5 Benefits of Bilingualism: Why You Should Be Bilingual

No matter who you are, or how you were raised, it is possible that you can become a bilingual individual. Despite the fact that it is easier to become one if you start speaking two languages at a native level at a young age, anyone can eventually seek the benefits of bilingualism (an ability that can not only set you apart from your friends, or from your classmates, but that can also put you at a huge advantage professionally, and personally).

Although there are many advantages of being bilingual, such as being fluent in two languages, and knowing how to acquire more than one at the same time, I am going to focus this blog post on advantages that I have personally experienced throughout my life. Before jumping into the nitty gritty, I will briefly give you my background when growing up.

I am a first generation Colombian-American who had the privilege of attending a bilingual elementary school from kindergarten up through fifth grade. According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, bilingualism is defined as “the ability to communicate in two different languages” and bilingual education as “the use of two different languages in classroom instruction.” For all six years of elementary school, all of my subjects (Math, History, and Science) were taught in both Spanish, and in English. This meant that I was able to read, write, speak, and understand two languages at a native level. I learned how to write, perform math questions, think, reason, and express myself easily in both languages. I experienced two different identities: my Colombian-self, and my American-self.

I had teachers from many Latin-American countries, and from all over the United States. I learned my numbers past two thousand in first-grade, could recite them in both languages, and could write at the same level in Spanish as a student from another Latin-American country could. What does this all mean? Does it mean that I am smarter, or that I am more capable of reasoning than others? The answers to both of these questions is not necessarily, but I can comfortably say that I can easily immerse myself in two different worlds, due to the fact that I have always been bilingual. Fast-forwarding to today, I text my parents in Spanish making few grammatical mistakes, can call my grandparents who live in Colombia, and can identify myself as both Colombian, and American.

Benefits of Bilingualism:


1. Learning Many Words Easily

One of the most impactful benefits of my ability to think and reason has been my ability to learn vocabulary in multiple languages in a short amount of time. For example, in my current Italian class, we have to learn between 70-100 words twice a week, which is a lot to memorize. However, since I have a strong basis in Spanish, and have worked my way towards having a strong foundation in it, it does not take me nearly as long to memorize many words as it does for my classmates. When I have a new word to learn, I automatically think of its equivalent in Spanish, and it oftentimes ends up being the same word, or a similar word. In this respect, I have a relatively large vocabulary in both Spanish and in English.


2. Making Friends From Around the World

An indirect benefit that I have noticed because of bilingualism are the strong friendships that I have made from many Spanish, and English-speaking countries. Although you can have strong relationships with others if you do not speak their mother-tongues, it is harder to have a personal connection with them that goes beyond talking about everyday-life topics. What I mean by this is that, if you speak Spanish to an Argentinian whose English is not great, you will be able to use mannerisms, expressions, and idiomatic expressions that will help your relationship become stronger over time. You will also be aware of cultural norms, and what is appropriate to do, or to say in certain situations. Through the speaking of Spanish, and of English, you will learn about the cultures that speak those languages. In other words, you can kill two birds with one stone.


3. Being A Good Problem-Solver

Even though I am only nineteen, I have been in many confusing, and in uncomfortable situations throughout my life, but have managed to come up with creative, and interesting solutions to many of them. If I cannot remember how to say something in Spanish, or vice-versa, then I think of its equivalent in the other language, and either directly translate, or think of its translation in my head before saying the first words that come to mind. This has been helpful when I have had conversations with Latin-Americans whose English, or whose Spanish was not proficient. I have babysat, tutored, and have helped others understand what others are saying in both languages, and can switch from one to the other without having to translate everything that I want to say before saying it. I have also dreamt in both languages. Due to my knowledge of Latin-America, the United States, and Latinos, I have thought about what is culturally appropriate, and what others would do in certain situations before making decisions, which gives me many options from which to choose.


4. Being a Good Listener

This benefit may sound strange at first, but let me give you a little bit of explanation. Since I have been caught, and have grown up in two worlds (Colombian/Hispanic, and American), I have had to communicate, solves problems in, and learn about many countries. Many of those with whom I have spoken have been immigrants, international students, or other first-generation individuals. I know what it is like to feel discriminated against, left out, or confused, because I sometimes cannot remember a word in one of the two languages. There are words, and expressions that cannot be translated literally, or that do not exist in the other language, but aside from that, I have also grown up with opinions, suggestions, and advice from two different cultures. Because of all of these experiences, I am patient with others, and know how to calm others whenever they are frustrated. I enjoy hearing others’ experiences, and have had many long conversations with individuals who have had similar experiences to mine. This has allowed me to be a more open-minded, respectful, cultured, and tolerant individual.


5.  Connecting with Others (Ex: With your Family)

As I have already indirectly said, you cannot speak a language well without knowing its culture. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity of attending a school that gave me a true immersion bilingual experience. Through it, I met other first-generation Hispanics from many countries, and many Americans who loved, and were fascinated with Latin-America. We bonded with one ability: speaking in two languages, and learning about many cultures. Our conversations were intellectual, interesting, and varied due to the various socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds that my classmates had. I have also become closer with my grandparents, with my parents, and with the rest of my family over the years, because we share a special gift: Spanish. Despite the fact that we live in three different countries, and in several states, the distance that separates us only separates us physically, but not emotionally. We will always have a special bond that will allows us to update each other through social media, and through calls.

If you are not bilingual right now, I hope that you are convinced that it is something worth investing your time in. Bilingualism opens up many doors to having strong relationships with others, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. The world is at your hands, and you are unstoppable.