El profesor Leslie W. Winstch, director de London School, nos envía unas reflexiones sobre la importancia del aprendizaje de idiomas.

PLEASE, ANSWER TRUE OR FALSE:

1. New born babies can absorb languages easily (Los bebés recién nacidos pueden asimilar mejor los idiomas).

We have all heard babies described as ''sponges'' for learning languages. However, if the babies are exposed to a second language, they are able to distinguish those foreign sounds.

2. Learning more than one language helps a child develop other types of skills (Aprender más de un idioma ayuda a los niños a desarrollar otro tipo de habilidades).

A number of research studies on language learning in children have shown that those who have learned a second language at a young age demonstrate cognitive advantages, such as increased problem-solving skills and creativity. Children of this age are also better at mimicking new sounds and adopting pronunciation than are older learners.

3. Children older than 5 can develop a brilliant accent (Los niños mayores de 5 años, pueden desarrollar un acento excelente).

Between the ages of 7 and 8, children can learn to speak a second language with fluent grammar and without a Spanish accent.

4. Learning a foreign language can help students in other subjects besides English, such as Mathematics (Aprender una lengua extranjera puede ayudar a alumnos en otras disciplinas aparte del inglés, como las matemáticas).

Studies of tens of thousands of high school students have found that students who have studied foreign languages perform better in their on the University Test for English and Mathematics. Additional studies have found that SAT-verbal scores improve with the length of time students have studied the foreign language. So if you want your child to score high in those tests, encourage them to learn a foreign language.

5. As one gets older, learning a language becomes more difficult (Cuánto más envejecemos, más difícil se hace aprender un idioma).

They concluded that the ability to learn a new language, at least grammatically, is strongest until the age of 18 after which there is a decline. To become completely fluent, however, learning should start before the age of 10.

6. If you speak a foreign language, it is easier to learn another one (Si hablas una lengua extranjera, es más fácil aprender otra).

Once you''ve learned a foreign language, it gets easier to learn others. So if you want your children to master a foreign language, starting as young as possible makes it easier.

7. It takes up to 5 years to become completely fluent in a language (Para tener fluidez en un idioma, se puede tardar hasta 5 años).

The Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) at Standford research indicates that it takes between 480 to 720 hours to reach basic fluency in a language.

All answers are right!

So what are you waiting for? Give your child a multilingual education now!

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