How Does Learning a Foreign Language Help With Cultural Awareness

Studies have shown that those learning foreign languages are often a bit more tolerant of other cultures. Have you ever wondered why this is? Well, let's take a look at the answer to the question; how does learning a foreign language help with cultural awareness?

You have to immerse yourself in the culture

It is no secret that people tend to be more intolerant of other cultures when they understand nothing about it. Let's be honest, a lot of what people hear about other cultures in their own language will be quite negative. You tend never to get positive stories shared from overseas.

When you learn a different language, you have to immerse yourself in a culture. You will likely learn about the history of a country. The language of a country. You will learn about the cultures and customs of this country. This is the stuff that you would never have learned on your own. The result is that you end up with far greater respect for the place. You will learn why things happen a certain way in the culture.

You get to speak to native people 

Speaking to native people helps to promote cultural awareness.

If you are learning a language, then you really should be interacting with native speakers of that language. By interacting with native speakers of that language, you learn more about the culture. You learn about the people. A lot of people will end up realizing that, sure, people are going to be different from them. However, at the heart, they are always going to be people. 

You should be using learning resources in the target language

You probably have your own favorite books and movies that you grew up with. Guess what? Countries outside of your own may never have read those books or seen those movies. They had a different experience growing up.

When you learn a new language, you get to experience the culture of another person. You get to read the books and see the movies that helped to shape them as people. Again, this is going to lead to a greater understanding of the culture.

The Justlearn tutors know that at the start of your learning, you will probably only be using dedicated learning resources. However, as you open up your learning and start to gain a solid understanding of some vocabulary and grammar, you will have a huge range of cultural works available to you. This is where learning a language really starts to become fun!

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several ways that learning a new language can help you to have a greater appreciation of other cultures. You can only gain this understanding if you are serious about learning the culture, though. This is why it is so important that you choose a language that you have a genuine interest in learning. You should also ensure that you interact with your tutors on a regular basis. They will be able to provide you with guidance on learning resources that you can use. The result will be a far more well-rounded learner!