TryGOLD- Free

Learn a Language as an Adult
Reader's Digest US|September 2022
Contrary to conventional thinking, it isn't too late
- Emily Goodman
Learn a Language as an Adult

FOR MORE THAN two years, Dulcie Shoener of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has done daily German lessons on her smartphone.

To some, that might sound like selfimposed homework, but Shoener, a language lover and the copy chief for Reader's Digest and other publications, doesn't see it that way.

"I enjoy it so much," she says. "It's a delight to be able to read a short story in German." To be able to read, write, or carry on a conversation in another language is a feat few Americans attempt, let alone achieve. Just 7 percent of our university students study a language other than English, and less than 1 percent of American adults are proficient in a foreign language they studied in school.

Of her college German, Shoener says, "I remembered very little." Yet the rewards for those who do learn a second (or third, or fourth...) language are profound: increased travel opportunities, of course, but also improved memory, focus, and ability to multitask. Bilingual brains are better shielded against cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

And, according to a poll conducted by the language app Babbel, knowing multiple languages can make you seem more attractive.

So, why aren't more of us multilingual-or trying to be? There are dozens of decent answers to that question, but one common retort doesn't have much merit at all: the idea that adults, especially older ones, just can't learn languages as easily as children can.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Reader's Digest US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Reader's Digest US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

We use cookies to provide and improve our services. By using our site, you consent to cookies. Learn more