Introduction

Learning a new language is an activity that most people have on their to-do list. You feel a sense of euphoric accomplishment when you learn another language. However, before you reach this stage of accomplishment there could be various stages and you may experience different feelings at different stages. The initial stage of learning is usually filled with the excitement of learning a new skill. This excitement also leads to faster learning and spending quality time pursuing a new language.

As you learn the basic greetings, vocabulary, and phrases needed to practice your new language you are pretty excited and want to show your skills to others. However, as you progress to learning the grammar, syntax and other rules of the language, the learning may get challenging. And time-consuming.

At times when you find yourself stuck or unable to make much progress, you may feel frustrated and demotivated. Reminding yourself about the reason for which you started learning the language and keeping in the company of like-minded people who are also learning the language and going through similar experiences can help you stay on track and motivate yourself to learn the language again.

During the initial learning stages, most language learners try to speak by translating from their native language to their target language. This can become very tiring and exhaustive. When you are able to think in your target language, you will be able to speak effortlessly and become more confident about your language skills.

You would also observe that learning a new language has opened doors to a new culture and way of living. This makes you more accommodative, open and allows you to accept differences in cultures and traditions in a positive manner which in turn can help you become a better person.

Learning a new language also adds a new dimension to your personality. Every language has its own cultural associations and expectations which have a huge influence on individual personality traits. When you immerse yourself in a new language, you may also imbibe some of these traits unknowingly which adds a new dimension to your personality and shows when you speak the language. The cultural norms of a language can also have an impact on the cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses of a person. Learning a new language can also help a person think more rationally.

It might not be an exaggeration to say that we all feel excited and extremely happy when we acquire a new skill. Just the ability to say a few words in a new language can be very exciting for a beginner. Imagine the sense of accomplishment, excitement and happiness a person experiences when they are able to communicate even with a limited vocabulary in a fluent manner. This excitement can get carried over to other areas of your life and help you become better with other things that you do.

Whether it is for professional or personal development that you choose to learn a language, the overall experience can be very rich, rewarding and exciting that makes you a better communicator, more adaptable and open to new cultures, thus helping you develop better interpersonal relationships as well.