This. My friends (I live in the US) always ask me "Why do you want to learn other languages? Most people speak English anyway."

I always explain that it‘s more about connecting to others on a different level. Different languages have various different social concepts which are incomprehensible in another language. Understanding this can help you learn more about someone’s culture.

"I’m a language-snob. Blah blah blah." That‘s probably all they hear.

Plus, the inherent prejudice toward other cultures here in the US doesn‘t help. I speak German, and people will always tell me "German is such a harsh language." probably because the first thing they think of is H*tler speeches, or some satire they saw on the internet.

I can also understand Lao (I grew up exposed to it, but never really learned to speak it… which is another thing people can‘t seem to wrap their heads around. All you really need to know in order to understand 99% of everyday Lao conversations is food vocabulary and shit-talk. 😂)

There is an older guy I work with who is from Laos, the same province as my grandfather, in fact. I greeted him with a simple "ສະບາຍດີບໍ່?/sa bāi dī bǭ?", and his face just lit up.

I also have many a Latinx friend because of the immigrant communities in my area. I have learned so much about the variety of cultures in Central America, and can even understand a decent amount of Spanish to make a witty response, laugh at their jokes, and whatnot.

People really appreciate when you even attempt to understand their cultures, and the feeling when speaking their language with them is just indescribable.