Should I Learn Polish?
When you’re learning a second language, you’re spending your time and energy on it. So, you need to be absolutely sure you want to study that language. If you’re on the fence with Polish, we can’t blame you. It’s not the more popular foreign language to learn. But, Polish has a lot of strengths nobody talks about. Here are 10 reasons why you should learn Polish and improve your life with it.
1. Learn Polish to Speak to 40 Million People
Yes, a lot of people speak this language. Polish is the official language of Poland. Since there are 38 million people living in Poland today, you’ll surely find a lot of people to talk to. But, they also speak Polish outside of Poland. Hundreds of thousands of people speak Polish in Germany (867,000), Russia (67,400), the UK (660,000), France (275,288), and even the United States (580,153).
So, overall, there are even more than 40 million Polish speakers worldwide.
2. Access Other Slavic Languages with Polish
Polish is a Slavic language. This means, that learning other Slavic languages after learning Polish will be a breeze. Thanks to the similar sounds, sentence structures, grammatical rules, and cognates, you’ll definitely have a head start. You can learn Czech, Slovakian, Serbian, and even Russian much more easily after Polish.
Polish is actually the third largest Slavic language in the world. After Russian and Ukrainian, it’s definitely the most popular.
3. Learning Polish is Easy
You may wonder, why learn Polish first if you can just learn Russian? Well, Polish is much easier to learn. It uses the same Latin letters as English, unlike Russian’s Cyrillic alphabet. The pronunciation of Polish also becomes easier thanks to this.
A lot of people may think that Polish will take a long time to learn. But, don’t overestimate the difficulty or the time it takes to learn Polish. According to the US Foreign Service Institute, you can learn Polish in just 44 weeks or 1100 hours. But, with the best learning methods, you can reach Polish fluency faster than this.
4. Connect with Half a Million Americans
You may have noticed in the list above that there are 580,153 Polish speakers in the United States. These are usually people with Polish ancestry or people who immigrated from Poland. But, surely, there are also a lot of people you just want to learn Polish as a second language.
If you speak Polish, you can join this massive group in the United States. Polish communities usually stick together. You can find Polish food shops, and listen to Polish radio stations in the United States. Unlock opportunities to enrich your life in a new community close to home.
5. Speaking Polish Gets You Better Career Opportunities
Did you know that bilingual employees earn more? Studies have shown that people who speak more than one language earn 5-20% more than monolinguals. That’s because bilingual employees are more valuable to a company. They can nurture international business relations, and add intellectual value to the workplace. Earning more money is definitely a respectable reason to learn Polish.
6. Learn Polish to Stand Out
So, if you can earn more at your job with Polish, why shouldn’t you focus on a popular language like Spanish or French? Well, a lot of people think that. So, a lot of people learn these languages. If you do too, you’ll be one of the crowd. If everybody speaks French, nobody’s special.
But, if you learn Polish, you’ll definitely stand out. You’ll be a singular, unique, and powerful asset.
7. Study Abroad in Poland
If you ever had dreams to study abroad in Europe, Poland is a great country to do that. Not to mention how great Polish higher education can be. Jagiellonian University, University of Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz University, and the Gdansk University of Technology are the four best higher education institutions in Poland. Discovering Polish culture and getting a degree at the same time is a great reason to learn Polish.
8. Learn About Polish and Eastern European History
Learning Polish can give you insight into thousands of years worth of history in Poland and other Eastern European countries. From wars, peace treaties, inventions, and religions, the clash of history that happened is a fascinating study. You can really understand Polish history if you speak the language. It’s a great reason why a lot of people learn Polish.
9. Read Polish Literature
I bet you never thought about reading Polish literature. But, this often overlooked part of world literature offers incredible works. However, sadly, they’re often not translated. You have to speak Polish to truly understand the beauty and depth of Polish novels and poetry.
Authors such as Henryk Sienkiewicz, Czesław Miłosz, and Dorota Masłowska will enhance your literary understanding.
In 2018, Olga Tokarczuk received a Nobel Prize for Literature as well as the Man Booker International Prize for her novel “Flights”. This book was originally published in Polish under the title “Bieguni”. It’s certainly a great read if it received such prestigious awards.
10. Improve Your Mind with Polish
Bilingualism has physical benefits that you can enjoy. For example, speaking a second language trains your memory capability. Which gives you a better fighting chance against dementia and Alzheimer’s. It’s definitely worth learning Polish to reap these benefits.
But, learning Polish can also boost your mental health. Reaching fluency is a great sense of achievement. And the discipline you show when you’re learning can definitely motivate you to be more productive. If learning Polish can unlock these amazing benefits, imagine how many more reasons there are to learn a second language.
Why Not Give Polish a Go?
There are countless more reasons why learning Polish can benefit you. These can all serve as your motivation to keep studying. So, if you’re ready to get started on your Polish journey, why not learn it with OptiLingo?
OptiLingo is the most useful Polish app. It gives you the most common Polish words and phrases, so you can learn the language exactly as the locals speak it. This app also builds your Polish confidence. You’ll reach Polish fluency effectively with plenty of speaking practice through this app. Ensure your Polish success by downloading OptiLingo today!
