languages is to understand how others see the world. All humans in the world grow up with different perspectives. These perspectives are shaped by their culture, community, family, society, languages, etc. These perspectives allow them to process the events in their mind differently. We often can be pretty quick to judge people from different places, and most of the time it’s because what they do doesn’t match our culture and we don’t know the motive and story behind their actions. By learning a new language, you also learn a new culture because culture and language often go hand-in-hand. Culture includes codes of behavior, so the more we dig into a culture the more empathy we can have toward other people. Their behaviors tend to be more acceptable, because we start to view the events from their perspectives and we take our cultural blinders off. Every country has a dark side and a bright side, even the ones you may not really like. Having friends from different backgrounds and cultures with whom you can talk in their native language helps you to become a more open-minded person. We will realize how much we have in common: we might be different, but we all are human and can find small pieces of ourselves in each person’s story. For an example, there are so many stereotypes about counties in the Middle East. Most of them are real but we shouldn’t let these stereotypes affect our view toward their citizens. If we knew their language we could understand them better, and maybe we could love them instead of judge them. It was just one example. It can be true with Spanish-speaking countries. This doesn’t mean we have to learn all the languages in the world in order to have empathy with their folks, but if we experience this even with one ethnic group, we also can relate this experience to other cases.

Bilingual people’s vocabulary and skill of expressing themselves are better than people who only speak their native language. Every culture has some unique phrases and words that belong only to that particular language; these phrases can never be exactly translated into other language. This can be a good thing, because when we are learning new phrases, we can also learn how to talk about our certain feelings, which we weren’t able to express in our own language. Also, the more vocabulary we know the wider we can think about reality and the more we can understand and be understood. Even with reading the Bible, I can give a personal example about this: whenever I think the Word is not clear to me or I cannot fully understand what God is telling me, I read the same verse in Turkish or Persian. Although they both gives the same information or sermon, my mind processes them differently. For an example in both Turkish and Persian, there are two different words for the word “love,” very similar but slightly different. In the Scripture Jesus’s love is different from human love, so they use a specific word, but in English there is no specific difference for the kind of love expressed in the Bible. So, learning languages not only helps us see how people or nations see the world but it also helps us learn how God sees it as well.

My second argument is learning multiple languages gives the learner many personal benefits. Additional languages help people to talk with people from different nationalities and come out of their comfort zones; it gives us a wide field of opportunities for missions. Foreigners love when people from different nationalities try to speak their language; it is one of the signs that you show you care about them and like to learn more about their culture. In the Bible we see Jesus wants us to give the good news to all the nations. When we are doing evangelism, the second language can help us in some ways we cannot even think of before learning it. During mission trips, conferences, and even family vacations we can meet up with new people and by using our language skills we can be closer to them in spiritual terms or talk and share with them our faith. Being able to speak a second language gives you confidence, especially when we are talking about ourselves and achievements; these achievements can be academic or social.

Bilingual people earn more money. In the United States of America, the employees who know more than one language have more open doors in terms of job opportunities. Companies are more willing to give job positions to those who are bilingual. They are better at dealing with foreign costumers, international businesses, trades, and deals. They can have many experiences during business meetings to foreign countries including getting inspired by their different ideas, techniques, and technologies. When they come back to United States they can use these new ways to improve and develop their businesses and communities. Bilinguals sometimes can even earn a higher salary than their co-workers. Based on the researches on Times.com,

When it comes to money, members of the U.S. military can earn up to $1,000 more per month if they are proficient in multiple languages. If learning a whole new alphabet sounds intimidating, there is good news: Saiz’s study found that the pay premium for learning German was higher than the average, at 4%. And if you, say, want to test drive Deutsch before committing to a costly class — some top programs charge thousands of dollars to get you proficient — there are plenty of ways to learn beginner language skills for free.

I can’t tell you enough of how knowing foreign languages can open many doors. For an example, even one day if you lose everything you have including your job or maybe your university opportunity you can still make money by giving language lessons to people.

