问答题 Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual it turns out makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain improving other skills not related to language. This view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century. Researchers educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interference that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development. But this interference researchers are finding out isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict giving the mind a workout that strengthens its ability of knowledge acquisition. The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life.