The world changed drastically in 2020. But luckily, as humans, we are incredibly adaptable and creative. Even as our reality changes around us, we see that there are things we can keep doing and other things we can do in new ways. Most importantly, we never stop learning, and now more than ever, we have the capacity to learn and grow and develop from within our homes.
You see this couch? It’s not just for Netflix!
So, we think this is the perfect time to learn a new language or advance in a language we have already begun to learn. But why learn a foreign language? Can you learn a foreign language on your own? Without a traditional classroom, many potential foreign language students may think it’s implausible to learn a new language from home.
Can you learn a language on your own?
There are loads of apps and methods for learning languages, some of them with very bold claims. But the truth is, learning a language, as with learning anything new, takes practice and diligence.
The good news is, even if you are spending more time at home than ever before, you don’t have to do it all on your own! As we have seen over the past few months, it’s possible to do so many things online.
While you may not be able to travel physically to a different country, you can travel virtually, immerse yourself, and connect online with teachers from different cultures.
READ MORE: Where to Travel Solo Next Year (and What to Do Once You’re There)
Why learn a language online?
1. It will prepare you to travel post Covid
For those of us who have had the privilege of traveling, we know that it broadens our perspective and opens us up to new and enriching experiences. These experiences affect us on a certain level, but that level can go even deeper when we learn the language, or at least a bit of the language, of the places where we travel.
Viewing the world through our lens is one way to understand it. Learning new languages gives us a different lens, a deeper understanding. The world is a beautiful, magical place. There is so much to see and do, so many lovely people to meet. The world can also be a heavy and uncomfortable place.
Learning a language online will remind you that the world is still turning.
It can be complex and risky. None of us are perfect. None of our cultures are perfect. Humans are all of these things: messy, uncomfortable, beautiful, complex, risky, and capable of so much love.
2. It will give you a deeper connection with the world
Learning a new language helps us understand the cross-cultural nature of our shared humanity. Learning a language can also be complex and uncomfortable, but the more we progress, the more we can access these shared parts of ourselves.
Get this process started from home and then when you travel again, you’ll be more confident, more prepared, and more open to connect with people in the places you travel. You’ll take your first steps into new places with this new lens already open for viewing.
3. It’s good for your brain
Why learn a language online? Because taking care of our brains is as important as taking care of our bodies and our hearts.
Most people enjoy being mentally stimulated and learning new things. Learning a new language can be incredibly frustrating at some moments, but it can also be exciting, rewarding, and full of “ah-ha” moments and breakthroughs. But how does learning a language specifically improve our brain functions?
There has been a lot of neurological research in recent years, studies of neural activity and the pathways traveled by our neurons, among other concepts. Neural pathways are connections, synapses between neurons in different locations in the brain.
The more we do an activity or think a thought, the more our synapses get comfortable in these pathways. Learning new things and creating new habits creates new pathways for our neurons to travel, which is good for the overall health of our brain.
4. It makes you smarter
Research shows that foreign language learning has a positive impact on both the white and gray matter of the brain, and that both short-term and long-term periods of foreign language learning may lead to changes in the structure of the brain, increased neural plasticity and reorganized neural circuitries.
Additionally, foreign language learning may engage an even larger brain network than other forms of cognitive training, like math problems and crossword puzzles.
5. People who are bilingual are at an advantage
Bilingual people, whether they learn languages during childhood or as adults, possess better mental flexibility because they are used to adapting to constant changes and processing information in a more effective way than monolingual individuals. Learning a language is great at any age to keep our brains young, sharp, and flexible.
Learning a new language makes our neural synapses fire across longer distances. It’s like traveling abroad for our neurons! So even though we aren’t traveling internationally yet, even as many of us have been stuck inside our homes for weeks and months, you can send your neurons on a journey, and get your synapses traveling longer distances. Get some new stamps on your brain’s passport!
6. It’s responsible consumption
We are overloaded with input now. We have visual and auditory input all day every day. As we spend more time working from home and connecting through technology, we are attached to our devices more than ever.
We are all seeing and feeling the pros and cons of technological connection. It is wise to disconnect from time to time, to limit input and decrease screen time. It is important to be conscious consumers of media and information.
Take time to step away from the news and focus on something else.
Click and share wisely. Be intentional about how much and what kind of online information we process.
7. It balances input and output
It is also important to be intentional about how we balance our input and output. It is easy to sit in front of our devices for hours and receive only media input, but we need to create as well.
Learning a language from home offers us a good balance of receiving information and input, and creating output through speaking, writing, and processing.
8. It makes time at home a little bit easier
Practicing a language is a good way to take a break from the heaviness of the world while still staying engaged in cultural connection.
Learning a language from home will help you connect with new people, new cultures and new ways of thinking. It will help you remember that the world is small and easy to navigate, that we are more alike than we are different, and that even when we can’t physically travel, we can still find ways to access other parts of the world.
Learning a language from home will help you understand what is going on in parts of the world that you may not see on social media or news media. When you practice a language, you talk about more than grammar rules and vocabulary—you learn about the lives and people who live that language every day.
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Ready to dive in and learn a new language?
Re-enter the travelsphere with new skills to show off!
Even as travel tentatively begins to rebuild, and as life slowly and carefully begins to move again, there are many things we can do more safely from home—at least for now. Take advantage of this time to make the most for yourself. Stay stimulated, keep your brain juicy and active.
Be intentional with how you use technology, with how much input and output you receive and create. Stay connected, speak with people from different cultures. Prepare yourself, mentally and emotionally, for the days ahead when we can travel again.
And when we are able to travel again, when borders reopen and we can move freely around this big beautiful world, think about putting your skills to use in places like Costa Rica. Accredited language schools with highly-educated teachers, on beachfront campuses or nestled in small cities, are waiting for you
But in the meantime, why not build your language skills online?
Browse ALL Online Language Courses on GoAbroad.com
Intercultura is widely recognized as one of the top language schools in Costa Rica with a variety of internationally acclaimed Spanish programs. Intercultura has two beautiful campuses to choose from, offering students a vibrant city experience or a tropical, palm-lined, beachfront location. Intercultura’s programs are suitable for all ages and learners, giving students real-life contexts and social interactions by focusing on immersion and community connection.
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