Bluedata International Institute

THE BENEFITS OF BEING BILINGUAL LANGUAGE LEARNING BY THE NUMBERS Over half D)) of the world's population is bilingual 6,909 (11 )) Number of distinct languages around the world ( ) 20% )) of Americans are bilingual 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home 51 million of these people are also fluent in English ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUALISM Better problem- solving skills Bilinguals tend to be better at planning for and solving complex problems Enhanced creativity Bilingualism improves creative abilities Improved focus Bilinguals are better able to focus on relevant info and ignore distractions Boosted brain function Speaking two languages helps to improve brain efficiency and performance Better academic capabilities People who study and speak two languages tend to do better academically Delayed aging Bilingualism diminishes the effects of aging on the adult brain One study found that the onset of dementia was delayed by 4 years among bilinguals Improved employment prospects Speaking more than one language makes you a candidate for more jobs Being bilingual makes you a more appealing job candidate More chances to meet new people Bilingualism makes it easier to meet and converse with different people in new places BECOMING BILINGUAL Enroll in a program designed for adult learners Talk to multiple people who know the language you are learning This helps you achieve a more natural speech pattern and accent Practice speaking the language every day to improve your retention Never stop learning After you achieve fluency, challenge yourself to use the new language on a regular basis to maintain and improve your abilities PROVIDED BY BLUEDATA wWW.ENGLISHSCHOOLNYC.COM Sources: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201205/bilinguals-in-the-united-states http://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/how-many-languages-are-there-world http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201011/bilingualisms-best-kept-secret http://www.actfl.org/enrollment-survey www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Bilingualism-in-Young-Children--Separating-Fact-fr.aspx http://dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=39638 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of -bilingualism.html?_r=0 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/delia-loyd/bilingual-education_b_1007760.html http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/27/learn-second-language-lifestyle-travel-study.html