Contrary to popular belief, many of our children are not bilingual in the purest sense; we are now coming up-to 3rd generation British, so these examinations are not the easy option. Our children go to full-time mainstream school and learn Farsi in their spare time, often giving up their weekend to do so. For them they are learning an additional language, yes often driven by heritage connection but never the easy option. So why do it? 1) Boost brainpower: Cognitive thinking and problem solving. 2) Improve memory: A new language requires not only familiarity with vocabulary and rules, but also being able to recall and apply this knowledge. 3) Enhances the ability to multi-task: According to a study from the Pennsylvania State University, people who are better multi-taskers, reducing stress levels. 4) Sharpens the mind: A study from Spain’s University of Pompeu Fabra revealed that multilingual people are better at observing their surroundings. 5) Keeps the mind sharper for longer: For monolingual adults, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4. For adults who speak two or more languages, the mean age for those first signs is 75.5. 6) Enhances decision-making: According to a study from the University of Chicago, decision-making ability becomes an easier process for multilingual people. 7) The first language is improved: Learning a new language makes you more conscious of the nuts and bolts of your own language. Terms such as vocabulary, grammar, conjugation, comprehension, idioms and sentence structure become every day phrases, whereas your own language is probably absorbed more intuitively. Learning a new language also makes you a better listener as you are used to having to interpret meaning and judge nuances. 8) Improves performance in other academic areas: As a result of higher cognitive skills, studies show that the benefits of learning a new language include higher scores on standardized exams in math, reading comprehension and vocabulary by multilingual students compared to the scores of monolingual students. 9) Increases networking skills: Opening up to a culture allows you to be more flexible and appreciative of other people’s opinions and actions. 10) Provides better career choices: A multilingual ability is definitely a competitive edge in today’s world. Let us reward their efforts and the efforts of those dedicated parents and supplementary/community-school teachers. Sign, Comment and Share