First of all, I enjoy to read books in the original language. It is so much better to be face to face (or face to book) with the author rather than having a third person (the interpreter) getting into the conversation.
Of course, I am not able to speak every single language, so I do have to read translations from time to time, especially if I want more direct knowledge about certain cultures and countries. Again, it is positive to know more than one language. First of all, I can choose the language that is closest to the original one, e.g. French for a Spanish book or German for a Scandinavian one. But there is another huge advantage if you can read more than just English. A lot of foreign books never get translated into English, or only decades after it has been available in many of the smaller languages. I have read many great books by non-English authors that I would not have been able to read if I had only spoken English.
I don't know why that is. I guess there are already enough English books around, so there is no need to translate more into English. But it's a pity because whoever reads English only, loses out.
That's why I am glad that I can read in more than one language.
Having said that, I am extremely grateful to have been given the chance to learn quite a few foreign languages.
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