Meng
Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language
Imagine reading a fascinating Japanese-translated novel that you’re deeply immersed in, and you’re eager to know what’s happening next; suddenly, you saw a chapter that isn’t converted well in Chinese, what would you do? What if you could read Japanese and understand its cultural background? This essay will discuss the three reasons why all of us should learn a foreign language: bridging the gap between the original work and the translation, enabling ourselves to reflect on our own culture by multicultural conflicts, and expanding our horizons to be more sympathetic.
To begin with, if we are proficient in the knowledge of the language, we could read their well-known works of literature in their original languages. According to a quote in the movie Nostalghia, “Poetry is untranslatable, like the whole art”. Generally, poetry and all genres of artworks are created in a certain period and within a specific cultural background. Indeed, we could read the translated version of the piece; however, the socio-cultural aspects which formed its rich cultural deposits and hence made the masterpiece great are arguably untranslatable. On the contrary, if we are familiar with the language, we could read the classics in their original languages. And hence we could bridge the gap between the original work and the translation. To be brief, once we master the language, any part of the small nuances and authors’ ingenuity in the novel will not be lost in translation anymore.
Secondly, we would be able to reflect on our own culture when we gradually pick up foreign languages and appreciate their cultural backgrounds. A famous American writer and actress Gates Macfadden (2020) once wrote that “just learning to think in another language allows us people to see our own culture from a better viewpoint.” For me, I’m firmly believed that it’s a precious process for us as foreigners to learn the second or even the third language: we could adopt new perspectives to view the world and the cultural shock it brings would make us grow enormously; that’s the time we would start to reflect on ourselves. Hence, it can be stated that the language is inseparable from its cultural background, and the learning of the two would help us to appreciate our own culture in a more profound way.
Finally, through foreign language learning, we could expand our horizons through our own eyes and true experiences. According to the article Mind in Society, “Language and culture are the frameworks through which humans experience, communicate, and understand reality” (p. 39). Through learning a foreign language, we could take a closer look into reality, rather than imaging through rose-colored glasses about foreign fantasies appearing on TV shows. In this way, it would help us learn to appreciate exotic and different values, and therefore turn ourselves to become more open-minded and unprejudiced. Moreover, it would be a lot easier for us to build connections or have more sympathy with people around the globe. For example, under the recent invasion by Russian sovereignty, Ukrainians are under great pressure and currently suffering from Russia’s artillery and weapons. What if we could understand Ukrainian? Wouldn’t we feel more related to the news and thus be more sympathetic to the locals? To sum up, expanding our horizons through learning a foreign language might not only change the way we see but also change our values and beliefs.
To summarize, there are three main reasons why we should learn a foreign language: bridging the gap between the original work and the translation, enabling ourselves to reflect on our own culture by multicultural conflicts, and expanding our horizons to be more sympathetic. In fact, all three reasons are deeply valuable and essential to our lives and learning processes to become more mature. With the three life-changing benefits we could get, we could affirmatively state that it’s crucial and vital to learn a foreign language.
References:
McFadden, G. (2020). Place for writing thoughts. Independently published.
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https://www.amazon.com/learning-another-language-culture-viewpoint/dp/B08LNJJD5K
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. London: Harvard University Press.
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Gorchakov, A. (1983). Nostalghia. Sovinfilm.
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