The Benefits Of Learning A Foreign Language

Introduction

‘One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.’ as said by the American psycholinguist Frank Smith, this may illustrates the benefits of learning a new language. It is common to encounter people who are attending foreign language classes, with a view to experiencing a new culture or for travelling purpose. However, one of the major reason why learning foreign language is that this knowledge can possibly benefit one’s career development. This statement was proven by the action of various universities for long years. In the 1970s, countries such as the United States had already put a huge emphasis on acquiring a new language in tertiary education’s syllabus by providing numerous language courses (Honig & Brod, 1974). In Hong Kong, universities also set up corresponding independent language learning centers which specialize in providing new language education for students. The encouragement implemented by these universities can be explained by the graduate survey of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), in which a majority of the respondents indicates that the knowledge of foreign language is useful in their career (CUHK, 2007). These educational measures left an interesting question of how learning a new language at university can benefit student’s future career after graduation. Therefore, this essay will discuss how acquiring a new language while studying at university benefits one’s career viewing from