How true!  This proverb got me thinking…

Learning another language has many obvious benefits.  It makes travelling to foreign countries less stressful if you are able to communicate with the locals in their language (even if it’s just the basic vocabulary to get you by).  Being able to greet people, ask for directions and order a meal can help to make you feel more immersed and a part of the new environment that you’re about to explore.

As anyone who has studied foreign languages will tell you, language learning is not just about syntax (grammar and sentence structure), vocabulary, pronunciation, endless repetition and memorization.  It is so much more.  When you learn a language, you also learn about culture, traditions, beliefs and ways of viewing the world from a different perspective other than your own.

When you speak more languages, many more doors open to many more opportunities of all kinds.  Job prospects increase, global friendships blossom, comprehension of texts and music written in their original language are available to you, and you can travel and communicate with people from other linguistic groups with more ease.

While all the above are excellent and compelling reasons to learn another language which I do fully support and encourage, the one that stands out for me is the sheer personal satisfaction, accomplishment, growth and transformation many of us go through in the pursuit or necessity of multilingualism.  When we challenge ourselves and set goals, we grow, evolve and live a much more colourful and fulfilling life.

A common occurrence during this personal transformation is the development of dual or multi-linguistic personalities.   The longer you converse and are immersed in another language and linguistic/cultural community, you gradually enter a stage of metamorphosis as your thought process, habits and way of thinking start to change.  You begin to adapt to the world view of that particular culture.  This may not necessarily be a conscious change, but rather a slow, natural and often subtle change over time as one becomes more confident and competent in the target language; and along with it we gain a greater sense of understanding, sharing and belonging to this global world of ours.

As polyglot Ekaterina Matveeva, CEO EuropeOnline, says “each language has its own personality”  and so it is not surprising that as we learn a language, we internalize its unique personality.  Speaking from my own experience having grown up with two languages at home, German and English, then adding French and Spanish, I can whole-heartedly identify with this statement.  Travelling to the countries where these languages are spoken and conversing with native speakers both at home or abroad,  I do sense a change in myself and in my thought patterns  when I switch from one language to another.  I often notice how my gestures, intonation, pace and expression differ; it is no coincidence that they tend to coincide with the cultural influences that each language has brought into my life experience.

While it can be confusing at times knowing which hat to wear when and with whom, I feel that knowing more than one language has certainly enhanced and enriched my life both personally and professionally.

So now I ask you, do you take on a different personality when you speak another language?