When studying a language at home or at a school in your home country you will find that it is entirely different than if you were to immerse yourself in the culture and the language that you are trying to study. Both of these methods will help you learn a second language however only one of them will really accelerate your learning in a way that is not possible with the other.
If you go to study a language in a different country you will be totally immersed in that culture and language. There’s going to be no way to avoid the language that you are there to study. If you are staying with a host family you will be speaking with them every day.
If you’re watching the local media such as the news and TV shows you will be exposed to language. You’re going to be able to learn the language much faster if you are in a foreign country as you will be practicing almost every day.
When you are at restaurants ordering food or virtually any other interaction with someone from the local culture you will be increasing your vocabulary and broadening your understanding of the language.
One of the best parts about studying abroad is that you will make a lot of new friends. If you are studying in an international school you will have a lot of international classmates. This will guarantee you a very diverse and interesting pool of people to communicate and develop friendships with.
You will also be developing friendships and connecting with the locals while speaking with people in their native language. This is a great way to make friends and at the same time be able to get a firmer grasp on the language as well. You get a real Insider perspective of the culture especially if it is one of the least spoken languages.
Another popular reason to learn a second language abroad is that it is going to be great on your resume and it always looks good to future employers.
If you have a second language that you can use in business you’re going to find out that you are going to be head and shoulders above your peers if you are the only one that speaks a second language.
This also looks good to potential employers as it shows that you can dedicate yourself to learning new things and you have the kind of mind that can take on new challenges, such as the ones faced while living abroad.
Learning a second language, picking up new hobbies and discovering new foods it’s a very popular reason people find studying abroad so attractive. If you found a destination abroad that has a very different environment from the one that you are used to, you’ll be able to have multiple opportunities to try new things.
For example, you might not have access to the ocean in your hometown but if you are studying abroad in a country that has easy access to the beach you might then take up scuba diving or potentially surfing. If you are from a very Urban environment then you might find those areas of vast wilderness to be very fun and exciting.
Of course, food is a very important part of everyone’s day-to-day life and with each country having unique cuisines and local specialties you can explore the many different ways people prepare food across the country. Some of them you will like and some of them you will not, however it is the experience that is worth the journey.
As learning a foreign language has many benefits and the reasons to study abroad are numerous you can find that learning a foreign language fluently will help break down barriers and connect you with other human beings on a much deeper level of understanding.
This understanding will also open more doors that can lead to a very satisfying life both professionally and personally.