Why should people learn a language in addition to English?  The whole world speaks English, does it not?
Clearly there’s some truth in this argument – but far from the whole truth. Spanish is one of the fastest growing languages in the world and Mandarin is more and more becoming a language of great importance.
You can’t  rely solely on English in a globalised world.

 

 

Educational reasons
Learning a new language at the earliest possible age opens up a whole new dimension for children: it greatly benefits their reading and writing in their own language; there’s evidence that, like musical education, it contributes significantly to the development of individual intelligence; and concretely it improves overall results at school.

Cultural reasons
A new language opens up a whole new culture. A new language gives us access to another culture, and our lives take on a new dimension. The great German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, said in 1827:
“Whoever is not acquainted with foreign languages knows nothing of his own.”
Seen like that, learning a language is almost comparable to a journey of discovery.
Conversely, to lose a language is to lose a whole culture. This realisation has led to determined efforts to preserve minority languages. It is a fundamental truth that cultures define themselves through languages.

Personality
By learning a new language, you gain new horizons, but at the same time you reinforce your own identity, and therefore also your self-confidence. A different language can contribute to a stronger personality.

Economic reasons
The typical profile expected from future business leaders fully reflects the demands of the globalised world. People that are bilingual or multilingual find a good job more easily than others.