Why Learn a Foreign Language?
Many high schools now require study of a foreign language for graduation. Students frequently question why they should study a second language. But studies have proved that studying another language is valuable.
Many students find it hard to learn a foreign language. It may not come quickly, but with perseverance, most people will achieve a minimum proficiency. Students usually prefer to pick a language that interests them. Students can learn French learn Spanish or Latin in most schools, but some other choices can include German, Russian or Chinese.
So, why study a foreign language?
Better Academic Achievement Overall
Did you know that learning a second language can improve your English language skills? That may not surprise you, but this might – it also results in better mathematical abilities. Students also exhibit better communication and listening ability, sharper memory, more creativity, and improved higher level thinking skills.
Perform Better on Standardized Tests
Much research had demonstrated that students who study a foreign language tend to score higher on standardized tests. The College Board, which provides the SAT, says that, students who completed at least four years of a foreign language showed improved performance of at least 100 points on each section of the SAT compared to students who took a half year or less.
Other studies relate bilingual proficiency with higher scores on verbal and nonverbal IQ tests.
Second language students improve their chances of college acceptance. Students are generally more successful during college and more likely to graduate.
Learning a Second Language Makes for A More Positive Job Outlook
Ability in a foreign language can provide many job opportunities for you. More and more businesses work closely with individuals in other countries, either inside their own company, or with other organizations or governments. These businesses demand workers who can communicate in different languages and understand other cultures.
Many of Americans speak languages other than English. In order to interact with a wide range of people, many professionals will benefit from knowing another language. Some of these include doctors and nurses, social workers, police and firefighters, hotel managers, etc. Other areas where knowing a second language is either helpful or necessary include government, the military, law, sales and marketing, travel and hospitality, teaching, translation and communications.
Better Understanding Of The World
Globalization is a fact of life. Even America is becoming increasingly multicultural and multiethnic.
Learning another language helps to improve cultural understanding and relations. Researchers have discovered that people who know a second language are more tolerant of people who are different in some way. Being able to reach out to different people benefits societies and improves global security.
Whether you learn to speak French, Spanish or some other language, you now know its many benefits. If you would like an easy, inexpensive way to learn or improve your french, the Rocket French program offers 6 free lessons.
Nihao Mandarin- American Children learn Chinese Language
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Follow Jade! Learn Chinese: Let’s Visit Chinese Kindergarten [VHS] $5.99 Hosted by teacher Jade Qian, Follow Jade! video series helps children learn to speak Mandarin Chinese with songs, stories, games and glimpses of everyday life in China. Follow Jade! Let’s Visit Chinese Kindergarten engages viewers with everyday scenes and conversation with young children. Jade introduces words in their cultural context, followed by reinforcing games and songs. In Follow Jade! Let’… |
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Follow Jade! Learn Chinese: Let’s Go to Market in China [VHS] $9.95 Hosted by teacher Jade Qian, Follow Jade! video series helps children learn to speak Mandarin Chinese with songs, stories, games and glimpses of everyday life in China. From the first moments of Follow Jade! Let’s Go to Market in China, viewers are immersed in the sights and sounds of China. We visit markets where one can buy a range of fruits, from pu tao (grapes) to ping guo (apples). Parents c… |
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Learn Chinese with Billy and Benboo, Beg. Level 1 Vol. 1 [VHS] $24.99 Research shows that children who learn foreign languages at an early age reap life-long benefits: -Near-native fluency -Better overall performance at school -Higher self-esteem Introduce your child to one of the most useful languages of the future – Mandarin Chinese. Learn Chinese with Billy and Benboo Vol. 1 teaches Mandarin Chinese to children in a fun and accessible manner. Filled with … |
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Baby Einstein – Language Nursery $8.99 If you’ve been around babies in the last few years, you’ve seen these newfangled toys that are abstract in color (or just black, white, and red) and make curious, crunching noises. Studies have shown that these types of toys stimulate newborns, expanding the capacity of their little sponge-like minds. That concept comes to the video age in Baby Einstein. This 30-minute tape is called a “video boar… |
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Journeys to the East: The River Dragon King $12.95 Journeys to the East is a Chinese language learning adventure for kids 3 and up! Learn Chinese by going on an exciting adventure through ancient China. Journeys to the East weaves Chinese vocabulary, phrases and sentences seamlessly into the adventure so children learn Chinese as they follow Jason and Jenny in their quest to help the River Dragon King. Your children will glimpse the rich histo… |
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Little Pim: 3-Pak Spanish for kids – Vol. 1 $40.54 Little Pim is a fun, award-winning series designed to introduce foreign language to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Parents who teach their young children a second language see the benefits in their children’s accent, grasp of vocabulary and ease of learning. Each 35-minute DVD features seven five minute episodes starring a lovable, animated panda, who is also the teacher. The three DVDs are t… |
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Rosetta Stone Chinese (Mandarin) Level 1-3 Set $399.00 Connect with the world with Rosetta Stone’s Chinese v4 TOTALe – Level 1, 2 & 3 Set. Learn language fundamentals from greetings and introductions to simple questions and answers. Give and get directions, tell time, and dine out. Share your opinions, and talk about everyday life: your interests, your work, current events, and more. Take the Rosetta Stone experience with you on-… |
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i-CHINA: Hand held pocket size electronic English-Chinese dictionary/translator $49.99 This is a powerful Chinese learning device and also a China travel survival tool. It loads with hundreds of useful travel sentence with native Chinese pronounce for your instant help when you travel in China. It’s a hand hold, pocket size device available anywhere and anytime for your Chinese lesson…. |
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Magnetic Poetry Kids’ Chinese Kit $10.49 Flippable magnets (magnets are printed on both sides and stick both ways); simplified Chinese characters and pinyin pronunciations on the white side flip to English on the black side. You can learn vocabulary with individual magnets or arrange them into sentences. Contains over 140 double-sided word magnets. Break the magnet sheets into separate tiles and stick them to your fridge, locker, cookie … |
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Kingka Smart Puzzle Game — Learn Chinese $29.99 The best educational toy to go along with Nick Jr.’s new TV animation “Nihao Kai-lan.” Mandarin Chinese has often been perceived as a difficult language to learn, especially the writing system, but not any more, thanks to the award-winning KINGKA! With a unique combination of Bingo and a classic memory game, KINGKA guarantees that players of all ages, from 3 to 99, will learn 54 basic Chinese char… |