So you think you might want to learn a new language in 2023. Great news — we have a reason. And 22 more where that came from. Although it’s never too late (nor a bad time) to start learning a language, there’s something especially motivating about the potential contained inside a fresh yearly planner. There’s never been a better year (or more reasons) to get started. And when you’ve been thoroughly convinced, you can always get a jump start on 2023 with a special offer if you start today!

1. With apps, podcasts, games and more, language learning has never been this fun or accessible.
Babbel itself is no longer just an app that gives you coursework, but a full suite of language learning experiences that includes live online classes with real teachers, games, podcasts, videos and more.

2. More and more people are feeling ready to travel.
If you’re in the cohort of people who are looking forward to taking all the trips you put off in 2020, 2021 or 2022, there’s no time like the new year to start perfecting your latte order in another language.

3. Digital nomad visas are rapidly becoming a thing.
In 2023, people are increasingly mixing business with pleasure as remote work opens new possibilities to them. Forget study abroad — this could be your year of work abroad.

4. We’re overdue for family reunions. Reconnecting with your heritage is one way to get the ball rolling.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn an ancestral tongue to connect more with your heritage, imagine being able to greet your grandmother in her native language at this year’s reunion.

5. We’re eager to step out of our comfort zones, and a new language will surely challenge yours.
Blame the cabin fever maybe, but half of world travelers want to experience complete culture shock in 2023, and even more — 73 percent — are looking to push themselves beyond their comfort zones.

6. You’re probably ready to turn the subtitles off when you watch your favorite foreign-language shows.
There’s never been a better time to learn a language from your TV, and the added challenge of watching with the subtitles off might give you a big motivation boost that you won’t get from finishing your stack of flashcards.

7. Your brain will thank you for it.
Language learning has been shown to help you build more gray matter in your brain, which helps delay the onset of dementia and also boost your ability to multitask, focus and solve problems.

8. Language learning can literally make you happier.
It’ll help you build self-esteem and confidence, and learning new vocab activates the reward center of your brain.

9. It can make you a better person too.
Learning a new language can actually make you more empathetic, dissolve prejudices and boost your cultural competence. Working on a language is working on yourself.

10. Language learning will aid you in your own self-discovery.
A lot of people who study other languages say they can tap into entirely new dimensions of their personality in another language.

11. Embracing mistakes is good for you. Language learning helps you do that.
Believe it or not, language learning isn’t (or shouldn’t be, at least) about attaining perfect fluency. And when you overcome your fear of making mistakes, you overcome your fear of trying all sorts of new things.

12. A new language might just be your ticket to that career change you’ve been contemplating.
Knowing another language can give your resume (and salary) a much-needed boost, especially if you’re looking for work in a field that values foreign language skills.

13. A new language can open doors you didn’t even know were there.
Speaking another language opens you up to more connection with the world. Don’t be surprised if new pathways are revealed in the process.

14. You’ll have more books to read. And movies, and podcasts, and more.
Only 3 percent of books published in the United States are translations of books in other languages. If you want to read other-language literature, the best way is to learn to read the other language.

15. You’ll finally be able to order gnocchi the right way…
Start perusing food vocabulary now so you can impress at your next dinner date or trip abroad.

16. …and ask a local for their restaurant recommendations.
Learning the local language is a great way to avoid tourist traps and find out where the locals love to eat — not to mention befriend a few of them, too.

17. Google Translate isn’t good enough to replace language learning (yet).
While auto-translation devices might come in handy from time to time, actually knowing the language is still the best way to communicate with others.

18. You’ll understand more about the human experience.
It’s more common to be multilingual than monolingual, which means multilingualism is kind of the default human condition.

19. Single? Being bilingual makes you more attractive (and opens up your dating pool).
A survey Babbel conducted with EliteSingles found that 75 percent of people find it attractive when someone speaks more than one language. Nearly all (93 percent) of the respondents agreed that having language skills is more attractive than having a six-pack or an athletic build.

20. Committed? Language learning can be a good bonding activity.
If you’re dating someone who shares your interest in other languages, studying together — or being each other’s accountability buddies — is a good way to spend time together and keep each other motivated.

21. You can use it to replace your more destructive procrastination habits.
Using Babbel will stimulate the same physical reflexes that make you want to reach for your phone whenever you’re bored. By diverting that impulse into “opening up a language lesson,” you’ll build more productive habits and decondition yourself from more addictive scrolling tendencies.

22. It’ll give you a sense of accomplishment and agency in an unpredictable climate.
Making progress on your goals will help combat any helplessness or frustration you may be feeling, especially around things that are beyond your control.

23. It’ll help you build the resiliency and confidence to take on even bigger things in 2024.
If you can overcome your fear of saying something imperfectly in 2023, it’ll set you up to overcome even scarier feats in 2024. Language learning today, asking out your crush tomorrow.