My third argument is being bilingual keeps our brain dynamic and helps it work actively. One of the biggest reasons why a person should learn an additional language is its health aspect. Bilinguals can improve their brain functions and increase the ability to focus, listen, and observe multiple things at the time. Bilinguals have good decision-making skills; they can easily decide about difficult subjects because they are doing this constantly on some daily basis. When they are casually talking, they are choosing to use each word among all those words that appear as a picture in their brains. To give an example, when I hear the word apple, a big, bright red apple appears in my mind; while I hear the word “elma,” a picture of the apples I see in the kitchen comes to my mind, and the reason is because I use “elma” at home, while when I first learned English I looked at the pictures in my textbooks, which were unrealistic, big, bright red apples and I repeated  it as an “apple” and it stayed there since then. Imagine how bilinguals’ brains work fast when they are switching between the words and the pictures in their brains. Therefore, these people’s brains work faster when it comes to solving real-life problems, doing their tasks, and making decisions on what they want for their own lives. People who can speak in multiple languages can dream in another language, think, and even talk with themselves in different languages, which actually trains your brain.

As we get older, our brains get older too, but bilinguals’ brains get old much slower, based on the article “Learning Second Language ‘slows Brain Ageing’” on BBC News. Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency, and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies. The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading. It’s mostly because of their brain functions and reading abilities. Our brain develops resistance to unexpected events, and the person doesn’t lose himself over some tragic events in older ages. Alzheimer’s is one of the common illnesses among senior citizens, and it’s also one the biggest reasons why people are afraid of aging. People who speak more than one language can keep their memories fresher; even if they don’t use their additional language, their brains still makes choices between the words in their brains. Based on this, if your mind is active and fresh obviously you will have more energy in your life.

“The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual” article by Marian Viorica, Ph.D. and Anthony Shook explains how knowing more than one language is good for our brains. It provides information about how the brain of a bilingual person is constantly at work: even if you use one language the other one is also active. The cognitive and neurological benefits of bilingualism extend from early childhood to old age as the brain more efficiently processes information and staves off cognitive decline. To maintain the relative balance between two languages, the bilingual brain relies on executive functions, a regulatory system of general cognitive abilities that includes processes such as attention and inhibition. Because both of a bilingual person’s language systems are always active and competing, that person uses these control mechanisms every time she or he speaks or listens. This constant practice strengthens the control mechanisms and changes the associated brain regions.

My fourth argument is students all over the United States must take 4 years of foreign language because of its social benefits. You can make cross-cultural friendships which may last a lifetime. Friend groups that have more than one language provide opportunities for diverse, authentic cultural experiences. You can make friendships with foreigners by using the mutual language of English, but in order to know a person deeply and really well you need to understand his culture and the reasons behind all his behaviors. During trips overseas, your tour guide may explain the culture and everything about the country, but sitting down and talking with a local can give you unexpected knowledge and a different experience, and also when you know the language everything will look friendlier and you’ll feel less home-sick in such situations. Now that I’m talking about how being bilingual gives you a field of opportunities, I find it necessary to make a point once again on how it’s going to help us to be witnesses. When we have the chance to reach a wider group of people, we have more opportunities to evangelize.

You can make so many new discoveries. It’s so boring to listen only to English songs when there are thousands of types of songs: same with movies, arts, books, and anything you can imagine. Knowing the original language of the movie you are watching is much more satisfying than watching it with subtitles. You may discover new authors and artists that speak to your heart and enjoy them the most. This is actually one of the reasons why people always say knowing another language will make your worldview wider.

