How and Why to Learn a New Language

Personal Growth

Oct 20

Written By

BY HALEY TODD

Haley is a Social Work student at Auburn University, an Enneagram 1w2, and an obsessive eater of sweet potatoes. She loves writing words that help others believe more in Love, Goodness, and themselves. Someday, she wants to work in sustainable inter… — Haley is a Social Work student at Auburn University, an Enneagram 1w2, and an obsessive eater of sweet potatoes. She loves writing words that help others believe more in Love, Goodness, and themselves. Someday, she wants to work in sustainable international development and help end the global migration crisis. For right now, she's interning at a refugee resettlement agency, learning to speak Arabic, and spending all her money on new tattoos.

MarHaba, ana ismi Haley! Ana min amreeka, w biHki Aarabee.

If that didn’t look like English, it’s because it’s not! In English, it says: Hello, my name is Haley! I am from America, and I speak Arabic. I’ve been studying Arabic for the past year and a half. Now, it’s finally paying off as I’m moving to Lebanon for three months. I’m excited to speak in Arabic with Syrian refugees and my Lebanese host community, as I work with a peace-building and humanitarian aid organization. This incredible opportunity wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t downloaded a language learning app back in January 2019.

Today, I’m sharing from my personal experience with Arabic, to encourage you to try out language learning and suggest some tools that have helped me. This post is mainly meant for monolingual English speakers in the U.S., but if you’re already bilingual or multilingual, or speak a different native language, I hope it can still be helpful!

The Why:

Even knowing a few basic phrases in another language can provide many benefits. One of the most obvious is travel: it’s easier to navigate a foreign country if you learn the words for “entry” and “exit,” numbers and currency, and how to explain food preferences or allergies.

If you go beyond the basics and invest in language learning over time, it can open up new travel opportunities. Like I said before, I wouldn’t be able to serve with this humanitarian organization if I didn’t have at least a conversational level of Arabic proficiency. Study abroad, international volunteer programs, internships, and other opportunities may require a certain level of foreign language proficiency - so it’s better to start learning now!

Even if you aren’t planning international travel anytime soon (especially with COVID-19!), you can put foreign language knowledge to use right here in the U.S. According to the Census Bureau, over 25 million people in the U.S. speak English “less than very well.” If you speak another language, even just a little, you can volunteer with resettled refugees or simply ask your immigrant neighbor to come over for dinner. As your proficiency grows, you can invest in new friendships or even pursue new job opportunities.

While 25 million people in the U.S. don’t speak English very well, there are over 35 million who speak another language and also have at least some English proficiency. It’s definitely easier to speak to these people - who may be your neighbors, coworkers, faith community members, and friends - in only English. However, learning basic phrases in their native language can show immense empathy and respect. As Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Even when a foreign language speaker also speaks English, you can communicate with them in their native language to convey genuine appreciation for their culture and respect for their individual background.

The How:

Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to go beyond those two semesters of French in college, here are some of my favorite tools for language learning.

Mango Languages. I have access to this app through my local library. It’s been a game-changer because it focuses on useful vocabulary and grammar. Instead of starting with the alphabet or how to say “the apple is red,” this app starts with greetings, introductions, and how to say, “I don’t speak Arabic well. Do you speak English?” Mango Languages has been my #1 tool for learning Arabic; I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Anki flashcards. This app/website goes beyond traditional flashcards. As you answer each question, you rank how easy or hard it was, and Anki adjusts the repetition to maximize your learning. I’m using this right now to practice my Arabic reading and writing.
NaTakallam. NaTakallam combines language learning with refugee empowerment. They offer video chat lessons in Arabic, French, Persian, and Spanish, with refugees who are native speakers of those languages. The lessons are reasonably priced and the money you pay helps refugees earn an income. I’ve done a couple sessions with NaTakallam, and they helped fill in the gaps in some of my Arabic grammar.

There are tons of other tools out there - explore and find what works best for you! Learning a foreign language opens the door to opportunities and adventures. I hope you enjoy your language education and the journey it takes you on!