Learning an extra language apart from ones mother tongue is always considered as an advantage. But, there is an existing debate on the purpose of learning a language. Some people think that it is to either travel or for occupation purposes while others disagree.
On the one hand, it is evident that most people invest their efforts to acquire a new language based on their necessity. In major cases, it is either to visit a new place or to gain better opportunities in their career. Being able to converse in an additional language adds an advantage to the profile of an individual. It improves their confidence to interact with people in a new place. For instance, a huge difference can be seen in the behaviour of an individual who knows a local language and a person who does know it. The latter is always hesitant to communicate his/her thoughts to others in a new place without the local linguistic knowledge.
On the other hand, there are some people who learn languages for various other reasons apart from the above. Some people have a natural interest in exploring new languages while some it might be a hobby. But, when a language is oriented towards a specific goal, then the language is learnt faster than usual. That is, the goal motivates the learner to accomplish the task faster.
Therefore, the reasons for learning new languages depends on the individual and the region they live in. Either a person is in need of a specific language skill or it is out of the interest of the person. Thus, various external and internal factors contribute to the learning of new languages by people.