There are probably a lot of articles out there about how learning a new language can help someone improve their English. This article aims to introduce some novel concepts regarding the ways in which learning another language can improve English.
#1: One of the beauties of the English language is that it enables us to say a particular phrase in a variety of different ways when translating from English to a foreign language.
For instance, “There are many ways in which learning a foreign language can help improve your English” is the opening sentence of the article’s summary. In a different language, it might be difficult to translate this sentence exactly.
In order to effectively translate the sentence so that the other speaker can comprehend it, the speaker is forced to simplify it. “Learning a foreign language improves your English because:” would be a simpler translation. or “your English will improve if you learn a foreign language because:”
When we are required to simplify our English sentences, it helps us understand how powerful a short, simple sentence can be in comparison to a lengthy, wordy sentence.
Most of the time, the best English is spoken with short, clear sentences that mean a lot. When you translate English into another language, you must use clear, concise language to ensure that the other person understands you.
#2: To illustrate this point, let’s use German as an example.
The rules for grammar and pronunciation in a foreign language will force you to pay attention to similar rules in English. The use of umlauts in a sentence and the capitalization of every noun in a sentence are two ways that German differs from English.
The point is that the speaker will pay more attention to their pronunciation of words, which may very well help their pronunciation of English words of German origin. The umlauts in a word are notable because they force the speaker to speak in a distinctive sound, such as with a longer “a” sound if there is an umlaut above an A or a distinctive “uh” sound if there is an umlaut above a U.
The point is that the speaker will pay more attention to their pronunciation of words. They might also pay more attention to nouns and whether or not they should be capitalized.