Is Studying in a Foreign Language Worth It?
What do you think is the biggest obstacle when it comes to moving abroad, going on an exchange, or starting university in a foreign country? Some people might say that it is finances, others that it is organization. Of course, both play a huge role in our decisions. However, I believe that many people would agree that language is one of the most significant challenges, if not the most important one.
There are many reasons why language can be such a major obstacle, especially if you are considering studying in a foreign country and using a language that you do not know as well as your native one.
Some Challenges to Be Aware Of
First thing you should know is that everyday language is different from what you learn. Mainly because of the speed of speaking, the differences in pronunciation, slang, and sometimes even accents. Sometimes you may even encounter vocabulary used only in the region or city you’re in. Not saying that all the work you put into passing at least a B2 exam was useless — but don’t be discouraged when you actually find yourself not being able to understand conversations, especially in your first weeks or months in a new country. From my experience, it’s something you gain very quickly just by living there and doing everyday tasks.
Another difficulty that strongly depends on your personality is the fear of making mistakes and sounding stupid or simply not sounding native. No matter how much you learn your target language, how much you invest in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, there are actually very few people who pass completely unnoticed by native speakers. Very often, they will notice your slightly different accent or subtle differences in word usage or grammar, and they will already ask you: “Where are you from?”. It doesn’t mean your language is bad — it’s just extremely rare and takes a lot of time and effort to sound completely native. And the fact that someone continues a conversation with you in their language means they can see you’re able to handle it, which is already a huge accomplishment. Most people won’t even try to simplify their language for you, so you’re basically having a conversation at their level. When it comes to making mistakes, it’s also something that can discourage you — and I understand that. You have no idea how many times I entered the same boulangerie and asked for “un baguette” instead of “une baguette” and got corrected by the lady working there. It’s my second year in France and I still do it sometimes. But those things are not really important for communication. By just having that conversation, you’re already showing a good level in a foreign language. Those mistakes, you can either ignore them if you don’t care about sounding perfectly native, or work on them. And by living the language every day, they will naturally disappear over time if you pay attention to them.
A different challenge, partially related to language, is cultural differences in communication. When moving abroad, you will encounter at least some cultural differences in the way people communicate — not only verbally, but also through body language and gestures. There might be words in a foreign language that you know, but you don’t really know “how they sound” in that language. What I mean is that some words might have a different tone or feeling for natives than you expect. The way you speak might sound too informal, too formal, or too sophisticated. You naturally feel these differences in your own language and have your own way of expressing yourself through these subtle nuances, but it can be difficult to reproduce them in a foreign language because you don’t yet have that same intuition. The same goes for body language and gestures. Maybe in your country, hugging people you just met is not natural and might even be considered inappropriate, but in another country, kissing on the cheek to say goodbye is completely normal. I remember once I met with my friends, and they invited some more people. When we were saying goodbye, I was about to just wave, then I went for a handshake, and in the end we did cheek kissing. It probably looked extremely funny and awkward because I was so confused about what was going on.
Feeling excluded in social situations is also something you might experience. Not saying it will necessarily happen, but you might often feel out of context — especially when your language level is still developing, but also because you’re missing what I would call “local inside jokes”. You might be in a conversation and someone makes a wordplay joke you didn’t catch, uses a funny word you don’t understand, or refers to a local situation that happened a year ago and everyone knows about it, except you. It’s very similar to being in a group conversation where someone says a joke (that you didn’t even realize was a joke), everyone laughs, and you laugh too without really knowing why.
If you’re considering studying in a foreign language, this can also create some less obvious difficulties. Of course, it depends on your level and the difficulty of your degree, but even if your language level is good, you might process information a bit slower. This can add extra stress during lectures. Sometimes missing just one word can make you lose track, and suddenly a whole two-hour lecture stops making sense, and you have to review everything later. It can be challenging and frustrating at times, but the better you know the language and the more you use it, the more this problem will gradually disappear.
