The Importance of Learning Foreign Languages

The Importance of Learning Foreign Languages

BY DR. ABRAHAM KIM

Learning a foreign language is both time consuming and troublesome. I still recall in high school and in college spending hours trying to memorize hundreds of vocabulary words in Spanish and Japanese and the dozens of ways to conjugate verbs. I still cringe when thinking about the deep embarrassment of those awkward moments when I tried to express complex thoughts in front of my foreign language classes using kindergarten level terms because of my limited vocabulary. Although these were difficult times in my international academic training, I certainly do not regret it. Looking back over my 20 year professional career in public policy and international business, my foreign language training prepared and inspired me to think globally about my future, helped me make great friends around the world, and opened doors for me in my career. In short, learning foreign languages did not just give me ways to communicate with people in other countries, but it deepened my understanding and appreciation for the rich and complex world we live in. Today, with the world’s borders more porous than ever, I believe foreign language training needs to be an important part of any serious student’s academic curriculum.

Recent scientific research on the brain suggests that learning foreign languages makes students smarter overall. Among the many benefits, it increases students’ mental focus, reading and writing abilities, and even improves mathematical skills. I do not know if my geometry or calculus grades jumped up because I was studying Spanish or Japanese, but it did sharpen my critical thinking and broadened my perspective about the world. It opened my mind to new cultures and new ways of thinking. It gave me the chance to consider foreign cultures against my own values and traditions and gave me a deeper respect for our multi-faceted world. Through language learning, I was exposed to a different set of aesthetics, cuisines, philosophies, politics, histories and traditions. All this classroom learning naturally became the catalyst for me to travel and study abroad to further enhance my international education through seeing and experiencing foreign cultures.

One of the most rewarding parts of learning foreign languages is that it helped me to make connections with people overseas. It is amazing how people’s perception of Americans abroad change when they speak the language of the host foreign country. For me, it immediately transformed the way people perceived me from an outsider to a friend. Even though initially my conversation skills were quite elementary, it allowed me to build trust more quickly and to establish a stronger relationship with people. In my small way, through the time and resources spent to learn foreign languages, I was showing honor to the mother countries of these languages.

Most recently, I came to realize how making connections through learning foreign languages can even save lives. The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana trains young American military personnel headed to Afghanistan in the local indigenous languages and cultures. For many of these soldiers, these classes are their first exposure to the Muslim religion, Afghan culture and the Pashtun and Dari languages. Through language and cultural education, one of the many goals is to train these young Americans to be soldier-diplomats on the field. Alums come back from their tours with stories of arbitrating disagreements between Afghan leaders, persuading villagers to collaborate with U.S. forces, and building deep friendships with locals. These young, trained soldiers were restoring peace in these war torn societies and helping to rebuild a country, which could only be facilitated through language and cultural understanding, not through

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