Being fluent in multiple languages is an incredible skill that most people would benefit from. It broadens your horizons for meeting new people, being exposed to different ideas, business opportunities, and even just being able to consume media from different countries. Imagine being able to watch a TV show or read a book in another language without things being lost in translation?
Dr. Juhi Deolankar is a urologist driven by her commitments to patient care, both locally and around the globe. She is fluent in English, Hindi, and Marathi, and is conversational in Spanish. Dr. Deolankar knows the important of learning languages, and she shares her tips for deciding what language you should learn:
- How many people speak the language? The top five most common languages in the world are Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, and Arabic. You might choose one of those in order to communicate with as many new people as you can!
- Do you have plans to live or travel abroad? If so, learning the language of a country you’ll be going to is a great investment.
- Consider what you want to do with your career, and pick a language based on that. Spanish, German, and Japanese are all great languages to know for international business.
- Do you have any cultural ties to a language? Perhaps your great grandparents spoke Gaelic, Hebrew, French, or any other language. Pass on the family tradition by learning the language.
- Don’t forgets you can also pick a language just because you think it will be fun! no matter which one you pick, learning another language has tons of cognitive and social benefits.