The number one reason to learn a foreign language is so that you can communicate with other people who speak the language in question. This can include individuals you meet when you are travelling and also people you meet at home who speak more than one language. Learning to speak another language will make you welcomer when you travel and it shows a tremendous respect for a different culture than your own. People notice and are pleased when you make a concerted effort to speak a local language, even if you only learn a few words such as hello, goodbye, please and thank you.
Cultural understandings are bridged when a person takes on the endeavour of learning to speak a new language. Learning a new language opens up new avenues and new ideas and provides a broader way of viewing the world. There are many cultural and linguistic differences between languages and learning these can make a great deal of difference to ones life. Be aware as well that learning to speak another language also means that you can enjoy music, film and literature in the language and do not require it to be translated. Rarely is a translation an exact replica of what was originally spoken, sung or written.
Learning a foreign language will increase your options when it comes to your chosen career. A great number of schools as well as plenty of employers have a preference for those who are able to speak more than one language. While English is a language that is spoken widely throughout the world, it would do you well to learn French for example if you will be doing business in France at all or if you will be working with French clients.
Learning another language can also play a role in helping you learn more about your own. You can enhance your ability to know as much as possible about the English language by learning another language, such as French or Spanish. Check out www.eurotalk.ie to get you started on the language-learning path.
http://french.about.com/od/francophonie/a/whylearnfrench.htm