What You Can Gain from Studying in a Foreign Language
The examples above might be the resons why you might not be so enthusiastic about studying abroad — and it’s totally okay. Doing something like this is challenging and can be uncomfortable from time to time, but there are many benefits to putting yourself in such a situation.
As I mentioned in the first section, studying in a foreign language will probably require more time and effort to process information and new knowledge. This challenging process increases your cognitive load, but at the same time, it develops your flexibility of thinking. You have to be more precise and more concentrated on what is written or what someone is saying. This may cause more fatigue during learning — I personally felt more tired while studying, especially in the first semester, because not only did I have to process the information itself, but also the language. So basically, you have to decode not only the meaning of the message, but sometimes the message itself. However, as studies show, this experience increases your concentration, improves your memory, and strengthens your attention to detail, which is a huge advantage, especially if you want to succeed academically in the future.
One of the biggest benefits is that you gain more self-confidence and become less stressed about your mistakes. Living in a foreign country forces you to speak even when you don’t know what to say or don’t know the right word. Very often, you will feel stupid — but with time, at least in my case, you simply stop caring that much. If it’s your thousandth time saying something incorrectly, you stop overthinking it for days — after a minute, you just move on. I think this is an experience that prepares you well for life in general, because you become less afraid of making mistakes and more willing to take new opportunities, even if you might fail. So I think a few (actually, plenty) of awkward or stressful situations are really worth it for building your character.
An equally important gain is how it develops you as a person. By learning a new language, you basically gain access to deeply understanding a new culture, its customs, and behaviors. It also enables you to communicate with people you would never be able to connect with otherwise. I can’t even count how many valuable conversations I’ve had in French that would have never happened if I didn’t speak the language. A new language also gives you access to books, films, and knowledge that can only truly be experienced in that specific language, because translation often removes part of the meaning — something you don’t fully notice until you actually speak the language. You may also notice that some things are easier to say in a foreign language than in your native one, sometimes because of cultural differences. For example, a new culture might be more open in expressing emotions or opinions, and you might find yourself thinking: “I wouldn’t say this in my native language”.
On top of that, living in a foreign country and studying in a foreign language is that you learn the language as it is actually used. No matter how much time you spend learning vocabulary and grammar from books, the experience is completely different when you reach the point where you understand jokes, irony, and cultural context. It also helps you develop your personality in that language and, in a sense, feel at home in it — because of the moments when you truly feel like part of that community.
Last but not least, it opens up more career opportunities. If you’re a student and want to do an internship, you’re not limited to your home country, you can do it anywhere your foreign language is spoken. You get the opportunity to work in an international environment, in different countries, or in culturally diverse teams. In most fields, this looks very strong on your CV, increases your chances of finding a job, and can improve your earning potential. And honestly, it sounds much more impressive to say that you spent a year on Erasmus or completed a degree in a foreign country and language than just saying you passed a language exam. It shows that you don’t only know the language in theory, but that you can use it in real life.
So… Is It Worth It?
The goal of this article was to list and point out the pros and cons of living in a foreign country and/or studying there — especially the ones you might not think about or that are hard to understand without having this experience yourself.
Personally, I would really encourage you to take the opportunity to go on Erasmus in a foreign language if you feel confident enough. If you’re learning English and already know it at a decent level, do it in English. If you have the chance to go to Italy or France and you know the language well enough, try doing it in Italian or French.
Of course, you know your own skills best and whether you are ready to handle the additional challenge. If your degree is very demanding and your French is still not strong enough, you will still learn a lot just by living in that country and studying in English, without the extra stress. But if you are able to do it, I would say — go for it.
Nowadays, speaking English is becoming more and more the norm, and adding another language to your profile can be a huge advantage in the future.
For those who don’t know yet, I am part of the Campus France Poland Ambassadors, a project in which I help share information about studying in France. To get more tips from other students, check out Campus France Poland Ambassadors
For more information check: Parcoursup, L’Etudiant, Campus France