The 5 Big Advantages to Learning Multiple Languages at Once

The 5 Big Advantages to Learning Multiple Languages at Once So, you’re learning Korean, Spanish and French at the same time?Youre definitely not one to shy away from a challenge.It doesnt matter how much you love languagesâ€"learning a few at once can be tricky.Think back to those desperate moments you spent sitting alone in your room and asking your tired self, “what was I thinking? What’s the point of all of this?”Well, let me help you answer that question.Turns out, there’s a lot of advantages to learning multiple languages at once.Here, I plan to demonstrate that doing it is worth every ounce of effort you put into the task. Ill give you 5 profound benefits that make learning languages coolâ€"and worthwhile for every person on this planet. The 5 Big Advantages to Learning Multiple Languages at Once1. Its Good for Your BrainDid you know that your brain can be structurally changed for the better in just three short months?That’s right! Swedish and German scientists conducted a study on conscript interpretersâ€"people who deal with multiple languages as part of their daily jobsâ€"and measured the size of each ones hippocampus and cerebral cortex.  They then subjected these interpreters to three months of intensive language studies. Military boot camp style!After 90 days of intense training, the scientists, donning their spotless lab coats, came in and again measured their subjects’ brains. They discovered that their  interpreters’ hippocampal regions, along with three other areas of the cortex, had grown significantly. The cortical areas increased in their thickness, indicating higher fire power for these areas of the brain.Learning multiple languages isnt only about increasing brain mass, it improves memory as well. Psychologist set out to determine the cognitive differences between monolingual and bilingual children, or if any even existed.They subjected the children to a battery of mental tasks which measured working memory, executive function, visuospatial span, cognitive quickness and conflict re solution. What they discovered was very telling indeed. Bilingual children outclassed their monolingual counterparts in all test conditions. In short, people who grow up bilingual have faster, more accurate and more robust mental capacities.If you want your kids to have a head start in life, start them young on the road to learning multiple languages.Lastly, its been known that just speaking a second  language can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.  One study has shown that being bilingual, as opposed to being monolingual, may delay the onset of dementia for a good 5.1 years.The brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the sharper and stronger it gets. Multilingual people have the advantage of having brains that are in good shape. The benefits of switching back and forth between languages is priceless.They have brains that need to recognize, distinguish and analyze the different linguistic patterns, intonations, vocabulary, grammatical rules and idiomatic expressions of d ifferent languages. Because of that need to do more, they have well-oiled neurons which are less prone to the detrimental effects of old age.2. It Saves Precious TimeImaging that youre travelling in South America and get lost while on the way to officiate a wedding.  Youre  standing at an actual crossroad and looking up at two signs. The left one says “Una Via“ (One Way), the one on the right says, “Camino Cerrado Delante“ (Road Closed Ahead). Can you imagine how much driving time youd save simply knowing what those signs mean?How about finding yourself at a French mall and badly needing to go to the restroom because your tummy disagreed with the escargot you had for lunch. Can you imagine looking at foreign signs that would score 70 points in Scrabble? Or imagine finding yourself trying to communicate with French men who fake not knowing any English, desperately gesturing and asking where the rest room is.Wouldnt life be much easier if you could communicate while abroad in France or Spain? That way youd make the most of your 5-day vacation instead of spending half of it looking for some dingy rest room.If learning a second  language is such a time saver, how about learning a third  and a fourth  language? Imagine how much of the world you could navigate!That being said, learning more than one language at a time requires careful planning and an awesome strategy.There are two ways of studying multiple languages.One way is sequentially  and the other is simultaneously.  The methods are right in the names. Doing multiple languages at the same time (simultaneously)  saves time because, in a way, youre multitasking. Instead of getting fluent in one language in 1.5 years, you become fluent in 2 languages in 2 years.3. You Can Take Full Advantage of Similarities and Differences Between LanguagesOne advantage of learning multiple languages at once is that you can play the languages off of one another. You can take notice of (and better remember) the eccentrici ties of a language by noting its similarities or differences with another tongue.An example of this are the many cognates shared by romance languages. Cognates are words in different languages that share similar spelling, meaning and pronunciation. Examples in French â€" Italian â€" Spanish are:a) ARMFrench: le brasItalian: il braccioSpanish: el brazob) FEVERFrench: la fièvreItalian: la febbreSpanish: la fiebrec) TONGUEFrench: la langueItalian: la linguaSpanish: la lenguaIf you notice, the spelling, meaning and pronunciation of these words (and many, many others) are similar for French, Italian and Spanish, indicating that they have a common etymology.Cognates are very useful for 2 major things.1. Vocabulary building. Let’s say you’re studying French, Italian and Spanish simultaneously. In the examples above, instead of building your vocabulary in just one language, youre building it for 3 at the price of 1.2. Contextualizing.  Cognates are very useful for contextualizing. As I ve said, you can play the languages off of one another. For example, your new Italian friend told you over the phone, “let’s meet on sabato.” The problem is, you’re not sure if “sabato” is a newly-opened Italian restaurant downtown. Fortunately, you do know that “sábado” is Saturday in Spanish.In short, knowing a second  language puts you at a definite advantage in learning a third or  a fourth  one. So, why learn it serially when you can do it simultaneously?4. Tackling Multiple Languages Keeps You From Getting BoredAnother advantage of learning languages simultaneously is that it keeps you alive and alert on the task.Tired of differentiating ser  from estar? Sick of “Buenas dias”? Try a little Anyong Haseyo and  discover a whole new soul in the Korean language.Tired of watching Spanish telenovelas or listening to Latin songs? Try some of the awesome Japanese drama series that currently populate the internet.By the way, if you like learning languages through fu n, native language videos, then youll want to check out FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks, and turns them into learning lessons. It lets you learn using fun videos and real-world context. FluentU is available for Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and English, and one subscription gives you access to all languages.You don’t have to bury yourself for months on end in a single language. There always comes a point in any language learners endeavors when they finally plateau and get sick of the lessons. You can either barrel through that phase, or you can refresh yourself by getting into another language. Don’t think of it as quitting, think of it as productively redirecting your language learning energies. What’s important is that you can have several language “mistresses” on the side. It keeps things interesting. This works especially well for languages that are so different, they are like a breath o f fresh air.5. It Opens Opportunities for Employment, Romance and Multicultural UnderstandingLearning a 2nd language broadens employment opportunities. Being a multilingual compounds your prospects and give you a sharp edge in the job market. (The truth is, even when you won’t be using “Swedish, Norwegian, Danish” in your work. But writing those on your resume makes you stand out from the rest of the English-only crowd. Cool, huh?)Over the next decade, Spanish and Chinese speaking skills will be one of the most critical skills sought for by recruiters.As globalism surges forward, it makes learning multiple languages ever more essential. English isnt enough anymore. A great number of international corporations arent based in English-speaking countries. In addition, US-based corporations are waking up to the fact that in order to flourish in the emerging markets, they have to learn how to say “Ni Hao” and not just “How are you?On the romantic end, youll be ready to start a bilingual relationship. When your significant other has a different first language than you, what better way is there to express affection than learning romantic phrases in their native tongue? “Sorry” is just different when you say “lo siento.” And who knows, she might just forgive you.Speaking your love’s language brings you to their reality of things. It promotes understanding between you and your significant other. As you know, different languages are also connected to diverse perspectives of the world we live in. By speaking their words, you put yourself in their shoes for a minute.At the very least, youll know that weve got your backs while you tackle all your target languages. And One More ThingIf youre digging these learning benefits, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide var iety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.