No matter how you look at it, learning a new language will be a great advantage for anyone. With how much  I travel, it’s actually going to be very beneficial to me. Whether you are considering a career in translation, or simply want to enrich your life, introducing a new language to your life can be very rewarding and profitable. Not only can you enjoy travels to the country of your dreams, you may even be able to pay your own way by acting as a translator.

I.Q.

For years, scientists said that you could not do anything to increase your own IQ. The classic wisdom concerning IQ was that each person is born with a set IQ, and nothing will increase that number.

However, studies done over the last two decades have shown that there are 2 ways to increase your IQ. Those two ways are to learn to play an instrument and to learn a new language. This actually seems to make sense, because music is, itself, a separate language, with its own unique symbols.

Babies that learn sign language, according to a study done in 1989, have an IQ about 12 points higher than their peers.

School children who study a foreign language in elementary school also score higher on IQ tests. They also score higher on other types of academic testing, such as the Ross test which calculates cognitive functioning.

Bloom’s taxonomy, which is the gradation of abilities in relation to mastery of information, ranks the most advanced cognitive skill as that of being able to evaluate information. Students who have had the longest training in foreign languages rank higher, more consistently, than students who have not learned a foreign language.

Adults and Language

Even adults can increase their IQ through learning a foreign language. For many years, it was believed that only children could improve with the exposure to other languages. While it may be easier at younger ages, adults, too, can actually gain IQ points by learning an instrument or a language.

While most studies have focused on the benefits of language studies at an early age, studies done in the last decade have proven that adults, too, can benefit from these studies.

In studies done on people who have evidenced onset of Alzheimer’s, those who engage their brains actively in complex linguistic tasks such as learning a new language fare better than their counterparts who do not. Learning a new language can keep your brain healthier and slow down the progress of dementia.

Employment in Translation

In fact, many adults have found a whole new career in the field of translation. Newly developed skills with a foreign language are very marketable in today’s global economy. Many companies want someone who can translate website information or prepare newsletters and emails in another language. In addition, most police departments, hospitals, court systems, and school systems have intense need for translators in various languages.

When you combine the benefits to your brain with the added employment opportunities, learning a new language makes a lot of sense. You can be smarter, healthier, and richer – what could be wrong with that?