The Lifelong Benefits of Sticking with a World Language

by Jennifer Simons, former admissions officer at Tufts University If you knew me in high school, you would agree that I am the least obvious person to be writing about the benefits of taking a world language. I received my first and only school demerit in Madame Boucai’s French class in ninth grade, and from that point, I counted the seconds until I could be relieved, two years later, of my graduation obligation to a world language. In case you have not noticed, college admissions has become more competitive since 1988 and if you are looking towards a highly selective school, it is preferred that you take four years of your core academic courses, including world language. But, at the time, when admissions rates were more forgiving, I happily skipped AP Francais and marched right into the hallowed halls of my dream college. There was a slight problem. My dream college demanded that I take a foreign language “to proficiency.” Additionally, to my shock and consternation, a quick glance at the college catalog revealed that my prospective English major (English! A place where I thought I could be safe from participe passe), encouraged proficiency in not one but two world languages. Even apres three years of high school French, I wasn’t proficient. In an attempt to be my best self, I talked with my dean and advisor and we agreed that I could start back at beginner’s French to give myself a good foundation. Fast forward ten years and I am travelling internationally for my admissions job. I stand in a train station in Switzerland, late for a visit, grateful that I am in a place legendary for precision and grateful that I have an understanding of the language. Although my job mostly takes me to Asia, I find in airports and public arenas that a common language is French. I hear it in an elevator in Hong Kong where a group is there for a trade show. When I speak to these surprised visitors in their native tongue, I feel the most wonderful spark of connection. I speak to my African students in French and I learn that French is the language of the UN. While working at a college, I discover that med schools are more likely to admit students who know a foreign language, and that a better indication of future coders is not math expertise but language expertise. There are lots of articles about how knowing a world language makes you smarter, and I direct you to a simple Google search of “How learning a foreign language changes your brain,” after you finish reading this. There is no doubt that learning a language that is foreign to you will make you smarter. I argue that knowing another language makes you better. That trying to speak, that understanding a culture other than your own, makes you not only more employable, but a better person, more interesting, more connected to humanity. Can you say that about calculus? (Undoubtedly many of my colleagues could and frequently do, but I will leave that for their rebuttal blog). So, slog through. There is no excuse. You have Duolingo available on your phone and the delightful little green owl sending you reminders to practice. You can watch “Chip and Potato” on Netflix en Español. Heck, you can go to most American cities and simply listen to the languages that aren’t your own. If you’re like me, passively gazing out the window when I should have been asking, “Et bien, qu’est-ce que ca signifie exactement,” stop wondering, “When will I ever use this?” You will and you will be better for it.