“More is better than less.” Then, being bilingual and speaking two languages would be better than being monolingual. Yet, there are people would rather be monolingual because they think a second language would be an interference, cognitively hindering our academic performance. They say having two active language systems is not beneficial. However, this is not always the case in reality and it should not be the reason people go against bilingualism.

In “Bilinguals’ twisted tongues: Frequency lag or interference,” studies claim that bilinguals show linguistics processing disadvantages and reduced verbal fluency. Meanwhile, in “Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Bilingual,” it is mentioned that general weaker verbal skills and more “tip of tongue” moments are the costs for speaking two languages. Both articles argue it is not advantageous to have two active language systems running because they interfere with each other and cause internal conflicts.

Indeed, it is common to see bilinguals having harder times to retrieve words from memory and explain this “tip of tongue” condition by saying the two language systems interfere with each other. Also, it would be reasonable to say bilinguals need more time to “translate” in their mind and so they are less verbally fluent. However, that is not the whole story. The truth is, the above “disadvantages” are solely limited to the low proficiency bilingual group. 

It is true that bilinguals have two active language systems running all the time, even when they are only speaking one language, so if you ask, would one language system interfere with another? The answer is yes. In my experience, there were times I think a Chinese term would better express my thoughts when I speak English. This is when my “Chinese mind” interferes with my “English mind.” Once I have that Chinese term in my mind, I would start matching it with English words. I would either, find the compatible English word after a series of matching and end up being “less verbally fluent” because matching cost time, or fail to find the word and have “tip of tongue” moments. 

Although interference does occur between two language systems, it can be reduced or even eliminated with sufficient practice. “Tip of tongue” moments and weaker verbal skills are less likely to happen as bilingual proficiency goes up. This is because the skills of inhibiting the other language have improved with adequate practices.

In The New York Times “ Why Bilinguals Are Smarter,” it is claimed that the obstruction of another language is not that bad because it forces our brain to resolve internal conflicts, which happens to strengthen our cognitive muscle. I believe just like any kind of muscle training, the more we use the muscle, the stronger it would be. High proficiency bilinguals, who have had a lot of practice, would be good in inhibiting the other language when speaking one language and do not encounter linguistic processing difficulties significantly enough to be considered as having disadvantages.

In other words, the statement of “having more ‘tip of tongue’ moments and weaker verbal skills” are only applicable for a subset of the bilingual group, the low proficiency bilingual group. Therefore, language interference should not be the reason people go against bilingualism because it can be eliminated by practicing.

Subsequently, people should not be concerned by the cognitive hindrance from bilingualism on academic performance. As a matter of fact, switching between the two language systems boosts our brain and makes us perform better. As suggested in “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter,” being bilingual results in better executive functioning, which means better “management system of brain.”

Due to the constant brain exercises from switching languages, bilinguals have stronger cognitive muscles for executive function, and so will be quicker in planning, organizing, managing time, paying attention and more. These improvements will help us perform well in every field, including academics. One example would be the exams. With better time management and improved attention span, it is likely that we score higher in exams. Thus, people should not resist bilingualism in regard to academic performance.

In conclusion, being bilingual and having two active language systems benefit us more than hurt us. Even though language interference is a potential drawback, it could be overcome and even bring us benefits like executive function and academic performance improvements.