Skip to main content

Week 8 [28.11-04.12] - Language learning – worth trying?



It is widely known that speaking foreign languages is a key element to function in 21st century. Many authorities, teachers, coaches and parents highlight the importance of that skill. But why? Why should we care? Is it really so important?



 



Nowadays, we are bombard by foreign cultures. On the radio we can hear English or American songs, we can go to the cinema to see next Quentin Tarantino’s movie or Ellen DeGeneres’ show. Even at school, children are forced to read Shakespeare, or Goethe’s texts. Additionally, more and more people cultivate customs from different countries, such as Halloween or Valentine’s Day. Consequently, learning foreign languages equals learning about different cultures and it makes us more tolerant, open minded and, what is the most important, broadens our horizons.



 




We live in a world where everything is possible. Without any problems we can move to Spain, visit castles in Scotland or admire the landscapes of Norwegian countryside. Being a part of European Union makes world more open, and gives us opportunity to explore other countries. However, the key element to be able to benefit from that circumstance is being able to communicate. As Wittgenstein said, “the borders of my language are the borders of my world”.

Interestingly, in the world when the emigration is so popular phenomenon, it could be fascinating to investigate your roots. Maybe your family came from Eastern Europe, or Far East. Put succinctly, you can learn more about your family history and events which shaped your life; the findings may motivate you to learn your family’s mother tongue.

We cannot forget that speaking foreign languages increases the chances to get a better job. More and more companies cooperate with brands from all over the world. Undoubtedly, it is crucial to understand and being understood by your co-workers.



 





To sum up, learning languages bring endless benefits not only in your private life but also in professional area. Everyone should remember that the hard work and self-development is always worth trying.
Do you think it is possible to function without speaking English nowadays?
Why did you start learning a foreign language?



Bibliography
Picture sources








Comments

Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
I really, really don't like learning new languages. I've been trying to learn german for 12 years, visiting Germany each and every year for a total time of almost 2 years and I still can't speak it almost at all. Hell, I even had troubles learning polish. The main reason why I speak english now good enough is because I love and always loved video games. I had to know the whole story and also used to read about the game on the internet (not to mention talking to people in mmo games like World of Warcraft). Years of such practice made me finally able to understand and communicate in english freely. I'm so glad that it's still becoming more and more universal language and I hope it stays this way. PS Learning programming languages is much easier ;P
Piotr Basiński said…
In my point of view learning foreign language is very important. It's become clear to me when I was in San Francisco Ability to communicate in English was very important, I couldn't imagine how to survieve there without knowing English. Even if I don't have time for writing epic length and high quality comments on some website, I think that the foreign language is very important and I will spend more time on it since now.

At the end of my comment I want to add that knowing English is necessary to learn programming because all documentation and most of newset books are in English.
Unknown said…
I think that this is important to know foreign languages - it doesnn't have to be English. It may be important in work - projects with people from other countries, if you want to work in internatopnal company. It may be esier for you, if you know foreign languages, when you will be travelling around the world. Of course, not every language will be known by everyone where you go, but still it mamy make comunication easier.
I started learning foreign language in school. I develeped my enlish the most when I started reading comics and some articles. Becasue I was translating, at first, most of the words or phrases/idioms, then I started to write in English (some comments/discussions) and now I thnk it is quite nice :) Of course - it may be better and I'll do my best :)
Unknown said…
Nowadays I can't imagine communicating with people from different countries without knowledge of English.
In my opinion learning a new language has a lots of benefits, for example:
1. Your memory improves,
2. You become more perceptive,
3. You stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia,
4. It open ups a World of Job Opportunities,
5. You become smarter.
In my case, I consider the last point as the most important one. Speaking a foreign language improves the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems. This skill boosts your ability to negotiate meaning in other problem-solving tasks as well.
Sylwia Pechcin said…
In my opinion speaking especially English gives us almost unlimited access to many many materials what are avaliable on the Internet in this language. For example we don't have to worry about movie subtitles, because we understand the plot without them, we don't worry about Polish versions of books or coursebooks, because we can as well read it in Polish or English. For me it's the main advantage of knowing especially English.
I think that nowadays it's possible to function without foreign languages, but then people have more limits and are less self-confident. They for example don't feel so comfortable on the vacations in foreign country.
Personally I speak English and Spanish on very basic level. I have started learning English, because everyone was studying it, and my parents signed me up for additional course. Like I said in one of my comments - I love Spain, I mean the entire culture, customs, living style and of course language - it sound awesome for me and that;s why I intended to start studying it.
Unknown said…
Do you think it is possible to operate without speaking English today? I think it depends on what we profession but actually, nowadays hard to live without English. Just go to a normal shop and most of it is written in English. The second thing is that the majority of Poles going on holiday abroad and without English would be hard
Unknown said…
I have to admit that I really like to learn new languages. It makes me happy when I can memorize some difficult words I didn't know before, and even more if I have an opportunity to use it in a conversation. I have a lot of friends from different places in the world, and it makes me happy that we can easily talk with each other, despite there is so many differences between us. That makes me want to learn more and more.
Unknown said…
There's no doubt for me that learning other languages is worth trying. I was conscious of this even from childhood , I was encouraged to learn and talk in English, and it worked because I saw that I need it to communicate with other people, that not everybody speaks polish, that they’re great people abroad and that it would be useful for me to gain/achieve what I want.
The most wonderful feeling is when you realize that you could think in other language, that’s there’s no need to translate everything, word by word, because every language has other “personality” and sound, thus you’re supposed to use it differently.
To sum up, there's no life nowadays without foreign languages. It’s a real shame not to know English or any other language. Such knowledge not only makes our life so much easier, but what’s the most important broadens our minds and makes us more intelligent.
In the era of globalisation, I think it is not possible to function and keep up with other nations without speaking foreign languages. That is also the main reason why we learn them. Nowadays for me it is so obvious as why you need to know any language at all. I think it is also great there is one "global language" - English. I will be really cool when evryone knows it, you will be able to communicate with every person on the earth.
Unknown said…
Unfortunatelly, I don't like to learn languages. As many things in our life, it requires systematic work. It's not problem in itself, but connecting it with languages... hard and annoying for me ;)

