Why every man should learn a foreign language
Every man should learn a foreign language.
Yes, that means you.
I’m currently in the process of learning my very first foreign language – French. Or Français…or something like that anyway.
Having dabbled in Spanish and been pretty decent at it in school – I regret dropping it more than any other stupid decision I made back then.
The opportunities that having another language under my belt may have presented at such a young age doesn’t bear thinking about.
That was why I reached out to Babbel, who are language learning experts, to help me on my quest to becoming a polyglot.
And with this in mind, I’ve decided to try and get all of you on board too.
So.
Here is why every man should learn a foreign language gosh darn it!
Why should I learn a foreign language?
There are so many great reasons to learn a foreign language, so I’ve done a quick list of 10 benefits you will see when you start your practice.
1. Improve your memory
2. Boost neural pathways (brain power)
3. Decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s & Dementia
4. Improved perceptive skills
5. Build a love for language (you’ll become better at your own)
6. Communicate with new people like never before
7. Open up doors to millions of potential business/job opportunities
8. Better decision making capabilities
9. Turbocharge your self-confidence (ability to travel solo without worrying, talk to strangers, etc)
10. Improve mental performance at school or work.
Convinced yet?
Thought so.
Why Men?
Dunno really.
I run a men’s lifestyle blog so I’m not going to switch up and write to women am I?
I suppose if you had sinister intentions of going to a foreign country and using your broken dialect to pick up babes that could be a motivating factor…
You dirty dog you.
ARE THERE CERTAIN LANGUAGES THAT ARE BEST?
Spanish is the main player here.
It is probably the easiest to pick up out of every language that isn’t English. If you speak English – which I assume you do if you’re reading this – then you’ll have an easier time picking Spanish up.
Being spoken in over 20 major countries, it will open a whole lot of opportunities up to you and make you seem a bit less like an ignorant tourist fool.
Great stuff.
It also gives you a good springboard to learn other languages once you’ve got the hang of it, such as Portuguese (quite similar), French and Italian.
Not only that, but the discipline you build from studying Spanish can really stand you in good stead for attempting far more challenging languages in the future such as Russian or Mandarin.
HOW CAN I LEARN QUICKLY?
One word – Babbel.
I reached out to these guys to help me with my learning and they only went and hooked me up with a 6 months free membership.
To be fair, their app is actually pretty inexpensive as it is, so I probably would have invested anyway but a freebie is always a nice treat.
Anyway, Babbel is the best app out there for learning foreign languages.
It takes you through a beginner course to get you acclimatised to the language somewhat and then it has a huuuuge range of topics to go through such as lifestyle, food & drink, culture and sports.
I just chose to stick to the main curriculum which breaks it down into lots of beginner, intermediate and advanced chunks as I think this is the best way to pick up a language in a hurry.
Considering I wanted to learn french in a month then Italian in another, this was sort of my only option…
Babbel make it so easy though and it’s almost a gamified experience, which makes the whole process less of a chore and more of a relaxing activity to do after work.
I like to do a few lessons before and after my dinner so I can try and jam the knowledge in before I hit the sack. So far it’s working pretty well.
I’d definitely suggest getting yourself a language learning routine/habit that keeps you accountable and is something you can stay on top of every day.
And that is that people.
Every man should learn a foreign language. It will open so many doors to you.
And don’t forget, one of the best ways to do it is through my good pals Babbel. You can sign up to their app here and follow them on Instagram here.
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