AIBU to ask if being fully bilingual in another language has been beneficial to you in adulthood

[alittleisland]

When I say 'fully bilingual', I mean that you can speak, read and write the second language. Do you encourage your children to learn a second language? What languages as a second language do you think will have a high value attached to them in the future?

We’re a trilingual family. DD has just completed her degree in languages. She added another couple to the three she has grown up with. It’s opened up job opportunities for her and has a job with the EU to start shortly.

I think being able to communicate fluently with other people is invaluable. Unfortunately the UK doesn’t put much importance at school in learning languages.

Not me, but my DC have several languages and it is definitely a huge advantage.

I was brought up bilingual. I do feel it has added an extra dimension.

I would say it depends on the languages and where you are. I'm fully bilingual but my other language has no value in the UK (yet ). So unless I'm speaking with people of the same language, it does nothing for me here.

I'll think it's different for say a French, Spanish, Italian, German, etc person. I used to work in market research and those languages were always needed. A friend who's fully Ghanaian (both parents) and also Italian (born and raised in Italy) benefitted immensely from having Italian as another language.

Not me - but bloody hell DH can pick up language like crazy. Not that I’m jealous or anything...

Yes, it has enabled me to live and work abroad in a job that doesn't involve English per se (so not a teacher, translator, interpreter etc.)

I learnt languages at school and to degree level. Then moved abroad to do a masters in business in the local language and have lived and worked here ever since. I love it.

My DC are fully bilingual (I still have a bit of an accent) and already see the advantages when we're on holiday and they can play with children who speak either language . Later on Im sure the languages will help job-wise.

Massive plus in life - easier to learn any language, you use them more than you think even in UK and the world is a bigger, better place.

DH is fully bilingual in Hebrew and English. He's found it really useful throughout his life. We're planning to bring up DD bilingual too.

I speak four languages fluently and it definitely gives me options. My DDs are learning my native language - I was not able to raise them bilingual as I was always f/t employed and my husband didn't speak my language at all, but they're working on it now.

The benefits of being multilingual go beyond work as well. My DF was bilingual and when he developed dementia, he could often communicate in his other language when one let him down in the moment, which made life better for him and for the staff caring for him. There is evidence that being multilingual slows the degeneration of brain function in old age too.

4??? Show off! (Jealous).

Serenity I'm a Dutch national raised bilingual in English from age 10 and with a brain that likes languages so French and German came very easily too and I used them a lot in my uni days. I'm just wired that way.

The benefits of being multilingual go beyond work as well. My DF was bilingual and when he developed dementia, he could often communicate in his other language when one let him down in the moment, which made life better for him and for the staff caring for him. There is evidence that being multilingual slows the degeneration of brain function in old age too.

Being bilingual didn't stop my mum getting dementia - she had a vascular type - but it did seem to slow down its progress. She was still able to switch back and forth between her two languages when she had lost the ability to do anything else.

Yes. I am fluent French and it's gotten me snogs (in france) and jobs. And a husband.
French boys seem flattered that i bothered to learn. I'm utterly utterly not hot enough that I could pull on my looks alone!

DH is bilingual. He is from a Scandinavian country, so it was never really an advantage. There, it is more the opposite of being a disadvantage professionally, culturally and even socially if someone doesn't understand or speak English. (Whisper though: they tend to be as rubbish and/or disinterested in other languages like us - or at least our friends and family.)

But he has used his English to move abroad. I also have learnt his language, so I can live and work there after brexit. I will never be fully fluent though like he is.

Def extra. People tend to think differently in different languages. Associations are different, the culture seeps through in common phrases and it does have an effect on how one sees the world.
I'm bilingual, so is our kid. Our second language is an obscure one that around 10m ppl in the world speak, so no real benefit of actually knowing it. But because of the above reasons I did always make a point that our son learns it well.
And it is still funny how he will overexpose one grammar to the other language :)

Definitely, but then I live in one of the countries of the languages I am fluent in.
I noticed quite early, that my way of speaking and thinking changes according to which language I am "in". That is really interesting and rather amusing.
Having languages has been central to my career and has certainly given me opportunities that would not have been possible if I had stayed in the UK with "just" English.
I have always thought it was a shame that the UK attaches minimal importance to learning languages, which are often just seen as "useful for holidays" - such a waste.

I use my (fluent, first language) Italian in my UK contact centre job and my A-level Spanish is good for holidays.

DS1s (age 4) Italian isn't as good as his English but when he translates stuff to other kids its fascinating to watch.

I noticed quite early, that my way of speaking and thinking changes according to which language I am "in".

I stereotypically wave my arms about and speak loudly to my DM, DH always thinks we are arguing. I'm quiet in English but I do still wave my arms about!

Definitely a plus. Dh is Spanish, so all my dcs understand and speak the language.
I also speak French and paid for my dcs to have French lessons.
I worked in France for a short period and one of the prerequisites was to be able to converse in French. Great experience
I know people who speak three or four languages fluently.

I’m fluent in two other languages (well, I’m fluent in English and one other language as well as my native language), and DD is being raised bilingually in English and DH’s native language. At nearly 3 she is fully bilingual. I really really (really) value it as a skill. Frankly it’s irrelevant to me what the second language is - the skill is worthwhile in itself.

We have a few trilingual friends too - children switching seamlessly from English to Mandarin to Russian, for example. It’s wonderful.

My dc are bilingual in English and Gaelic. Yes, it's a minority language but it gives them options locally and has broadened their horizons in music, literature etc. They all say they'll speak Gaelic to their own children and keep it going in the family (all late teens/early 20s).

There are lots of jobs in Wales that require applicants to speak fluent Welsh. Adults who are bilingual here have the advantage of being able to apply for those jobs.

I'm fluent in French as I studied it at uni and lived in France. The only thing it's helped with is things which I have chosen to do because they are in France. Now I never use French unless I go out of my way to do so.

DH is bilingual and it has helped him immensely. He can pick up other languages really easily (when he was very bored at a job around 20 years ago, he taught himself Greek!)

DS is trilingual (English, Spanish, Catalan) and just flips between the three depending on who he's with. We'd like to enrol him in French classes because we spend a lot of time in France and it's a beautiful and useful language.

I agree with a pp that you think in different ways when you speak a different language. I also employ much more arm-waving when I'm speaking Spanish