On the other hand, I believe it's extremely important to learn langauges. I completely agree with Damian's points. It improves memory and opens the world. What's more, it opens different possibilities (e.g. new jobs).
Finally, I believe people learning languages smarter that's why I think it's not sufficient to know only one foreign language.

Despite the fact that I simply don't like to learn languages, I consider it necessary. I believe everybody should do it. Not only students who would like to have broad perspectives, but also people who are in some way "settled down". It really helps in many thinks and fortunatelly everybody knows it - it's the first step in a whole "scientific-march".
Dajana Kubica said…
It is possible to live without the English, if you live in a village or a small town and you do not have contact with advanced technology. The best direction for the holiday is visiting the state in which you live. But if you want to live in a bigger city and have a job, you need to know English as a universal language. Every next is an advantage. Now I can not imagine life without English. I could not watch favorite TV series and study Computer Science. I started learning English in primary school, and since then constantly learn it. I have studied for six years German, but with this language I have only bad memories. I attended also to additional classes with Japanese language, but because of lack of time I had to give up, but I would happily return to learn Japanese.
Unknown said…
In my opinion learning new language is a great way to immerse yourself in foreign culture. It's easier to travel somewhere if you know some basic sentences.

Knowledge of English is mandatory today. You can't travel, work in international companies, or even browse Internet without it.

Sometimes you can start learning a language just out of curiosity like I did with Japanese 2 years ago. Picking up some basic knowledge in such exotic language was an interesting experience. What's more I learned a lot about Japanese culture, due to it's heavy influence on the way their language is structured now.
Unknown said…
I don't like to learn new languages because for me it's a really big difficulty. Of course, I know that is needed, primarily for the professional area because I work in an international company and we have employees and clients from another countries. In today's world it is very difficult to live without the English language but mother is old date and she doesn't have English in school and if she want now change her job she has a problem because everywhere this language is required. Knowledge of foreign languages isn't needed by people who live in small villages where there are no tourists. Of course when you know more languages you have more opportunities. You could travel freely and you have a better possibility of finding a dream job.
kondrat said…
Without doubt learning foreign languages is a must. To get a job, or even finding valuable information in the internet, to travel without difficulties- english is fundamental.
In my opinion speaking at least 2 foreign languages nowadays is a must-have. I've recently read an article saying that abilitity to learn foreing languages is coded in our DNA. I mean, some people no matter how hard they try they won't become polyglots ever. For my point of view it's very easy to learn new languages. I've been learning french, spanish, german, english and little bit of dutch and swedish so far. Speaking diffrent languages widen your horizonts. It's a great way to meet new people and cultures.
Michał Pycek said…
In my opinion the more languages you speak, the better for you because the world becomes limitless to you. I think that English language is a must nowadays and every single person should learn how to SPEAK IT. What I mean is that it is common that people in Poland learn this language for years but when it comes to verbal communication, when people face being asked something by a forreigner, they very often get a small hart attack and have no idea how to put a sentence together. This is really disappointing and simply sad. On the other hand, other languages are also very useful, I can give an example of my fiance. She speaks English (studied abroad in English) and also Danish (again, also studied abroad in Danish). After she got back to Poland, she has started to use the Danish language as a working tool which she could use on our market as a regular skill. I know for a fact, that whether you use different languages for work purposes or do not use them that much but know them and operate them when needed, it is a huge privilege.
Unknown said…
For IT jobs the must have is fluent English in speak and written. Wihtout it you cant get good job with good salary. The best practise to learn new language is move out to country where people speak this language. After 6 months you will speak this language quite good.
Kacper Zaremba said…
I think it would be impossible to work in IT industry without knowledge of written and spoken English. Most knowledge and documentation you can find in the internet is written in English. IT industry changes too fast for translators to translate or the material, so there is no point to look for information in Polish. Moreover, it’s very hard to travel around the world without any knowledge of foreign languages.
Unknown said…
Learning languages is a great way to train your brain. Especially your memory. I speak 4 languages fluently and I feel like the deeper understanding of the language I get - the more I understand the world around me. Your mind starts connecting the dots and while daydreaming on a boring lecture in university you’re trying to figure out why some words are similar in some languages and some are not. Or I was always curious about the sense of a word “kinder garden”. Try to understand it. Garden is a place where plants are growing. And why so many cultures and countries see this place as a garden and not something else.
I learned english the same way you did. The games on pegasus console were only in english. There wasn't much text but still you needed to know some basics. Later I started playing PC games where again, they were mostly in english. Most of my vocabulary comes from that, school polished my grammar. I don't think it is possible to learn english this way since everything gets localized.

