Benefits of Being Bilingual?
There has been a lot of research on bilingualism over the years. Many studies have found many benefits of being bilingual, or being able to speak more than one language.
A trait that was once considered a hindrance, has now proved to have so many advantages for both children and adults.
In this post we will dive into the amazing benefits of being bilingual and the advantages of a second language.
Benefits of Being Bilingual Infographic
If you would like to use this infographic on the benefits of being bilingual you must link to this page.
10 Benefits of Being Bilingual
Here are 10 amazing benefits of being bilingual!
1. Being bilingual has positive effects on the brain
Studies show that being bilingual has many cognitive benefits. According to research, speaking a second language can mean that you have a better attention span and can multi-task better than monolinguals.
This is because being bilingual means you are constantly switching from one language to the other. Numerous other studies suggest that bilingualism can also reduce the risk of having a stroke.
Cognitive benefits effect both bilingual kids and bilingual adults. Children as young as seven months who are exposed to more than one language tend to adjust better to changes in the environment.
For older bilinguals, there tends to be less cognitive decline.
2. Bilingualism gives you the educational advantage
Many of the cognitive benefits mentioned above can also mean that bilinguals have an advantage at school or further education.
Many studies show that those who speak a second language are more likely to be less distracted and more focused on tasks.
Even bilingual children who are educated in their second language, have actually been seen to outperform monolingual students in their native language.
The recent Millennum Cohort Study found numerous educational benefits for bilingual children.
Their research showed that even though children who are educated in their second language may initially lag behind around three, four and five years old, they soon catch up and outperform their peers by age seven.
3. Languages are highly valued in the workplace
Speaking a second language has numerous employment benefits. Being bilingual means that there are more job opportunities depending on which languages you speak.
Communication in the workplace is important, and more companies, especially those with international offices, are considering bilingualism a high priority.
Fast growing fields such as tourism, journalism and translation put great value on bilingual employees.
Additional languages on the resume could have your application moved to the top of the pile and give you a better chance at getting the job, even if you aren’t as qualified as another monolingual applicant.
4. Being Bilingual has been linked to health benefits
There have been many studies proving that being bilingual can benefit ones health. Researches recently found that there is growing evidence to suggest that bilingualism can delay the onset of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for example.
Other benefits of being bilingual include things such as a faster stroke recovery, lower stress levels, and delay many effects of old to name a few.
5. Speaking more than one language makes you more open minded
Have you ever heard the bilingual quote:
“To have another language is to possess a second soul” – Charlemagne?
One of the benefits of being bilingual can mean that you see the world in different ways. Some even say that speaking two different languages can sometimes feel like having two different personalities.
Bilinguals are used to constant change. This means that they are usually less effected by changes in the environment, and more open minded to new things and new experiences, because they have more than one view of the world already.
6. Speaking a foreign language can be highly beneficial when you travel
Of course you can get around many countries without speaking the language. However, think of how much more you can experience if you speak the local language of the place you are visiting.
No need for a phrase book or a translation app on the phone. Being able to communicate with the locals and immerse yourself in the language and culture can make your travel experience so much more enjoyable.
7. Being Bilingual opens up new social opportunities
Bilinguals can make friends in more than one language meaning more opportunities to meet new people, and enjoy different hobbies and activities.
Being able to communicate with people from other cultures is a huge social advantage and can open up so many more doors in life.
8. Knowing more than one language helps you to learn additional languages
An amazing benefit of being bilingual is that you can learn additional languages more easily that monolinguals. This is because language skills reinforce each other.
So if you have learned a second language already, then learning a third means transferring those skills over. And then perhaps learning a fourth or fifth.
9. Being bilingual means you can raise bilingual kids
What better advantage, than being able to pass on your languages to your own children so they can reap the benefits of being bilingual too!
Give your children the best start in life and raise them bilingual from birth. Your bilingual kids can then have bilingual kids of their own and languages can be passed on through generations.
10. You are not the minority if you are bilingual
One of the biggest misconceptions is that bilingualism is a rare phenomenon. But, in fact being bilingual means you are NOT the minority.
More than half the world speaks more than one language on a daily basis. In many countries around the world, bilingualism is actually considered the norm, and I’m sure it won’t be long until the rest of the world catches on.
Bilingual Benefits and Advantages
Everyone should have the chance to learn a second language and reap the benefits of being bilingual and the advantages of speaking a second language. Check out the Bilingual Kidspot Website for similar posts.
