Hi everyone and welcome to my podcast, my name is Aimi and in this podcast I will speak about the value of knowing different languages. We will also be looking into some studies that point out several benefits of being able to speak multiple languages.
Let us start from the beginning with some basic explanation. First, what is the definition of being bilingual or multilingual? To be bilingual means that you can speak two languages fluently, you could debate on how fluently you must be to call yourself bilingual. In this podcast we assume that you can use the languages in your daily life and use it almost everyday. And the term multilingual is usually used when you can speak more than two languages.
To be able to speak more than one language is beneficial when you travel, of course. If a bilingual person who speaks English and Spanish travels to Spain they have an advantage to ask directions, but most languages are strongly connected with the culture of the people who speak it. If you speak even a little of the local language, you can significantly improve your travel experiences.
Now maybe some of you think, is it really necessary to learn or understand another language in 2022? I mean when we have google translate and all the information is found on the internet then why waste time learning a new language? Learning a language or being able to speak another language also have positive effects on your brain and health.
Swedish Interpreter Academy had a study where students were tasked with learning a new language. MRI scans were showing that specific parts of the brain were developing in size compared to studying other subjects.
According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, young adults that were proficient in two languages performed better on attention tests, had better concentration as well than those who only spoke one language.
There was also a landmark study by the American neurological Association. It showed that people who spoke more than one language had a later onset of Alzheimer‘s disease and brain aging had slowed down.
I am multilingual myself, being able to speak Japanese, English and Swedish, and I believe that knowing different languages also has benefits in daily life. Of course it happens that I mix these languages and make a sentence that is totally nonsense, but in terms of getting information and communicating, being able to speak different languages is actually an educational and pleasurable experience.
To wrap it up, here are a few points to retain from this episode: To know, understand and be able to use another language affects your brain positively like preventing certain diseases and brain aging. Studies showed that especially the cognitive functions in the brain will increase and most importantly it has to be fun to learn and know a language.
Thank you for listening to my podcast till the end. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. See you!
Sources: Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy
Journal Frontiers in Psychology
American neurological Association
Music used: Blend and Gunshot Straight from MusMus