A trending topic to study in college is a foreign language, in hopes of becoming bilingual. But if this was the case, wouldn’t it be so much easier to learn it at a younger age? A trending conversation on TikTok is how bilingual-speaking people think. Do they think in their first or second language? Do they translate what is being said first before thinking about how to say it in that second language? Obviously, it can get pretty confusing.  

Many students learning a foreign language in high school have these thoughts. The way we learn these foreign languages can be confusing when trying to speak them, especially to a native speaker. For example, I am studying Spanish, and plan to minor in it in college. I do what I am supposed to in this class; I study and get good grades on the tests, as well as be able to say for the most part what I want to. But when we are being shown conversations in Spanish, we aren’t taught to translate the information quickly to be able to have a true conversation with a native speaker, let alone be able to understand what they’re saying half the time since it is too fast of a pace to follow.  

Teaching foreign languages can be very beneficial to a person when they grow up. It is basically a second career choice whether as an interpreter, or even a Spanish teacher. Teaching kids foreign languages at a young age, while learning their primary language eliminates the confusion people have when learning it when they’re older. Bilingual education is very beneficial to a person and should be considered when teaching them English, or their primary language.  

It also adds a whole other cultural aspect to the child; they learn more than one culture, as well as learn to appreciate more than their own culture. It adds diversity and acceptance to other cultures that do have those foreign languages as their first language. Some parents in America only speak a foreign language, and it would be acceptable for Americans to learn about their culture. It’s not exactly forcing a language onto a child either, it is just giving them more education on cultures.