The first counterargument against my thesis is schools should give the freedom of choice to their students. Not everyone enjoys learning a new language and people should use their time by focusing on what they are passionate for. Since most people think learning a new language requires skills more than training and academic discipline, it’s not going to be fair and enjoyable for everyone. Students have to take certain credits of math and science every year even though they might not like it; neither math nor science is enjoyable for everyone and practice and discipline is required to learn them. But we will not have any great achievements if we live continuously in our comfort zones. We need to overcome and have healthy academic struggles and challenges in high school in order to go above our limits and others’ expectations, so taking additional foreign languages cannot hurt that much.

One of the reasons people might not agree with my statement would be because of the hardships of earning a whole new language. It takes dedication and so much patience. It’s sometimes extremely hard to pronounce the words that only exist in that particular language, and high schoolers shouldn’t be under this much stress and pressure while they have so many other important subjects to study and spend time on when they aren’t even sure whether they are actually being able to use it or not. Sone people just don’t get it and teenagers shouldn’t been forced to take an additional langue when they aren’t smart enough to learn it.

My second counterargument against my thesis is most Americans do not think an additional language is necessary for them. America is a large country and traveling is very expensive, and that’s why Americans do not travel to other countries as much as Europeans do. Based on this, they will not have a lot of opportunities to use the other languages even if they do learn them. Even if they get to travel outside of the United States, they can find people who speak English in their hotel, historical, and tourist places. But people should consider it’s not all about you and you can’t expect others to know your mother tongue while that’s your only language, especially when you go to their country. Also, the trips and the visits are always much more enjoyable when you can understand almost everyone around; you may notice or realize the details you would never notice if you couldn’t speak the language. And you don’t need a foreign language when you are traveling, there is need for it always.

One of the reasons why some would not agree with my thesis is they don’t find it necessary for native English speakers since English is an international language. English is a second language in most of the regions in the world and this is a main reason why we expect everyone to learn English, but we don’t try to understand them often. For an example, there is always an English version description for almost every complicated product in the world and the reason is obvious, to be understood by everyone. Some people argue when we can get things worked out by using English in most major cities in the world (especially in Europe) why should we even bother ourselves to learn a new language and culture we might not even necessarily use in our daily basis? But as I said earlier it’s not all about us, and even if we don’t get a chance to speak that language often it is still going to help us because our brains are still trying to choose words and they are working actively.

Now that you know the benefits of bilingualism, take a small step and improve your certain language skills or start taking some classes. Make cross-cultural friendships. Let other people know how it improves our life, our school, our community. I believe high schools can play an extremely important role to cultivate this idea by making additional language classes one of the most important and necessary subjects for their students to take each year throughout their high school career in order to graduate. God doesn’t care about only one nation or doesn’t ask us to save only the ones who are like us. He wants us to go all over the word, love all the people regardless of their language, culture, or nationality. When we understand what others feel, or what are the morals behind their actions, it’s going to be easier to help them, to care about them, and to love them. Our world needs more empathy: let us learn about others more so we can positively influence others more.

Work Cited

“Additional Language as a French Teacher.” Personal interview. 11 Dec. 2017.

Athanasopoulos, Panos. “How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World.” The Conversation, 13 Dec. 2017.

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit. “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2012.

Cerebrum: the Dana Forum on Brain Science, The Dana Foundation, 31 Oct. 2012.

Fan, Samantha P. “The Exposure Advantage.” Psychological Science, 8 May 2015.

Fránquiz, María E. “Key Concepts in Bilingual Education: Identity Texts, Cultural Citizenship, and Humanizing Pedagogy.” New England Reading Association Journal, New England Reading Association, 1 July 2012.

Keysar, Boyaz. “The Foreign-Language Effect.” SAGE Journals, 18 Apr. 2012.

“Learning Second Language ‘Slows Brain Ageing.’” BBC News, BBC, 2 June 2014.

Marian, Viorica, Ph.D. and Anthony Shook. “The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual.”

“Returned Missionaries Discover Benefits of Being Bilingual.” The Daily Universe, 22 Aug. 2014.

“Want a Healthy Lifestyle? Reap These Benefits of Being Bilingual!” Fluent Language.