Why is it important to study a new language?

Charlemagne said: “To know a second language is to possess a second soul", and in my experience, it is true. I am a native Italian speaker, I live in Italy and studying other languages has opened up a new world to me. A new working world, but especially a cultural one. I realised that beyond the Alps, there are other people, with different habits, with other perspectives, and I comprehend how what we do is often relative.

When I travel, when I go abroad, I like to meet people, to talk like them and not just talk as the grammar book teaches me. We know that grammar is essential to say "the cat is on the table",....but people say a lot more than that and with different accents or pronunciations (this is the real challenge!!).

Concerning habits, for example, in Italy, we have a quick breakfast - often just cookies and coffee. In England or Germany, breakfast is richer and completely different to ours.

Having breakfast is just one short example of how we are all different and exciting at the same time.

Think about how nice it is to read a book or watch a movie in the original language! I am listening to different sounds and reading about lifestyles which are different to my own!

That's why it is precious to acquire a new language and a new culture. We can discover new and various worlds, sometimes near and sometimes far.
Learning a foreign language is only enrichment and never impoverishment.