Life Changing Language Experiences
Rewarding Experience
Learning a foreign language can be incredibly rewarding. It changes the way that you think and how you interact with the world, besides expanding your capacity for communication. Having the chance to learn more than your mother tongue will prepare you to compete in the job markets as the effect of globalization increases. It also makes you appreciate other cultures and diversities. Simply being able to speak with someone in a language you did not learn as a child is thrilling.
We gathered a few stories from our team members, foreigners as well as Chinese who decided to take on more than one language.
First up is Linda telling about struggling to learn English:
“When I was 7 years old, I immigrated with my family from China to Canada. At the time, I only knew 3 English words; “Banana”, “Apple”, and “Washroom”. Every day, when English class began, I would avoid class by running to the washroom and hiding there for hours. After many years of struggling with the language barrier, my reading, writing, and oral skills eventually improved. 12 years later, I am bilingual in both Mandarin and English, which opens doors to numerous opportunities worldwide. Learning languages changed my life in many ways. It allows me to pursue my career goal in International Business while permitting me to travel to many English and Mandarin-speaking countries around the world with ease!”
Continuing with Yang Yang who grew up with early dreams of fluent English:
“Chinese is my mother tongue. I began to pick up English around 10 years old and so far this second language has been with me for quite a long time. Actually, it has encroached into my life. At the beginning, of course, I just dreamed of being a girl of fluent English, speaking freely with native speakers. But as I go further on the journey of second language acquisition, I came to realize that the most profound impact is on mentality. Subconsciously, I have learned to embrace another mental framework, to empathize with the Western ideology and to welcome diversity of the world. That is why I firmly believe that learning a new language is one of the best paths to a new world of mentality.”
Carlos linguistic abilities opened doors for studies and job opportunities abroad:
“Languages have always been an important part of my life. Growing up study language was the key to learning new cultures and experiencing the world that was beyond my island home. My world, that in reality was very typical island lifestyle, was enriched through learning Spanish and French. I got to experience the food, music, and other people through these languages. Once I went to university I received two scholarships because of my linguistic abilities, which allowed me to study abroad. Upon entering the world of working, it was the same love of language that helped to find a job. I have had nine jobs in five different countries and each was earned due to my linguistic abilities. All in all, I owe my career and a life enriched with awesome experiences due to my passion for languages.”
It all started as a mandatory class for Sofie:
“I learned my English as my second language at a pretty early age and at that point, I did not see any advantage with it. For me, English was just a mandatory class in school. It was not until I went on my first family trip to London in 7th grade that I realized how amazing it was to be able to communicate with people that I would not have understood if it was not for that mandatory class. It also meant that I had something in common with people I had never met before and I realized that the world was not so big after all. It made me feel that I was not limited to my home country Sweden and the dream of moving abroad started to make its way into my mind.”
Mishi was encouraged by his parents and relatives to learn languages:
“I was born in Tata, a town of 20 000 in Western-Hungary. Hungary is a small country, the home of 10 million people in the heart of Europe, with a distinctive but rarely known language. Interacting with foreigners in Tata wasn’t regular part our daily lives, simply because there weren’t too many of them around. However, I was always very fascinated by people who were coming from far away. As a five-year-old, I was pretty honest about my curiosity towards foreigners to an extent that my father had to regularly warn me not to stare at them. As I was growing up I’ve seen my parents and relatives traveling around the world and I was encouraged to travel and learn languages.
Today, I live in Shanghai and I speak English and Chinese on a daily basis. Learning English opened up the world for me. I went to university in Wales (UK) and made friends from all around the planet. Learning Chinese really turned my life around and allowed me to become culturally more aware and even more open-minded. Today I could easily communicate with billions of people while years ago I could only talk to 10 million. Learning languages definitely made my world bigger and more exciting.”
Revealing new dimensions
Proficiency in a foreign language can greatly enhance your resume and make you more marketable when searching for a job. It’s a great investment of your time if you have enough patience to wait for the results. Learning a language also has a great probability of changing your life, like it has done multiple times for our team members. It reveals new dimensions and facets of the world that you never knew about.
Language is empowering!
Pop On is a global language service and cultural exchange app which connects you with native language partners around the world within seconds. Whether you are at a beginner or advanced level, you can start your language journey with Pop On and find the right Chat Pal/Tutor for you. Pop On supports Mandarin Chinese and English and will incorporate a range of languages such as Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian etc.
Pop On app is now available on Google Play Store and on the App Store. Learn more about us at gopopon.com.