I also learned japanese because it's so different from any other language (latin based).

When it comes to english importance, I think you could get away with not knowing it if you know like german or french.
Unknown said…
English is essential nowadays. No really good job, no watching movies and shows in original, no reading books as they were written, no communication with foreigners. In the modern community everyone must know English, at least at the communication level.
I started learning English because we had it in the school. After that I understood that I really like this language and want to continue the learning.
For now, I'm actively learning Polish and really enjoy it. I have a superb inspiration when I start to understand songs in the foreign language. After that, I want to go on and on in the learning.
Andrzej Gulak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jarek_Ziem said…
The English language is unifying the World in world of business and foreign trade, we finally found one simple, clear, and popular language for everyone to learn. Because of USA and England being center of the world’s economy there is necessary to know it.
From the other hand, it's always better to know more languages than native and one foreign. There is one huge advantage of learning new language. The Czech proverb does say, "Learn a new language and get a new soul.". I highly recommend article on Thepsychologytoaday.com "Learn a new language and get a new soul." about if it Could be that bilinguals who speak two (or more) languages change their personality when they change language?
In my opinion you cannot be successful in life in means of business without knowledge of English language or one foreign language like German or French.

I think that it’s almost impossible to function without knowing basic English. Knowledge of English is important almost in every aspect of our lives from reading recipe how to make marshmallows to writing an email to a client in work. It makes really easy to communicate abroad because for example even if you go to France with knowledge of French, communication with other tourists in your hotel only in French can be impossible. Because of that English language is amazing, lots of people from different countries know how to speak it at least at basic level.
Honestly I'm only learning languages that might be practical and usable for me in the future. English is a must as an IT Specialist because all documentation is written in English. German is also good because there are a lot of job contract opportunities in Germany and good paid ones. I also remember a lot in Russian but that's just because of a friend that used to work with me in one of the companies. We are used to forgot a lot when not using learned language so it is just a waste of time for me to do so.
Moode said…
I think that it is very good to learn foreign languages. To me it was a much when I moved to Poland so that I could communicate with the people leaving here which made my life easier. I guess that the sooner you start the better it is. I can not imagine my professional life without knowing how to speak English. The idea of having one main communication language all around the work make travelling and working much easier. We don’t need to have translators so much. But I also like the idea of learning just a few words in the language of the country that I go too. I believe that people appreciate it very much when I am able to say hallo or “how are you” in their mother language. Also, if I will have children in the future I will do all my best to have them speak as many languages as possible.
Bartosz Łyżwa said…
I can't agree with you more, it's everything right you wrote in your article. Learning foreign languages bring benefits in every level. Moreover in our profession we have to know and use every day foreign languages or at least english.
Unknown said…
When I hear that some of my mates don't speak English at all - it's a mark, sorry. And I am very thankful to my parents, that they took me to an English school when I was a child. I can't imagine the modern life without knowing the languages. Learning languages was my hobby - I've tried a few, but, unfortunately, without practice you forget everything very quickly. Nevertheless, even my poor knowledge in some of the languages could help me in the trips. I hope one day to learn Spanish and Italian again. It is so exciting when you can communicate with foreigners.

It is a pity that the idea with Esperanto had failed. But we have English instead. When I will have kids they will have to learn it like the second mother language.
Unknown said…
In my opinion it is possible to function without knowing how to speak English. Of course if you will find a job that doesn't require that skill. And you don't want to move to another country or communicate with foreigners. But I don't think it is worth it.

