(ویژه سومین کنفرانس چند زبانه‌های ایران )

I was on the bus going to my birthplace, I was staring out the window and thinking about my language home works, it was interesting; thinking about them made me blush in a wired way, the kind of excitement that I’ve never felt before, but when I tell this to anyone, they think I’m out of my mind. In any case, they already think I am a weirdo because I’m learning 3 languages at the same time (English, Arabic, and Japanese). Regardless of learning languages, I am a busy person and have so much stuff to do. Anyway, I was thinking about my language-learning journey. Where did it begin

When I started learning languages seriously, my life was like hell, emotionally, professionally, and academically. Back then, I lost two of my most loved ones in a short period and these incidents had a huge effect on me like depression and insomnia. I felt heartbroken and lost and didn’t know what to do. One night I was lying in bed watching an anime, and I thought I could not continue like this! I have to do something that never done in my life. What would it be? The next morning, I was searching about “how to learn Japanese?” The journey started exactly like this. Since then, language learning has become my passion and my secret weapon to face the bitter and undeniable truths of life. After passing time through my experience of language learning, I created a list of why you should learn languages or why language learning is perfect for your health, here they are:

If you lack Self-confidence

You know self-confidence is a deep feeling and has a direct relation with self-esteem and self-love. When you see yourself through this journey, your outlook of yourself changes step by step. First, you learn the basics, then you can read and understand like a baby, but as time goes on, you
will make progress and you can think and write in that language. Even it’s possible to dream in that language. that feels kind of special. You can go on this path, not in one language but in two, three, or even more. Now you have more than one world to live. And because this is a lifelong activity, you can do it for the rest of your life. It’s a strange feeling that grows inch by inch like a tree. And who is its creator; you definitely. So, this is self-love that leads you to self-confidence.

If you are too shy to express yourself

After a while, this habit can make you able to express yourself better, even in your mother tongue because it has a direct effect on your personality and can transform you from a shy person to a sociable one with many connections all over the world, because it is naturally about people and communicating. For example, during learning Arabic I found a girl who was originally from an Arab country. both of us wanted to become early birds so this was the cause of our friendship. Since then, we have been trying to get up early for a year and we talk with each other in Persian, English, and Arabic.

If you feel you have reached the end of the line in your life

If you face depression try to learn a new language because it can benefit your mental health, keep you looking forward to the future, and help you to look at the bright side of life. When you start speaking in a foreign language, for a moment, you look at yourself and see this is you who is speaking. It is such a strange feeling. “If I can handle this, I can handle anything in my life!” That’s exactly the point if you can learn such a hard language you are strong enough to survive and put your life in the right way.

 If you live by yourself in an unfamiliar city or country and feel lonely

Imagine after a long day you return home; the lights are all off and there is no one to welcome you. How do you feel? When you live alone, there are moments that you feel an endless loneliness, at those moments, learning languages can disappear those intense feelings. little by little it becomes your best friend. When you study, it’s like a friend that makes you not feel lonely anymore. You can build new relationships and meet new people, a world that others aren’t aware of. You can be part of a new community that connects all of us in a very strange way, it’s like “We are not alone anymore; we are us!”

If you feel aging and you think you have to do something with your life

Learning a new language from the beginning is like restarting life. When you start, they recommend you to do what children do to learn a language, for instance, start with reading children’s stories or watching animations in the target language. You can do anything you wish for in your childhood or when you were younger but missed out, on anything that seems ridiculous when you do it as an adult. It’s super fun, believe me, you can be excited like them as well. I remember when I watched the animation “Anastasia”  in Arabic, I really liked the song “Once Upon A December ” I memorized it in Arabic and sang it to myself, and danced with it unstoppably for more than a month. Adults can understand how it can be incredible and precious to have a second chance because they know their youth will never come back. If it’s not a time machine, then what is it?

 why I realized that the language learning is a sacred journey

Last but not least. It takes time, and it grows slowly, but it can get you to a Holly place. How? learning languages can remind you of the value of life. When you discover different people and countries, when you get involved with their culture and life, you say to yourself “Wow there is such a great world out there, it’s worth living.” Let me explain a little more, I wanted to be a wizard for as long as I remember. I’ve always done things that made me feel like a wizard. after beginning my language-learning journey, I felt magic and everything seemed possible! At that time, I knew I would continue this way until who knows when. You know, it’s like the famous spell “Expecto Patronum”, Probably Potter’s heads know its meaning very well. A spell used for protection as a defensive wall from dementors, This spell means “I’m waiting for a guardian”. I believe that Language learning works for me like this spell. It means I’m not waiting for my guardian; I make it by myself, it’s like a secret weapon, it helps me go through anything no matter what. That’s why I think this path is sacred, it guides you through the darkness of your life It is worth spending your life on it. As a language learner sometimes I have doubts and over thinking about them, can I use this language properly? Will My efforts get paid or not? But in this way, I realized that if you are passionate about something and do it right, while it can make you feel happy deep down, It can be the most important thing you use in your life and it will become your winning card in the future. Also, it can be your two wings to fly. So, I choose to trust in this sacred journey.

 BY: Zahra Bidari