Comments on: 5 Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language http://greenpanda.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/5-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/ Personal Finance and Frugal Living from a Working Student's Perspective Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:03:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Which Foreign Language Should I Learn? « Green Panda Treehouse http://greenpanda.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/5-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/#comment-1071 Which Foreign Language Should I Learn? « Green Panda Treehouse Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:34:34 +0000 http://greenpanda.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/5-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/#comment-1071 [...] 5th, 2007 by GreenPanda  I’m still continuing on my post on why learning a foreign language is beneficial. The next question to ask is; which language do you [...] [...] 5th, 2007 by GreenPanda  I’m still continuing on my post on why learning a foreign language is beneficial. The next question to ask is; which language do you [...]

]]> By: Philip Brewer http://greenpanda.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/5-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/#comment-939 Philip Brewer Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:16:08 +0000 http://greenpanda.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/5-reasons-to-learn-a-foreign-language/#comment-939 Depending on which of those reasons is most important, consider learning Esperanto. Esperanto is so much easier to learn than any national language, you're more likely to succeed, and you're much more likely to succeed fully. Esperanto puts you on an equal footing--neither of you is speaking your first language. That can make also international contacts more comfortable. If reasons 3, 4, and 5 are the big ones, then Esperanto is a great choice. Instead of just putting you in touch with people in one or a few foreign countries, it puts you in touch with (a few) people in many different countries. Most important, they're people who are self-selected as being interested in connecting with foreigners. Esperanto doesn't get much respect from potential employers, so it probably doesn't help much as far as reason 1 goes. It's something of a toss-up as far as reason 2 goes. There is a lively international culture in Esperanto--literature, music of all kinds, books, magazines, theater--but it's small. If your goal was to gain access to some particular body of foreign literature Esperanto probably doesn't give you much benefit over English--you have to access it in translation anyway. Depending on which of those reasons is most important, consider learning Esperanto.

Esperanto is so much easier to learn than any national language, you’re more likely to succeed, and you’re much more likely to succeed fully. Esperanto puts you on an equal footing–neither of you is speaking your first language. That can make also international contacts more comfortable.

If reasons 3, 4, and 5 are the big ones, then Esperanto is a great choice. Instead of just putting you in touch with people in one or a few foreign countries, it puts you in touch with (a few) people in many different countries. Most important, they’re people who are self-selected as being interested in connecting with foreigners.

Esperanto doesn’t get much respect from potential employers, so it probably doesn’t help much as far as reason 1 goes. It’s something of a toss-up as far as reason 2 goes. There is a lively international culture in Esperanto–literature, music of all kinds, books, magazines, theater–but it’s small. If your goal was to gain access to some particular body of foreign literature Esperanto probably doesn’t give you much benefit over English–you have to access it in translation anyway.

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