Studies have shown that learning languages is beneficial for our brains. And if you know some other language, especially English, there are so many more things for you to find out, for example articles on the Internet, or books that are not translated in Polish etc.

I started learning English in elementary school and I am still learning something new every day.
I think it is essential to learn at least one foreign language (for ex. English) to communicate with others. It is good to start learning it as a child as it will be a lot easier later to speak and communicate fluently. I started learning English when I was 7 and I thank my parents very much for it. Without it I won't be able to communicate so freely in this language.
English is the most important language right now and I can't imagine myself or anybody else living without it, although I do know several people, including my family, that do not speak English, mainly because it wasn't in their school back then. However, it is essential for anybody right now, and I reached a point in my life when I use English more often than Polish, despite of living in fact in Poland - simply because of the Internet, entire documentation and more.

Of course, we could potentially discuss how English is not crucial for many people and jobs, but I do think that lack of it heavily affects life in every single aspect right now, and it's super important even if somebody doesn't consider it so.

Other languages are not so crucial, although understanding Chinese or Spanish for sure can help, not as much though. In my opinion, speaking English is more important than speaking any other language, including your native one. It doesn't have to be perfect speech, but it has to be decent enough so you feel good using it without wondering what to say each 3 or 4 words.
Unknown said…
I don't have patience to new languages, tho I would love to learn a new one. But you might have a point. Perhaps in the nearest future English will become the "only" language, with other being treated like Celtic or something - a language you know because you are proud of being a part of certain nation, not to communicate with others.
Adam Nowak said…
You should learn a foregin language only if you know that you will use this language often in a future, in another case it is just a waste of time. Why? Because you will forget fast what you've learned. I know that you could learn this language faster if you were learing it in the past, but your time is not infinite, you should learn something more practical.
I also think that you should learn a language that you need, but that exceeds far more than just comunicating with people. It also means learning to understand someone's culture and stuff like that.
Unknown said…
While I think learning languages is incredibly important and valuable, I also think it's absolutely possible to live in our current world with knowing just one. While it's always better to know more than your own language, millions of people around the world only use one. Some day, yes, maybe it will no longer be possible to survive without a second or even a third one. As for jobs, maybe it's not that it's easier to get a job just by knowing English, but if you know it well enough you become part of a bigger job market, you're no longer limited to working in your own country.
I think if someone want to succeed in current world has to know English. Almost everything is now in this language and without knowing it chances for good job are lost in the begging. Now I love to learn new languages but my parents made that first move for me. They encouraged me to start learning languages and pushed me to do it. I'm now grateful for that. Hardly ever young person is drive to learning languages so our parents have an enormous impact on that. We should all thank them.

Popular posts from this blog

Week 11 [03-09.06.2019] The problem with ecological cars emission in UK

The problem with ecological cars emission in UK Since the adoption of the European Emission Allowance Directive in the European Parliament, all car makers have tried to submit. Since 1992, the Euro I standard has been in force, which limited the emission of carbon monoxide to the atmosphere. The Euro VI standard currently applies, which limits the series of exhaust gases. These include: hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and dust.   The most significant change was brought by the Euro IV standard. For the first time it introduced the limitation of nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for the harmful compounds of smog.   What is smog?   Smog consists of sulfur oxides, nitrogen and carbon. In addition, solid substances such as suspended dust (PM). Dust suspend in atmospheric aerosols may be in liquid and solid form. These can be particles of sea salt, clouds from the Sahara and artificial compounds made by people. These compounds often come fr

Week 12 (12.01-18.01.15) Are you an early bird or a night owl ?

Owls are nocturnal creatures. They’re wide awake at night and they sleep during the day. If this sounds like bliss to you, then, like about 20 percent of the population who find themselves most active at around 9 pm, you may fall into the same category as our feathered friend. Night owls often have difficulty waking up in the morning, and like to be up late at night.  Studies of animal behaviour indicate that being a night owl may actually be built into some people’s genes. This would explain why those late-to-bed, late-to-rise people find it so difficult to change their behaviour. The trouble for night owls is that they just have to be at places such as work and school far too early. This is when the alarm clock becomes the night owl’s most important survival tool. Experts say that one way for a night owl to beat their dependence on their alarm clocks is to sleep with the curtains open. The Theory is that if they do so, the morning sunlight will awaken them gently and naturally.

Week 4 [06-12.11.2017] This is what happens when you reply to spam email.

James Veitch is a British comedian. In today’s Ted Talk James with characteristic for himself a sense of humor shows how he deals with spam emails and why responding to junk messages may be sometimes dangerous. Questions: What do you think about James’s  way of dealing with spam? Why are junk messages legal, even though it sometimes may be a fraud? Dou you have a problem with spam? How do you deal with with it?