We live in a world that is getting smaller and more multi-cultural every day.
Which is why it sort of goes without saying that when it comes to children growing up today, learning other languages is an important part of their education – and future proofing.
Studies have long shown that
learning a second language is all sorts of beneficial to children and their developing brains – and any two languages will do the trick, it's the mental gymnastics of juggling the two that is so good for them.
But when it comes to
which languages that will be most handy to have some knowledge of in the future – even just ten years from now – a new study has just shed some light on.
In partnership with Heathrow Airport, The Centre for Economics and Business Research and Opinion studied the role that language plays in children’s lives. So the researchers surveyed over 500 business leaders and examined
which languages opened up the most doors for adults seeking career opportunities.
Can you guess the top three languages experts think children nowadays should be learning?
French, German, or Mandarin.
Apparently, on top of expanding children’s interpersonal and academic skills, learning to speak another language also exposes them to different cultures and other points of view, Developmental Linguistics Professor Antonella Sorace tells
Reader’s Digest.
Sorace, who’s also the director of bilingualism matters at Edinburg University, explain that people who speak more than one language “tend to be better … at multitasking and are more advanced readers.”
