Let's take a moment and realize how important foreign language study is in our world today. Much the world's cultures are blending especially with the growth of the internet and travel industries. Let's face it, we are interacting more with people of different languages now than ever before. Wouldn't you love to communicate effectively with people of many cultures? There is a definite importance of foreign language study and I will tell you how to take the most advantage of the skill.
The internet is the one thing that connects all the people in the world together. No where else can you be in a room with people of foreign languages and not leave your house. You do want to listen, understand, and speak their language, don't you? Of course! You don't want to be left out of the conversation. You don't want to misinterpret what is being said. And you certainly don't want to offend anyone by unknowingly saying the wrong thing.
If you're on the web for business, foreign language study is crucial to the growth of your business. You shouldn't limit yourself to just your native language. Learn about other cultures that need the solution your product offers and fulfill their needs as well! The market you've dominated in your native language may be empty in a foreign language.
Staying on the business side of things, you can bring the importance of foreign language study to the real world. Do you know how many employers will hire someone simply because they are multi-lingual? It is a skill that is high in demand because as business owners, they want to reach as many people as possible to become future clients. They want to have a wide-range of employees on hand to help customers from all backgrounds. Think of how hard is it to resolve a problem or sell a product, service or even an idea when you don't speak the same languages?
On to the travel side of learning a foreign language... when visiting another country, you want to be able to communicate with the natives and learn all you can to appreciate their culture and values. If you don't understand what they are saying, you may enjoy the sights but you won't get the true value out of your trip. Same thing applies if they don't know what you're saying. You're spending the money; why not get everything you can out of it!
Don't worry if your language is not perfect. Most natives will understand and appreciate that you're actually trying. Being an English speaker, I encourage my foreign friends to speak English. If they say something wrong, I'll just tell them how it's supposed to be said and they learn. That is the best way to study a foreign language; speak with natives and learn for your mistakes.
