Hey, Americans - you need to start learning foreign languages.
why? At this point - if you are staying in the US you need to have access to not just American news sources, ideally in a language that is not a primary concern of local censors. If you are leaving the US, you will have an easier time adjusting to a new environment by speaking with people in their native language. And while thanks to colonialism there are plenty of english speaking countries, you are limiting the places you can go if you are not able to communicate in another language other than English. Another aspect is your potential access to a different citizenship. Naturalisation may require knowing the language of the country you want to live in on a higher level. Fluency is not easily achieved and most people require years of practice. If you start now, there is a good chance you can do it. But if you never start, you never will. At last, if you are learning languages you will gain not just practical abilities and access. Learning languages requires learning about other cultures and norms other than your own. It can be an act of solidarity and deconstruction hegemony. It also requires emotional growth by learning how to deal with frustration over not learning as fast as expected and rediscovering your confidence in a different language. It will help you as a person.
I am aware that i sound like a duolingo advertisement. But you have everything to gain if you start today. not having options and being forced to stay where you are and rely on the limited sources that you have now, makes you extremely vulnerable. Do the linguistic education equivalent of tiktok users switching to xiaohongshu/Red note and give yourself the power to choose where you can be and what you can learn by picking up a language.
