The 21st century is the age of science, technology, and information. In today’s globalizing world, every individual must work on self-development, grow intellectually, and — most importantly — learn foreign languages.
But what exactly does language give us? Why should we learn a new language? Let’s explore the key reasons behind it.
Nowadays, millions of people are learning foreign languages — especially English, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. Take English, for example: mastering this one language allows you to communicate freely almost anywhere in the world, participate in international seminars, gain financial independence, and — in short — keep pace with the world. Today, most global news, scientific articles, and educational content are published primarily in English. Of course, translations may follow later — but what if too much time has passed by then?
By learning a language, you can increase your income and be among the first to access global updates. Foreign languages also open doors to international scholarships and admission to top universities around the world. Programs such as Erasmus+, DAAD, and El-Yurt Umidi are continually offering opportunities for those who have strong language skills. I believe these types of programs are essential for developing your network, making friends from different countries, and enhancing personal growth.
Furthermore, knowing a foreign language increases your employability. Every company values employees who can communicate across borders. Professions such as translation, journalism, diplomacy, tourism, and information technology are all closely tied to foreign languages. If we start learning multiple foreign languages today, we’ll never have trouble finding a job in the future.
Through foreign languages, a person gains a deeper understanding of other nations’ histories, traditions, arts, and lifestyles. This fosters tolerance, openness, respect, and intercultural communication. For instance, those who study Korean often become interested in Korean culture, films, music, and cuisine. Knowing a language is a way of showing respect for other peoples — and a path to better understanding your own culture as well.
Learning a language is not just about memorizing words; it’s a process that requires logical thinking, memory, persistence, and dedication. A person who studies a foreign language constantly works on self-improvement and enhances their intellectual capacity — which leads to overall personal growth. It also develops one’s speaking skills, listening comprehension, and analytical thinking.
In conclusion, learning foreign languages is one of the most pressing and important tasks for today’s youth. Every young person should plan their time wisely and aim to master at least one foreign language. Because language is the key to knowledge, the door to opportunity, and the path to progress.
Don’t get tired of learning languages. Keep going.
Zinnura Yo’ldoshaliyeva was born on June 17, 2011, in Rishton district, Fergana region. She is an 8th-grade student at the specialized school of Rishton district and serves as the leader of the “Talent” direction within the Rishton District Leaders’ Council.
She has actively participated in numerous projects, including:
“Anim Camp”,
“Future Founders Online Forum”,
“Young Readers”,
“STEM Regional Stage”, and others.
Her scientific article was published in the book “Emotions on Paper”, and she continues to be actively involved in various initiatives. Currently, she is studying English and Korean languages.
Lonely at the Top
I climbed to the top of the world.
The Statue of Liberty has secret stairs.
They go right up to the torch
and narrow as you go.
Only one person can touch the torch
and see the paint-brush truth of its distant splendor.
At the top,
there is nowhere else to go.
A child might climb on the torch itself.
The adult sees only danger;
where the steps end so do I.
Carefully, I turn around,
Survey all beneath me:
the island and harbor,
the tiny people and Fisher-Price buildings,
Like the toys I had when I was small:
I am their God.
But what can a God do but stare
and be stared at with moribund reverence?
I am above it all.
When I was a child,
I could touch my toys,
move them around.
I can do so no longer,
nor can I swim in the harbor
or walk the land,
so I look up.
The twinkling lights,
New worlds to dominate,
transform, the last chance
for a god to matter.
I must come down
backwards, the way I came,
careful not to trample or be trampled
by those I have passed along the way.
What Standing Up to Tyranny Looks Like
Crowded beach.
Party for all.
Group of hooligans crash
with big guns and armbands.
They laugh loud and announce
they will shoot their guns over the sea,
disrupt the quiet, peaceful brunch
with their monotone supremacy.
Our general jogs over,
with no uniform or rank,
just a sleeveless jacket
and quiet, personal energy
to tell them they are welcome,
but their threats are not.
He cannot arrest them, they know,
or force them to leave.
Alone, he tries to keep the peace
with young men who desire to end it.
He jogs off, getting in the last word,
for all that words matter.
