I hope Hilal for Kids readers are eager to learn languages other than their mother tongue. In this digital and AI-dominant world, it is highly important to learn a foreign language. It is more important for the Alpha Generation born in the first half quarter of the 21st century. Isn’t it?  You know, when there was no language, man in the distant past had to use the language of signs and signals. Words were created much later. Now, it is impossible to survive without a language. It is the power of speech that makes us distinct from other species on the earth. Language shows us who we are, and how we can shorten distances with others by learning another language. Learning foreign language makes our interaction easier with other nations. 
Learning a language is a success in itself. There is a saying of Hazrat Ali (RA) that: “If you learn language of other country or community, you will be safe from its evil.” German philosopher Goethe says, “The one who hasn’t learnt language(s) other than the mother tongue is ignorant.  According to a recent report, there are 12 languages which are spoken and understood by a two third majority of the world population, which include five Asian languages. The Chinese language alone is spoken by a large majority, exactly 1.4 billion people. English is mostly used in offices while in Pakistan 8 percent people speak Urdu, and 48 percent speak Punjabi. Urdu and Hindi languages are spoken by 58.5 core people. In Asia 2301, and in Europe 286 languages are spoken.
A language always evolves and flourishes with the passage of time and under suitable environment. It is a way to explore culture, literature and history of other civilizations. The language of the Mughal era courts was Persian, which was replaced by Urdu in 1837. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, which unfortunately has not been given its due status. Supreme Court of Pakistan has given a verdict to make Urdu as the official language, yet much more has to be done for its complete implementation. It is because all the provinces have their own languages, like Punjabi is spoken in the Punjab province, likewise Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Seraiki, Hindko, Kashmiri, Gilgiti, Balti and other languages are spoken in their respective provinces or areas. It means Urdu as national language suffers much because of the different mother tongues of local population. National Institute of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad is working on it. NUML was established in 1970, which was later given the status of a university on May 29, 2000. NUML was meant to promote foreign languages. So, around 27 Eastern and European languages are being taught here. Therefore, it is important to learn one, or more than one, foreign language for the sake of seeking and enhancing knowledge. Children are fast learners, so learning a foreign language must start from the very early stage.