Why do you learn a foreign language?

This is the kind of question I have been asked a lot and the one question I despise the most. People assume that learning a language other than English is a waste of time and energy because the majority of them think that with English alone you can communicate with practically everyone in the world. This is partly true, but let us not forget the vast number of people in other parts of the world who love and are proud of their language that they prefer to speak in their own native language than in English. For them a native language is an identity, a heirloom passed down from their forefathers whose history goes back centuries. They want to preserve it by using the language in their daily life so that they will also be able to pass it down to many generation to come. So it is not unusual for most of them to be in awe with your effort wanting to try to say few phrases in the language that is close to their heart, the same thing can be said with us when we meet a foreigner and he or she tries to say a few words in Indonesian with an almost correct grammar and good pronunciation. Who wouldn't be surprised and happy to see a foreign national speaking our language? right? because I know I would. 

In addition to that, Learning a foreign language opens the doors to all sort of opportunity, think about the possibility of watching movies or listening to songs in their original language without having to stare down at the boring subtitles, think about how many friends you will make during your lifetime or think about the chance of understanding the cultures of the people whose language you learn. What you will gain by learning a foreign language other than English will be highly rewarding and your short life in this world will be more colorful. So the next time you are tempted to ask “why do you learn x language?” to someone else, please ask yourself first “why do I learn English in the first place?’