Being a bilingual individual will benefit students in career and personal life

This week was national foreign language week, and to celebrate that fact the Japanese club hosted an event educating students and staff about Japanese culture.

We at The Advocate encourage attendance in cultural events and see a value in learning foreign languages.

Students, and this goes for pretty much anyone, are going to succeed if they are fluent in the languages that are a part of their community.

Though English is the most commonly spoken language in the United States many residents don’t speak English. Knowing a second language, such as Spanish which is widely spoken in the United States, will benefit students not only in their desired career path but may also make them better candidates for jobs. Employers see language experience as a good asset.

Knowing a second language will also benefit individuals because they will know how to better communicate with people who do not speak English. These communication skills make for more well-rounded individuals.

Students leaving high school may or may not be bilingual, as only a year or two is recommended for graduation and although some will take more than the required amount, it would benefit young people to learn a language while in high school, already putting them farther ahead of many adults who do not know a second language.

Fortunately, we have several options for students to learn a foreign language at MHCC. MHCC course offerings include Spanish, Japanese, German, French and Italian. And the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in the culture of the language. MHCC also offers study abroad trips in Italy, Mexico and Japan.

Students would be greatly benefitted by taking one of these trips, they would not only walk away from it knowing a foreign language and having the opportunity to speak with locals of the country but they would also have a better understanding of the culture of that particular country and be able to bring that knowledge home to the U.S.

It would also benefit U.S. residents who do not already speak English to learn English, as it is widely spoken in the U.S. and will make life in the U.S. easier and perhaps more enjoyable.

The idea here is that being bilingual goes both ways, benefitting both people who were born in the U.S. and grew up speaking English and people who were born outside of the U.S. and grew up speaking the language of that country.

We feel that if students were to take advantage of the events on campus to learn about culture as well as taking advantage of the language classes offered and even participating in available study abroad programs, students will find that language barriers will begin to disappear and opportunities for new relationships and career paths may emerge.