Only 20 percent of Americans speak another language, according to the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey and that is just sad.

A majority of Americans only know English, but people who are from other countries are expected to know English just as well as they do, which is a big double standard.

Knowing another language can hold many benefits and everyone should know and understand another language for their benfit and others.

Foreign language study creates more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward people who are different, according to a study from Auburn University. Some Americans give others a hard time if they don’t speak English, so if they learn a new language maybe they can see the struggle of learning and have more compassion.

Being multilingual has many cognitive benefits, which some people need. People who speak more than one language show improved memory, problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills, according to leadwithlanguages.org. Improving these skills can help in school, jobs and social life.

Many Americans love to travel around the world, but struggle to communicate with locals. Knowing the language of the country you travel to is a good way to connect with locals and the beautiful culture of that country. Feeling connected to the country traveled to makes the experience more enjoyable.

Being able to speak different languages may even give a person an edge when applying for a job. Foreign language study enhances opportunities in government, business, medicine, law, technology, military, industry and marketing, according to the Auburn University study. Having a job and knowing a different language can help with clients who might not speak English.

Some people say learning a new language can be time consuming and difficult. These excuses are lazy. Do something more productive then just playing video games and going on social media all day.
Learning a language can be tough, but not impossible; so get out and learn a new language.