Why did you choose to study for a PhD in Modern Languages?
One of the reasons I chose this course was that it would enable me to further develop my research, writing, and critical thinking skills. As a research student you really do use these skills every day and, as well as being extremely valuable in their own right, these skills will be invaluable in my future career. Speaking of careers, I chose to undertake a PhD because I intend to work in the education sector post-PhD. Whichever route I take in this sector, my experiences and the knowledge I gain as a PhD student will (hopefully!) be of great value in the workplace.
However, the biggest motivator behind my choice was the opportunity to contribute something new to my academic field. Nobody is going to reinvent the wheel, but studying for a research degree gives you opportunities to share your own original findings with researchers from around the world. Every conference paper or presentation takes our collective knowledge another step further, and that prospect was extremely enticing for me.