The hooligans proceed to fire
their munitions, pollute
the air and sea
and laugh and laugh.
If a Certain Politician Has His Way
The loss of income
and transportation
is not as bad
as the loss of purpose.
That’s why I’m excited
when the library accepts
my offer to volunteer.
They tell me to come in on Monday
to fill out the paperwork.
Then on Tuesday a van
will escort me to the job site
to see how things work out.
I can’t wait to dive in,
to stack books or paint walls,
whatever they ask of me.
I go in a few days early
to check the place out
and park my bike in the hall
as there are no bike stands outside,
an antiquated convenience
no longer needed in a nation
of super rich and unseen poor.
I stroll into the lobby
and ask a librarian
if I can leave my bike where it is.
She goes with me and sees
the bike is quite large—an obstruction,
she labels it, even though the hallway
is wide. She assists me,
as librarians do, in finding
a more suitable location
in a building undesigned
for the likes of me.
Solidarity
Lunch in these perilous times
is risky. Still we meet,
hash our plans in silent rebellion
over broth and cheap tea,
the three of us with nothing in common
but our vision.
The overlords catch on.
They choose to punish me, the traitor
to their class. They grab my body
with their invisible force and raise me
toward their searing white light.
A pair of hands grab my leg.
Tentacles envelop the other.
My co-conspirators reveal themselves,
refusing to let me go,
refusing to obey,
suspending me in the air.
The overlords, not known for giving up,
relinquish their light. I fall to the café floor.
An unseen voice tells us we will pay.
We know. We already have paid
with a thousand percent interest.
Greg Gildersleeve lives in the Kansas City area where he teaches college courses in composition, technical writing, and creative writing. He authored two Young Adult novels, The Power Club (2017) and The Secret Club (2020), and a novella, False Alarm (2015). His work has appeared in newsletters The Teaching Professor and Faculty Focus. He won the Publication Award of Johnson County Community College, Overland Park KS.
The rainbow, in the gray. Just outside my grandmother’s house, a double rainbow formed. A little glimpse of color, nothing artificial. The first blossom of an idea.
2
A soft blanket, a touch of home when I was away. Carrying the promise of a quiet, dark room, and a time to dream. Fall into another world.
3
The library. A palace of stories. Unwavering bliss in the embrace of a book.
4
Graphite and crayons sculpting a gateway to another realm, limited only by hands and imagination. The mind moving fingers across paper, no finish line in sight.
5
Little alphabets that hang on walls, begging to be admired. Offering escape, if you can understand. Messages that few could read, but the code was clear to me.
6
Aisles of stories, too many to pick. The bag on my shoulder too heavy for a child, continually filled. Wanting for more of the neverending piles of possibility.
7
A light purple chair with white polka dots offered rest. Space to run to the worlds carried in my hands. A million truths beneath manicured covers.
8
Sharpies that wrote my name across my books. Something that I owned. Something that was mine. Claiming it. Staking the territory that I had worked so hard to earn.
9
The American Flag, a chance to be seen. To share my words. To show who I am. The moment that I realized I would need to work harder. The insignificant moment to my classmates, a defining one to me.
10
My stories that never left. Reshaped and revitalized, again and again. Following me through my journey. Seeing what I’ve become now, versus what I was then. Me.
Reagan Shin is a writer and rising senior attending high school in Virginia. She is currently assembling her portfolio for university and enjoys writing prose and short fiction in quiet corners of libraries and cafés.
Paul Tristram is a widely published Welsh writer. He yearns to tattoo porcelain bridesmaids instead of digging empty graves for innocence at midnight, this too may pass, yet. His novel “Crazy Like Emotion”, collection of shorter fiction “Kicking Back Drunk ‘Round The Candletree Graves”, and full-length poetry collections “The Dark Side Of British Poetry: Book 1 of Urban, Cinematic, Degeneration”, “It Is Big And It Is Clever: Book 1 of A Punk Rock Hostile Takeover” and “South Wales Outlaw: Book 2 of A Punk Rock Hostile Takeover” are all available by Close To The Bone Publishing.
