Global Communication
One of the most compelling reasons to learn a new language is also one of the most obvious reasons - when you know how to speak, read and write in another language, you will be able to communicate with the people who use that language. French is the native language of approximately 200 million people in the world, and it is the second language of millions more. When you travel to a French-speaking country and you are able to speak French, your communication and interactions with people will undoubtedly be easier, friendlier and enhance your experience. Speaking another's language shows respect for their culture and is appreciated. Learning another language is also valuable in your own community for communicating with local immigrant populations at home.

Cultural Understanding
Speaking a new language helps you to get to know another people and culture, as language and culture go hand in hand. Because language simultaneously defines and is defined by the world around us, learning another language opens one's mind to new ideas and new ways of looking at the world.
Linguistic differences often reflect cultural differences that are valuable to understand and recognize.

Speaking another language allows you to fully enjoy literature, film, and music in the original language. Translations are rarely perfect replicas of the original works, so the best way to understand an author's true message is to read in the author's native language. How better to enjoy the numerous masterpieces of French literature, theater, film and music than through proficiency in the French language!

Business and Careers
Fluency in more than one language and multi-cultural awareness can increase your professional marketability, career options and success. Schools and employers often prefer candidates who are multi-lingual with strong understanding of cultural norms and customs. Even though English is widely spoken in much of the world, many organizations and businesses in the global economy depend on communication that requires fluency in multiple languages. An American who is fluent in French and has an understanding of French culture will have a significant advantage over a non-French-speaking colleague when working with a French or Francophone subsidiary office, vendor or organization.

Language Enhancement
Studying another language can help you to better understand your native language. Because many languages have contributed to the development of English, learning one or more of those languages will increase your knowledge of English word origins, grammatical structures, and will most likely augment your vocabulary as well. Also, in learning how another language differs from your own, you will increase your understanding of your own language. For many people, language is innate - we know how to say something, but we don't necessarily know why we say it that way. Learning a second language can provide this insight.

Each subsequent language you study will be somewhat easier to learn because you have gained the skills and techniques for learning a foreign language. When languages are related - such as the romance languages of French, Italian and Spanish, or German and Dutch, or Arabic and Hebrew -- some of what you have learned in studying your first foreign language will apply to the new language, thus making the learning of the new language more efficient and easy.

Test Scores
Research has shown that as years of foreign language study increase, math and verbal SAT scores increase. Children who study a foreign language often have higher standardized test scores in math, reading, and language arts. Introducing children to a second language at an early age when their brains are developing verbal abilities allows the children learn multiple languages more quickly and easily. Foreign language study can help to increase problem-solving skills, memory, and self-discipline. Think of it as exercising one of the many muscle groups in your brain!