None of my students has ever said that they learn English “because it will change the way I think,” or, “because I’ll make better deals.” How does learning English will accomplish these objectives?
Make Better Decisions
Dr. Boaz Keysar found that using a foreign language affects the way we make decisions. Use of a foreign language will help you to distance yourself from impulses and immediate reactions. Your actions will be more likely based on analysis. The process of switching between the languages, called code-switching, forces to look for bits of useful information and make better decisions.
Filter Out the Irrelevant Information
According to Judith Kroll at Penn State University, using a foreign language helps to concentrate and focus on important information. This helps to filter and edit out the irrelevant information.
Negotiate Less Emotionally
Negotiating in foreign language will make you less emotional. A foreign language will keep you emotionally detached from the content. You will withstand manipulation better than when using your mother tongue.
Get a Different Perspective
When using a foreign language, you’re not just using new words for objects or actions. You’re also becoming more aware of beliefs and perspectives behind those words.
When talking to a foreigner, I become exposed to a different way of understanding the world around you. English will make you more open to the idea that a Russian view of the world is just that: a Russian view of the world, no more.
Instead of being fixed on your own view of the world, you will learn a variety of perspectives and how to deal with them on a daily basis. You are on your way to personal growth and development far beyond a new set of vocabulary words. And it’s also nice to get finally coffee the way you like it, too.
Speak Better Russian!
When I speak in Russian, I don’t need to focus on (or even think about) technical aspects — verb forms, exceptions to grammar rules, or sentence structures. But when I try to express myself in English, I become more aware of the mechanics of language in general. Once you are able to express yourself in a non-native language, you will express yourself better in your own language as well!
Английский с Василием 