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EspañolNowadays, speaking more than one language has become more important than ever. In today’s globalized world it’s hard to imagine to not speak or study at least one or more languages, but which are the most useful languages to learn, and how do we choose them?
We will provide you with some interesting information on how to choose what language you want to learn and with a list of 5 of the most useful languages to learn nowadays.
Content
Hide- 1.How do I choose what language to learn?
- 1.1.Usefulness for business
- 1.2.Usefulness for travelling
- 1.3.Learning ease
- 2.5 most important languages to learn
- 2.1.English
- 2.2.Chinese (mandarin)
- 2.3.Spanish
- 2.4.Arabic (standard)
- 2.5.German
- 3.Other useful languages you should consider learning
- 3.1.Italian
- 3.2.French
- 3.3.Russian
- 3.4.Portuguese
How do I choose what language to learn?
It might seem impossible, but it has been estimated that roughly 6700 different languages are spoken in today’s world. Most of them are being kept alive by small groups of people. Choosing what language to learn might be more difficult than it appeared to be.
Learning a foreign language takes time and effort. There are several factors you might want to consider when making this important choice: the number of speakers, the opportunities that they offer, the economic strength of the country (or countries) where they’re spoken, the geographical spread, the learning ease etc. Which one of these factors is the most relevant for you? Where do you need the language for? Are you going to speak it regularly? Let’s dive in and take a look at some important things to keep in mind while choosing a foreign language to learn.
Usefulness for business
If you want to learn a new language that is more than just a hobby, you might want to take this criterion into consideration. Speaking the local language will help facilitate communication and business endeavors by better understanding the local market and how to connect with people. Some languages are spoken more than others and thus more appreciated by employers if you can speak it, hence, they will allow you to expand your career opportunities.
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Usefulness for travelling
As long as we live in our home country, we could never learn a second language as good as if you were there. However, if you want to travel abroad learning the local language of your top travel destinations can really transform your travel experience. Speaking the local languages makes your trip more authentic and can help you in facilitating the birth of new friendships with the locals. Some languages are more widespread than others, meaning that they’re spoken in several countries. These languages would allow you to travel to more than one country and get into contact with the locals.
Learning ease
There are so many languages to learn, surely some of them will be easier to learn than others. The level of easiness may depend on your native language because some languages belong to the same “family” and have a similar structure. However, some languages do have easier grammar, sounds and general structure and require fewer hours to acquire fluency. You might want to keep this in mind when you want to learn a new language as a hobby.
5 most important languages to learn
1. English
The first language on our list had to be English. With 1.3 billion speakers in 2021, it is the world’s most spoken language: it is used for international and global business, worldwide travel, internet and computer technology, international politics and diplomatic affairs and more. It is also the official language of various countries that are at the top of the global economy.
Learning English is always a good idea because it opens a lot of doors, and it allows us to communicate almost anywhere in the world. Besides, you will be able to understand lots of content that is normally written in English, as it is the universal language.
- Usefulness for business: 5/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 5/5
- Learning ease: 4/5
- General evaluation: 5/5
2. Chinese (mandarin)
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 1.1 billion people all around the globe. It is the second most spoken language after English, but the first in terms of the number of native speakers (more than 900 million). China is currently one of the strongest global powers and its importance keeps growing: in 2020 it was the only major economy to grow.
Even though Chinese is not as geographically widespread as other important languages, it’s still a very useful language to learn. China is expected to overtake the US as the leading global economy within just a few years. Studying Mandarin Chinese can help you stand out from the pack and make yourself essential from a business point of view.
- Usefulness for business: 4/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 2.5/5
- Learning ease: 1/5
- General evaluation: 2.5/5
3. Spanish
Spanish is a language that can bring you to many places. It’s spoken by 540 million people around the world, making it the third most spoken language. It’s also one of the most widespread languages of the world. Most of its speakers are located in Central and South America, but Spanish is also one of the unofficial second languages of the US (it’s spoken by 13% of the American population).
Learning Spanish will allow you to visit a large part of the world. As the third most used language of the web, speaking it will provide you with a lot of new online content. Spanish might also come in handy when searching for a job, since it is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
- Usefulness for business: 3/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 4.5/5
- Learning ease: 4/5
- General evaluation: 4/5
4. Arabic (standard)
There are 270 million people in the world who speak standard Arabic, and it’s the fourth most spoken language in the world. It’s also the official language of the Arab League and the language of the entire Muslim civilization. The Middle East – the area where most of its speakers are concentrated – is growing rapidly from an economic point of view.
Arabic is a good language to learn due to the growing importance of the Middle East in international affairs. In the Western world there’s an increasing demand for Arabic speakers, while the supply is low. Speaking Arabic can be very useful both from a job perspective point of view and to communicate with many other Arabic speakers.
- Usefulness for business: 3/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 3/5
- Learning ease: 1/5
- General evaluation: 2/5
5. German
Even though there aren't as many German speakers as the other languages in this list (they are 135 million), German is a very useful language to learn. Germany is – and has been for decades – Europe’s most dominant economy. It is also one of the three procedural languages of the EU. German is, in fact, an important language to learn for business and diplomacy, especially when dealing with the European economy.
Learning German is a very useful investment for job seekers: it opens the doors to Germany and its many working opportunities, that otherwise would be hard to access.
- Usefulness for business: 4/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 2/5
- Learning ease: 2.5/5
- General evaluation: 3/5
Other useful languages you should consider learning
There are, however, other languages that could be taken into consideration. As we previously stated, the reasons behind the choice of a second language can differ for each individual.
Italian
Studying Italian would be interesting because of Italy’s rich cultural, and artistic and historical heritage. Italian is the third most studied language in the world.
- Usefulness for business: 1/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 2.5/5
- Learning ease: 3/5
- General evaluation: 2/5
French
Studying French – the so-called “language of love” – would be studying a language that, for centuries, has been very prominent and important for diplomacy. French is the fourth most studied language in the world.
- Usefulness for business: 2/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 2.5/5
- Learning ease: 3/5
- General evaluation: 2.5/5
Russian
Russian is a very influential language in many Eastern European countries. It's a useful language to learn regarding European business.
- Usefulness for business: 3/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 1/5
- Learning ease: 2/5
- General evaluation: 3/5
Portuguese
Portuguese is spoken all over the world, and it’s the official language of an important economic emerging power such as Brazil.
- Usefulness for business: 2/5
- Usefulness for travelling: 2.5/5
- Learning ease: 3/5
- General evaluation: 3/5
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