Boardroom Talk: Keeping your brain in shape comes easy for the multilingual – ask Kevin de Bruyne

Having read The Guardian's lengthy profile on 31-year-old professional footballer Kevin de Bruyne, a small part of me was rooting for his Belgian team in the FIFA World Cup being contested in Qatar. But after losing to Morocco and failing to beat Croatia, De Bruyne and others in his nation's 'golden generation' failed to progress to the knockout stage.
 
One part of the piece which struck a chord was his answer to the writer's question why so many European footballers seem better educated than their British counterparts. De Bruyne's response was intuitive – but is also borne out by science. The brain, like any muscle, needs exercise. Fluency in more than one language helps keeps it fit.
 
As De Bruyne put it: "There are a lot of people from different (European) countries who speak two or three languages, where English players usually only speak English. I come from a country where by 13 you are studying Dutch, French and English." Plus, with languages comes wisdom and humility – an ability to put yourself in the shoes of others, a knowledge that your way is not the only way.
 
Zimbabwe is the world champion on this front with 16 official languages recognized at a national level. India has 18 at a regional level. South Africa's 11 official languages places us third. An interesting factoid. And yet another reminder to never underestimate the intelligence of those you meet. Especially in the Beloved Country.

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* This stock strategist says we'll see 5% inflation for the next decade. Director of global macro strategy at StoneX Financial, Vincent Deluard, is not convinced that inflation will decrease in the near future.

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