There are hundreds of languages spoken in the world, and with those languages there are hundreds of cultures to accompany them. At a time when people all across the globe are as connected as we are now through social media, it seems more important now than ever for people to try and understand other cultures and languages.

Part of learning about other cultures is learning the languages that said cultures speak. If you don’t understand English, you’re not going to really understand the ways in which people in the United States behave or the reasons behind those different behaviors. The same idea applies to other countries and cultures: if you want a better understanding of those places, it’s best to start with their language.

“You learn a new language, you learn a new way of looking at the world. Each language brings a different way to structure the world,” French Professor Laurent Dereny told me, “We speak all the time. There is no possible way to talk about languages without using a language. The only way to have another point of view on your own language is to learn another one.

To know only one language is like monoculture and the consequences are the same (weak soil, etc.). Another language fosters curiosity. More languages help you see the world and connect with different people. You are less judgmental and more open to different experiences.” said Deremy.

Language is one of, if not the most important thing, in a society. It is the building blocks of a culture, of a people. Without language, you have no way of communicating with others, which prevents a society from being built or a culture from being established. To know more languages is to know more cultures, to know more about the world around us and the people who are living just next door. It connects people and brings them together in a way that isn’t possible when there’s a language barrier in place.

It’s more than just for cultural reasons, though. The desire to learn anything is fueled by curiosity. I can’t imagine anyone not being curious about what other people are saying when they hear people speaking in another language. Anytime I hear another language being spoken, my curiosity peaks, and I just have a sudden urge to learn more about that language.

The fact that learning more than one language after you’ve already developed the part of your brain that holds communication and language (which develops fully around the age of three) is very difficult, makes those who speak several different languages, and fluently, all that more impressive to me. It’s similar to when a scientist goes through a rant on something in their field, using their scientific language-it’s so wildly impressive, even if nothing is understood by those who aren’t scientists.

Language learning is a difficult, yet rewarding experience. It’s not within everyone’s comfort zone, and it’s hard to control how much you know and don’t know while learning a different language. This lack of control scares people, and derails them from wanting to continue, or even start, learning other languages.

“It definitely helps put you in another persons shoes in many ways. As a language professor, it’s very humbling to sit down in a 101, or 102 class and see people feel a little lost and not be in control. It’s humbling to be out of control in a world where it’s so important to be in control. It’s over-valued in my opinion, the need for control, the idea that you have to know everything all the time,” Spanish Professor Darío Sánchez-González said.

Second language programs are dwindling, at a time when learning a second language is so important for our future. It’s frightening how people are losing those opportunities, that languages are being lost and language barriers are rising higher and higher. That’s why I find it so important that schools, throughout all grades, provide that opportunity to students who are fuelled by that curiosity.

Some people find the requirement of a language course here at Gustavus to be nothing but a bother, but I find it crucial. Knowing only one language is like only kmowing one part of the world, one point of view. It’s important to take risks and put yourself into the shoes of others by taking a step towards learning about them, about their language and, subsequently, their culture.