Chances are, you know someone who speaks another language, or maybe it’s you who knows the second language. Perhaps your parents speak a language and you can understand it, but you can’t speak as fluently as they do. There are a number of different scenarios related to people and what they can or cannot speak, but whatever the circumstances, why not add a new language to your arsenal?

Taking a foreign language in school might seem aggravating because of the constant homework and the class being taught in another language. But there are amazing benefits one reaps from learning a language (besides the obvious coolness and looks of awe you instantly get when switching tongues). Learning a new language is proven to enhance many mental processes and the advantages often spill into daily life. Some of the advantages include improvements in one’s native language, improved grammar, and better decision-making according to studies published in the Foreign Language Annals, the International Journal of Psychology and Early Childhood Education Journal. There is nothing but good that comes from studying a language.

When it comes to learning a new language, however, research shows that it’s best to start young. If school districts made taking a foreign language mandatory in elementary school, as illustrated by a Kansas City school study conducted by J.M. Cade, teachers would see a boost in standardized test scores, reading skills, and memory. Children’s brains are like sponges; they are malleable and soak up information. As studied by Joshua Hartshorne in an MIT study, up until the tender age of ten, children are more open to learning languages and quicker to pick them up than adults: “[there isn’t] much difference between people who start at birth and people who start at 10, but we start seeing a decline after that.’’ Additionally, children who learn in elementary schools tend to enter longer programs for language learning, continuing the trend of speaking multiple languages.

Knowing a language can also open doors. Being multilingual improves one’s chances of attaining a job and can ease the transition into a job in a country where your first language is not the primary one. It also provides the opportunity to have a lucrative career in translating or tutoring. Teaching becomes an option as well since foreign language teachers are always in demand, especially in a country that has over 53 million Spanish speakers, and 1.32 million French speakers, according to the 2010 US Census. The US Department of Education has listed Foreign Language as number four in most wanted teaching positions, following after the likes of STEM subjects.

Overall, learning a second language provides nothing but benefits. This is why school districts in the U.S. should make learning a language mandatory before middle school. For those who don’t speak the language they choose to study at home, school offers a routine of constant dialogue that they can’t access elsewhere. A foreign language classroom becomes a multi-cultural hub of heritage and dialects where students can prosper and learn.