When I go into schools to talk about languages, I often begin with something very simple, but deeply true: Languages aren’t just something you learn in school. They’re a different way of seeing the world.
And that’s not just something I say to get students interested. It’s something I’ve experienced again and again in my own life.
Because once you’ve started learning another language – really started – you begin to realise that languages don’t sit in a box labelled “French” or “Spanish” or “German” on your timetable. They spill out. They seep into everything else. They change the way you think, the way you learn, and the way you understand every other subject, and, in turn, the world around you.
This post is a celebration of that. Of the way languages don’t just open doors, but open hearts, minds, and entire ways of thinking. Of the way they connect, enrich and transform every subject you might study in school, and every experience you have outside of it.
History: From Reading About the Past to Hearing It Speak
Let’s start with history.
Before I learned another language, history felt like something you read about. Textbooks, facts, timelines. But once I started learning languages, history came alive. It wasn’t just what happened; it was how people talked about it, how they lived it, felt it, and recorded it in their own words.
Suddenly, I wasn’t just reading about revolutions or migrations or treaties. I was reading speeches, letters, diaries. I was hearing the voices of people who lived centuries ago, in their own languages.
And that changes everything.
Reading Anne Frank’s diary in Dutch. Studying extracts from the letters of Spanish Civil War fighters. Watching newsreels from different countries during World War II. You start to realise that history isn’t one story; it’s millions of them, told from different perspectives, in different tongues. Learning languages gave me access to that depth. It gave me empathy. And it taught me not just to study history, but to listen to it.
Science: Collaboration Across Borders
If history is about understanding the past, science is about shaping the future, and languages are just as vital there.
Science, at its heart, is global. It’s a massive, ongoing, international conversation: researchers building on each other’s work, challenging each other’s findings, sparking new ideas and innovations.
Behind every breakthrough are people – scientists from every continent, speaking a whole range of languages, communicating and collaborating in labs, conferences and journals. And while English may be the common scientific language today, the roots of scientific vocabulary stretch across Latin, Greek, Arabic, German, French and beyond.
When I started learning languages, I began to notice those links.
And more than that: I realised that speaking another language gives you access to whole new spheres of knowledge – research papers not yet translated, ideas being developed elsewhere, conversations happening beyond the limits of the Anglophone world.
Languages don’t just help you understand science. They help you do science – collaboratively, meaningfully, across borders and boundaries.
Maths and Music: The Beauty of Patterns
It might sound surprising, but some of the clearest connections I’ve seen between languages and other subjects are in maths and music.
Because in all three, there’s something powerful about patterns.
I found that learning verb conjugations, for example, had a certain crossover with learning scales. When I saw how sentence structures changed depending on tense or mood, it was resonant of formulas in maths, where one change in a symbol shifts the entire meaning.
Learning another language teaches you to spot those patterns. It strengthens your working memory, your attention to detail, your ability to decode information and see structure within complexity.
That’s why people who are good at languages often find they’re good at music or maths too – and vice versa. It’s not just about talent. It’s about training your brain to hear, see and feel connections.
Music, like language, carries emotion, culture, identity. When you understand the language behind the lyrics, you suddenly hear a song differently. You’re not just enjoying the melody – you’re understanding the soul behind it.
And maths? Once you’ve tackled the logic of case systems or mastered a complex grammatical structure, algebra doesn’t seem quite so foreign. Because your brain has already learned how to work in systems, how to spot rules and exceptions, how to switch between modes of thinking.
Art and Literature: Seeing Through New Eyes
I remember walking through an art gallery in Barcelona and realising I was seeing the paintings not just as images, but as cultural expressions, layered with meaning I’d never have caught without the language.
The placards weren’t just telling me the name of the artist. They were giving me insight into the historical moment, the symbolism, the emotion behind the brushstrokes.
Languages do that.
They help you read between the lines. They give you access to novels and poems that haven’t been translated, or that lose something essential in translation. They allow you to feel the rhythm of a line of poetry in its original form, to understand the cultural references in a story, to sense the subtleties of tone and humour that would otherwise be missed.
And in visual art? Knowing the cultural and linguistic background of a piece can completely transform the way you see it. You start to appreciate not just what’s being shown, but what’s being said.
Languages and Computing: Understanding People Behind the Screens
When we think of computing in school, we often jump straight to coding. But there’s so much more to it than writing lines of script. Whether you’re designing a user interface, developing an app, or analysing how people use technology, computing is ultimately about solving problems and communicating solutions. And that’s where language learning comes in.
Studying other languages strengthens the exact skills that computing demands: structured thinking, problem-solving, and a deep awareness of audience. When you learn a language, you’re constantly decoding meaning, making sense of unfamiliar patterns, and adapting your message depending on who you’re speaking to. That’s not so different from what you do when you design a program or build a website that’s intuitive and accessible.
But it goes even further. If you’re creating technology that people around the world will use, then understanding how different cultures think, read, and interact becomes crucial. A good computing student doesn’t just ask, “Does this work?” but also, “Will it work for everyone?” Language learning helps you tune into those differences – how people approach information, what kinds of visual cues they respond to, even how they interpret icons or instructions.
So in a very real way, learning languages can make you a better computer scientist, not just because of logic or precision, but because it teaches you to design and think with people in mind.
A Lens That Changes Everything
If I had to sum it up, I’d say this: Learning a language gives you a fresh lens – and once you’ve looked through it, every other subject becomes richer, more connected, more human.
It’s not just about getting better grades or ticking a box. It’s about expanding your mind.
It’s about the way languages teach you to notice things: to listen carefully, to appreciate nuance, to ask questions, to see multiple perspectives.
It’s about how they make you more open, more curious, more willing to connect with ideas, with people, with the world.
I’ve seen students who thought they were “bad at languages” come alive when they realise they’re not just learning vocabulary; they’re unlocking a new way of thinking.
I’ve seen young people gain confidence, empathy, global awareness. I’ve seen their other subjects benefit too, not just in terms of content, but in how they approach learning itself.
Because once you know what it means to wrestle with a difficult sentence, to search for the right word, to be misunderstood and try again, you bring that resilience and creativity to everything you do.
More Than a School Subject
I sometimes wish we talked about languages differently in schools. Not as a separate subject, but as something that enhances every subject. Not just as a skill, but as a way of relating to the world.
Languages don’t just help you pass exams. They help you connect, collaborate and grow. They help you make sense of the past, imagine the future, and navigate the present with empathy and understanding.
They don’t just open doors. They open hearts and minds.
They’re not just a line on your timetable. They’re a thread that weaves through everything you learn and everything you become.
A Tool for Life
And that’s why I’ll always be grateful that I learned other languages. Not just because of the travel or the career options or the conversations (though those are wonderful too), but because they gave me a way of seeing the world that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Languages have made me a better learner. A better teacher. A better listener. A better human.
They are a tool for life, and one I will always be thankful to have added to my repertoire.
And if you’re thinking about learning one? Don’t wait. It doesn’t matter which one you start with. What matters is that you start.
Because once you do, you’ll begin to see the connections. You’ll begin to see the world – and yourself – in a whole new light.
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