“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” political leader, Nelson Mandela once stated. In schools across the world, students learn the language of their country and an additional language. Foreign language is more than just a class in school. It has the potential to be beneficial to academics, life, and culture.

 When learning another language, students can improve their cognitive abilities. These include problem-solving, critical thinking, memory, multitasking, as well as planning skills. All of these skills are essential in life, and an improvement upon them is beneficial. Within schools in America, language options are typically Spanish, French, and Italian. The mentioned three languages, as well as English, share Latin roots, making it easier for students to grasp similarities between languages. This is mainly why schools choose this option, rather than having to teach students a new alphabet, and a complete set of vocabulary in addition to learning the grammar rules, sentence structure, culture, etc. The Atlantic’s Cody C. Delistraty writes “ [...] are better at remembering lists or sequences, likely from learning grammatical rules and vocabulary; they’re more receptive to their surroundings and therefore better at focusing on an important information while weeding out misleading information.” Therefore, the time taken either inside or outside the classroom to learn another language is a benefit to a student’s grades.    

 Beyond the classroom, the improvement upon cognitive abilities can have benefits in life. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information Programs (NCBI), multilingualism delays Alzheimer’s. Since Alzheimer’s deteriorates a person’s memory and other mental skills, a delay of this disease is valuable. According to a study conducted by Albert Costa and Alice Foucart, “Foreign language leads to the reduction of heuristic biases in decision-making”. Essentially, undertaking such an endeavor helps to prevent a person from making practical, yet nonoptimal choices. In fact, more than twenty percent of Americans are bilingual. The opportunity to make better choices and having improved problem-solving, critical thinking, memory, multitasking and planning skills are helpful for almost any career. Another key component in life is IQ or intelligence. However, unlike a person’s IQ, cognitive skills are more capable of change. Therefore, learning a second or additional language can have long-term benefits by increasing cognitive skills.         

Frank Smith once said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Whether it be simple Thai phrases and food names or full on conversations in Korean, different languages have permeated my childhood. As I have grown up, small words and phrases have stuck with me, but conversations in these languages are not currently a reality. I am only able to understand a part of the language, same as I am able to understand part of the culture. Frank Smith also stated, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” Learning English sets me in a corridor for life. Learning Korean as another language opens doors I would not have even considered previously. By learning a whole new alphabet, a whole new set of vocabulary and grammar; it would also be beneficial for my cognitive skills. More importantly, it would be more important for my culture. Due to a language gap between my paternal grandparents, learning more about Korean culture from them is challenging. Should the need to communicate something important arise, the message would have to be interpreted by someone who understands both languages. This also damages the ability to connect on a personal level. In comparison to my other grandparent who knows English, my knowledge of their lives and experiences is extremely limited. By learning Korean, I would not only be helping my future, but would be helping connect with my family, the past, and the culture that I am a part of.

 To reiterate, learning an additional language and becoming multilingual is beneficial on many fronts. From cognitive improvements that help in school and life, to familial and cultural connections, learning a second language has many benefits. American Actress, Lucille Ball once stated, “I’d rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven’t done.” People around the world should realize the benefits a new language can provide. An increase of bilingual people across the globe will provide a deeper understanding of the world and it’s many cultures and languages.