> social aspects of learning another language

Maybe if you are near the native speaking country, or potentially if there are significant numbers of immigrants.

But knowing Spanish adds nothing social within New Zealand.

I had a Spanish girlfriend when 30, which made learning Spanish rather incentivised, and I embedded overseas for many months to learn conversational Spanish.

However I rarely hang out with South American immigrants in New Zealand, and those I have met (say at the pub) often prefer to stick with English.

Knowing Spanish is fantastic when travelling - the months spent learning have led to way more enjoyment when subsequently travelling to South America or visiting friends in Spain. Spanish also helps a little in France, Italy, Portugal and Brazil.

I intend to spend a few months in South Korea so maybe I'll try and learn Korean (without a girlfriend). However I'm now older so I suspect it will be much much harder.