"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head, if you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart" (O' Donnell, 2014). In "Benefits of Multilingualism in Education,” Benard explains that the word multilingualism is derived mainly from two Latin words; "Multi" and "Lingua" which means many and language respectively. The term itself doesn't only imply speaking and understanding the verbal and the spoken language of another region or country; it also means the knowledge of the different backgrounds of the languages that a person speaks. Multilingualism improves on cross-cultural communication skills and strategies. In education, it promotes creativity, promotes appreciation of indigenous languages, creates cultural awareness, and adds educational value. Knowledge of more than one language helps not only in active communication with different people but also has profound impacts on the economy and improves the cognitive ability of a person.
According to a study by Benard ( 2014) on Benefits of Multilingualism on Education, it is evident that the benefits of multilingualism go beyond education. Knowledge of more than one language has proved to be essential from childhood to adulthood and proceeds to be advantageous in old age. Bilingualism influences the economic status of a nation as well as an individual’s economic status, and it is also known to have cognitive benefits. While discussing benefits of bilingualism, Benard (2014) uses a survey that has been conducted in countries that practice multilingualism in Africa and outside of Africa to explain the traditions, the benefits, and the consequences of multilingualism. In response to Benard’s study, this paper discusses how bilingualism boosts economic status and looks into the cognitive benefits of being bilingual.
Bilingualism enhances economic growth of a state. American Council on Education (ACE) conducted a study that provided that bilingualism is primary in competing successfully in a global economy (Benard, 2014). Knowledge of languages is fundamental in building trade relations which in return impact the economy positively. According to research, the effects of language on the economy matters on both large and small enterprises. For instance, Switzerland encourages multilingualism, and they attribute 10 % of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to multilingualism. Switzerland has four national languages which include Romansh, Italian, French, and German (Sophie, 2018). On the other hand, Britain loses about 3.5 % of its GDP due to poor language skills (Gabrielle, 2017). According to a research conducted on small and medium-sized enterprises in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and France; Companies that invest in multilingual human resources expand their export market easily than those that do not consider bilingualism in recruitment.
Another impact of bilingualism on the economy is that it boosts a person's earning power. According to Sophie (2018), multilingualism impacts a workforce with long-term benefits in addition to the economic ones. Knowledge of more than one language offers a competitive edge in the job market. In Florida, bilinguals earn $7,000 per annum more than monolinguals irrespective of whether the second language is to be used on the job or not. In some states such as Canada, bilinguals get a wage premium. A study based in Canada shows that bilingual women get 6.6 % more earnings than their monolingual peers while bilingual men realise 3.6 % more income compared to monolingual men. Studies have shown that bilingualism is a useful tool for enhancing a person's earning power and giving them a competitive edge in the job market.
Bilingualism has cognitive benefits. One of the benefits is that it improves on learning. Bilingual experience drives improvements in sensory and cognitive processing which helps a person to concentrate and better process a piece of information hence driving a clearer learning signal. The ability of bilingual people to inhibit competing for details from previously learned languages gives them an advantage in learning a third language. Bilingualism has a positive influence on conflict management and attention in infants. Children who are brought up in a multilingual environment learn faster than those brought up in a monolingual environment. According to Benard (2014), Multilingualism boosts creativity and intellectual flexibility hence children that are brought up in such a situation are more perceptive and mentally flexible than those brought up in a monolingual environment. According to Dr Elsie Naude, a language therapist, encouraging a child to learn multiple languages has a positive impact on their intellectuality.
Besides, bilingualism also protects against age-related decline, and it fends off the natural deterioration of cognitive function. It enables bilinguals to have an effective utilization of brain networks hence boosting brain functionality in old age (Victoria & Anthony, 2012). Bilingual people retain executive control and a good memory in old age compared to monolingual people. Researchers have found that bilingualism protects or delays aging people from contracting Alzheimer’s disease. In a study consisting two hundred patients with Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms were reported earlier in monolingual patients that is at the age of 72.6 years while bilinguals reported signs of the disease at the age of 77.7. A subsequent study showed that the degree of brain atrophy in bilingual patients was higher than that of monolingual patients yet their behavioral performance was at par. Therefore, bilingualism has proved to increase brain functionality even in old age.
In summary, bilingualism not only helps in communication with different people but also boosts the economic status of a nation or a person and improves the cognitive ability of an individual. Knowledge of more than one language lifts the economic situation of countries that encourage multilingualism such as Switzerland. Companies that have a multilingual workforce acquire more export markets and are in a position to strengthen trade ties hence improving on a country's GDP. Additionally, bilingualism gives people a competitive edge in today's job market and boosts their earning power. Consequently, bilingualism enhances a person's ability to synthesize and communicate knowledge hence easy learning. Also, bilingualism improves cognitive functioning in old age and delays Alzheimer’s disease while enabling bilingual patients to perform better than monolingual patients. It is evident that bilingualism is a beneficial tool in life since its benefits cut across many aspects of life.
References
Bernard, O. O. (2014) Benefits of Multilingualism in Education. Universal Journal of Educational Research 2(3): 223-229, 2014. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2014.020304
Gabrielle, H (2017) Why Multilingualism Is Good For Economic Growth. The Conversation.
Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/why-multilingualism-is-good-for-economic-growth-71851
Sophie, H. (2018) Speaking More Than One Language Can Boost Economic Growth. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/speaking-more-languages-boost-economic-growth/
Viorica, M. & Anthony, S. (2012) The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual. The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Derived from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583091/
