{"id":4812,"date":"2015-12-31T13:08:17","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T13:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eurotalk.com\/blog\/?p=4812"},"modified":"2026-08-20T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:29:13","slug":"4-reasons-to-learn-a-language-this-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/en\/news\/4-reasons-to-learn-a-language-this-new-year","title":{"rendered":"4 reasons to learn a language this New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don’t know about you, but I love New Year’s Eve. Not because of all the parties (twelve months ago\u00a0I saw in the\u00a0new year at home with a cup of\u00a0tea, because I’m that cool), but because it’s a great time\u00a0to set some new goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, you can set goals any time, but there’s something special\u00a0about the fresh start that comes with a new year. It’s like the first page of a brand new notebook; any previous failed attempts or mistakes are erased and you can start over with a clear target in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Happy<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday\u00a0the British Council, supported by actor Larry Lamb,\u00a0launched a #LearnALanguage<\/a> campaign, which aims to get Brits\u00a0learning a language in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

And over 200 people will be doing just that with our free uTalk challenge<\/a>, which starts tomorrow – learning everything from French to Wolof (there’s still time to join, by the way…).<\/span><\/p>\n

But why should you learn a language this new year? Here are my top 4\u00a0reasons:<\/span><\/p>\n

New friends<\/h3>\n

Everyone\u00a0likes making new friends, and it’s a lot easier to do that if you speak the same language. Sometimes all it can take is one word to break the ice,\u00a0so even if all you know is ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ or ‘where is the toilet?’ – hey, it’s a start. (And if you can speak a bit of Xhosa or Korean, it’s a great way to show off at parties and instantly become\u00a0the coolest person in the room.)<\/span><\/p>\n

New opportunities<\/h3>\n

The New Year is a time for new opportunities… and learning a language brings you so many. Travel the world. Get a new job. Meet the love of your life. As Larry Lamb says in this video, his enjoyment\u00a0of languages directly led to his 40-year career as an actor – who knows where it could take you?<\/span><\/p>\n