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H
Hi! I am pretty sure you made a Spanish version of the 10 list. Where can I find it?
Thanks!
Caryn Jones
I LOVE this and it’s what we’re looking for to share with our ELD students, different perspective, same results. I was trying to record myself reading the video to help our newcomers, but it goes waaaaaay too fast, lol.
rika
that really a good and useful article. as an educator, we need some more experiance to describe how bilingual effect all aspect of education. being bilingual also give some advantages for me, we can be open minded to different sociaty and for adding knowledge it was very useful sicne many book written in english.
Faylinn Byrne
It was so interesting for me to learn that if you already know a second language, it will become easier in the future to speak and learn more languages. My children love learning and reading, and I think that my daughter would benefit from starting to study other languages and cultivate that intellect. Thank you so much for these tips, and I will keep them in mind as I try to find somewhere that will help them achieve their potential.
Kim Meisa - Meisa Kim
This was really interesting because I really wanted to know some benefits because I really wanted know and im doing a research paper im in the 8th grade ill credit you….
Heyzel Munguia
That article is it very inspiring and bilingual people and kids like me will be very happy to read this article.
Thank you very much for your information to us
Alex Potter
I fluently speak three languages (only one is native, but still, I was taught the other two at a pretty young age), and currently learning my fourth one and I can tell you it is amazing being able to communicate with so many people, having such an open mind and being able to understand puns and other linguistic jokes in many languages etc. It has even helped me with playing instruments ! Highly recommend encouraging your kids to learn new languages or teaching them a second native language yourself! It does make a difference and it helps a lot.
claire
Sound amazing. FOUR languages sweet wish I knew 4 languages.
kat
Wow love this site thank you!!!
Djiade
This is very interesting!
Alice
It’s a great article I ever heard…I am preparing for an article now You give me much knowledge as precious metals ?
Dorran Williams
Doing an essay and this was really what I needed!! thanks!! Great work…
Abby
Great article! This helped me a lot!
Davide
My daughter is tri-lingual: Russian, Italian, English. She’s 3 and switches to the one which suits accordingly to the person she’s interacting with. What I have noticed is her capacity to memorise everything.
Having to learn three names for the same object each time definitely pushes the mnemonic capacity one step further.
The fact that the three different languages not only have different roots (Latin/Slavic/Saxon), but also pronunciation and sounds makes the challenge even more formidable. She’s learning effortlessly what would put the most focus and dedicated student in deep stress. Couldn’t agree more to the article. One suggestion: show the movies always in their original language or in other if you have options with DVD/BluRay Discs. It will help too..
Graham
Great article Chontelle. My wife and I are trying to raise our daughter to be bilingual. It’s certainly challenging, but I find focusing on benefits such as these, can really motivate parents to stick at it, especially if you feel you’re not getting anywhere with one of the languages.
It’s certainly a long term goal, so patience is key!
Graham = > http://www.bilinguababy.com
Elle
Hello,hola,oi thank you for this article you helped me become inspired to learn new languages now i know Spanish and portugese.
alexandria
Wow what a great article! I am child who is bilingual but is not fluent in the language i am supposed to know. instead of knowing spanish fluently, I mastered english. And so I asked my parents what the importance is on knowing more than one language and according to this article, it is very important. If you do not mind, I would like to write an essay using this website as my resource and sending it to my teacher. I think this could be a perfect lesson to teach. I like this article very much and I now know the importance of knowing more than one language. Thank you very much!
claire
I agree
Oswaldo
I got my daugther she’s only 1 year 7 months her mum speak english but I am talking to her in Spanish just wondering .
If that would affect or confusing her speach development
Chontelle Bonfiglio - Bilingualkidspot
Hi Oswaldo,
You are definitely not confusing her, in fact it seems like you are on the right track to raising a bilingual child!
Keep doing what you are doing 🙂 Good luck!
Oswaldo
Thank you Chontelle for the feedback
Coleen
My parents actually raised me this way, one speaking english and the other speaking our native laguage. Mom says I was able to form my first english sentence on my own when I was two. And I’m fluent in both languages and I’m now learning a fourth!
Sebas
No, It happened to me the same. Now I speak really good spanish and english
Dale Schraufnagel
Great article!???
lilaktra
What a great article! I was concerned raising my children with three languages. Luckily I got the right advice and took a very casual approach with them from birth. Result? They are fluent in two and working on the third very comfortably…
Camila
That’s amazing! May I ask how did you decide to approach it?