Why you should definitely study a language abroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to learn a new language and you\u2019re trying to work out whether to do so at home or abroad, I\u2019m here to convince you to take the road less travelled. Studying abroad can be an intimidating thought: you\u2019ll be away from everything and everybody you know, so you\u2019ll essentially be jumping in at the deep end. Yet if you\u2019re brave and make the leap into the unknown, the chances are you\u2019ll not only master a new language quicker and more thoroughly, the experience will also immeasurably enrich your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll experience the best of any destination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you visit a city as a tourist, it can be hard to know how to get the best out of it. We\u2019ve all ended up in situations where we find ourselves at an over-priced restaurant with sticky tables and suspiciously long menus. However, when you live and study abroad, you slowly become an expert on your new home. If you are unsure where to go, locals give the best advice; trust me when I say that people love to air their opinion about where does the best local dishes and offer up warnings about which cinema is outrageously priced and smells of feet. Live and study abroad and interact with the local inhabitants, and before long, you\u2019ll know which caf\u00e9 has the flakiest pastries and the best coffee, which viewpoint offers the dreamiest vistas over the city, and where you definitely shouldn\u2019t attempt to go on a Saturday afternoon in the height of summer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll become so much more confident<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to level with you right way: studying a foreign language abroad isn\u2019t always easy, yet it is our most difficult challenges that make us who we become.  Food writer and chef Anthony Bourdain said it best when he explained \u2018Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body.\u2019 Not only will you learn how to look after yourself away from your home comforts, but if you choose to study abroad, you will become more self-assured about your ability to communicate with a diverse range of people and to make new friends. Your maturity, empathy and independence will blossom, and you\u2019ll be confident that you can thrive anywhere in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll understand life better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know it could seem like I\u2019m exaggerating on this point, but I\u2019m really not. Studying abroad not only gives you a deeper understanding of another culture, it actually helps you to learn more about human nature, politics, the environment and everything else in between. What\u2019s more, since the travel bug is extremely infectious, once you\u2019ve found your feet studying abroad, you\u2019re likely to have the confidence to venture farther afield and learn how people live all over the world. As musician, writer and actor Henry Rollins so aptly put it \u2018there are lessons that you can\u2019t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll make lifelong friends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re thrown in together with people also in the same situation as you, you tend to connect on a deeper level than if you say, come across them once at a party; in no situation is this truer than when you find yourself studying abroad. Your fellow students will also be a long way from home, and they\u2019re likely to be suffering the same anxieties about getting by in an unfamiliar environment as you are. You\u2019ll be able to easily relate to each other about how you are feeling, and to share the joys and frustrations of learning a new language and navigating a new life. You\u2019ll likely be spending large quantities of time together both in and out of the classroom. What\u2019s more, the fact that you will also get to share the heady excitement of discovering a new country together, having adventures and making lifelong memories, will serve to cement your bond. It\u2019s easy to see why many foreign language students who studied together abroad remain friends for life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll be practicing every single day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is nothing that compares to having to practice a new language every single day, and when you\u2019re studying abroad, there\u2019s often no choice. You are boarding busses and trains (not to mention having to first negotiate the ticketing system) to get to class; you\u2019re dropping by a local caf\u00e9 for lunch and ordering food; you\u2019re trying to understand the machines in your local gym without sustaining a permanent injury. In short, you have to practice communicating all the time just to get by. The repetition of anything at all, whether it\u2019s riding a bike or learning a new language, helps to make it into a habit, and when something is a habit you no longer have to think about doing it \u2013 it simply becomes second nature. It\u2019s true what they say, practice really does make perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your employability will skyrocket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no two ways about it: employers love linguists, and they love linguists who have studied abroad the most. Not only do language leaners bring the benefits of the language in itself, meaning they can communicate seamlessly with foreign clients and help a business expand across borders, they also hold immense value in other ways. A language learner has demonstrated that they not only have the mental dexterity needed to master a second language, but they likely have other unique qualities too. Language learners need to be hard working, patient and extremely determined to succeed: employers know this. Linguists who have attended language schools abroad display more desirable qualities still. They have shown resourcefulness (they can navigate a foreign country without starving or getting hit by a bus), courage (they have stepped well out of their comfort zone and still thrived), and open-mindedness (they have been willing to embrace a whole new culture, and been excited to live among unfamiliar customs and ways of life).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll discover new hobbies and interests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Different environments open up entirely new possibilities of how you can spend your spare time. Learning English in Wales might be the catalyst to discovering you make a formidable rugby player or studying Spanish in Seville may lead to a promising Flamenco career. Ok, maybe I\u2019m exaggerating just a tad, but there\u2019s no doubt that becoming immersed in a new country and culture will lead to exciting new discoveries about what it is you enjoy. Firstly, you\u2019ll be living in a different physical environment, so if, say, you\u2019re used to living inland in a bustling city and you find yourself studying in the countryside or by the sea, you will suddenly have access to watersports, mountain biking or hiking. Secondly, you\u2019ll be living in a different culture, so if you want to try out local hobbies and interests, you\u2019ll have the best instructors on hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Your speaking and understanding will become nuanced<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all come across those language students who speak perfectly \u2013 only somehow it all sounds a bit stilted. I firmly believe that the only way sounding like a language student robot can be avoided, is to live and study abroad. Why learn a language if you\u2019re not going to pick up and enjoy the quirky little words, expressions and phrases that give it character and meaning. It\u2019s so important if you want to truly fit in and communicate in a way that seems natural and relaxed. Plus, how else will you pick up gems like the French \u2018<\/em>l\u2019esprit de l\u2019escalier\u2019<\/em>, which translates literally as \u2018spirit of the staircase\u2019<\/em>, meaning realising exactly what you want to say but only as you\u2019re leaving the party \u2013 i.e. thinking of the perfect comeback too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll be unavoidably immersed in your new language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never underestimate the power of popular culture. Television, film, magazines, newspapers, advertising: all of these things envelop you when you study a new language in a country where it\u2019s spoken widely. Not only that, but you\u2019ll overhear friends gossiping on the bus, witness a child having a tantrum in the supermarket and being told off by his or her exasperated parents, and be forced to listen to the nation\u2019s current favourite pop song every time you take a taxi. In this way, language courses abroad help you improve by the most painless method of learning there is: osmosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll get right to the heart of another culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one thing learning a new language as an academic skill, quite another to become wrapped up in the culture that speaks it. Living abroad, you\u2019ll get to see the cultural and religious sites that mean so much to a country\u2019s inhabitants; get to taste, and even learn how to cook, their food; and get to experience their theatre, music, dance and festivals first hand. What\u2019s more, over time you will pick up on the correct non-verbal ways to greet others, or to show appreciation for a delicious plate of food. You\u2019ll learn when to take your shoes off and when to cover your shoulders up. Slowly and surely, these small but fundamental things that form the backbone of a culture will become second nature, and you\u2019ll start to feel at home. In this way, you\u2019ll learn so much more about a culture and the significance of its language than you could possibly learn at home. Not all classrooms have four walls. (1,592)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why you should definitely study a language abroad If you want to learn a new language and you\u2019re trying to work out whether to do so at home or abroad, I\u2019m here to convince you to take the road less travelled. Studying abroad can be an intimidating thought: you\u2019ll be away from everything and everybody … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n