i want to learn another language... but, which one is more useful around the world?

Answer 1

Spanish
If you want I can help you with it

Answer 2

The five most widely spoken languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are:

1) Chinese
2) English
3) Spanish
4) Hindi/Urdu
5) Arabic

Since you already seem to have at least some English, the next easier language to learn would be Spanish, and that would also be the most useful language in the United States.

Chinese isn't that horrible to learn, in terms of speaking/listening. But reading is extremely difficult, since you simply have to learn all those individual ideograms.

Arabic is difficult all around. You could spend an entire year studying 6 hours a day, and you'd barely make a dent. Plus, which dialect do you learn - they're not all that mutually intelligible? Most schools will teach Modern Standard Arabic, which is great if you want to watch Al-Jazeera or read Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, but useless if you want to order lunch in Morocco.

Of course, any of those difficult languages would earn you more money working for the government - we have an absolute scarcity of folks who speak the tougher languages.

From a business perspective, anything would be useful, but I'd probably prioritize it kinda like the list: Chinese, Hindi, Arabic.

French'll get you pretty far, as well, since many educated people around the world learn some French. Many parts of the Middle East and Africa are still French-speaking.

Answer 3

CHINESE, definitely. What use would you have with another language such as French, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish etc? I know many people are saying Spanish is useful, but what use is it ouside of the US? Mexico certainly does not have the golden oppurtunites China is offering/will offer. Even within the US, can you really get a good job if your co-workers can only speak Spanish but not English? If somebody is going to immigrate to the US, it should be their job to learn English, not for Americans to learn their language.

With China as the next worldpower (most likely before 2045) , it is the language that really could be very useful for business, and travel. (China has over 5000 years of history! Think of everything you could see, compared to, maybe the US, with only 200 years!) It's economy is the fastest in the world, with a GDP of 9%. Over 1/4 of the world speaks Chinese. A person proficient in two languages, especially Chinese and English, would have far more oppurtunities globally than a person with a Harvard degree.

Although it might not be entirely visible now, but China holds wonderful oppurtunities in the future. So, stand on the shoulders of giants and look out further: Chinese is the next new thing.

Answer 4

Depends upon your aims. English is now the language of business and diplomacy whereas it was French once upon a time. German is good as they travel much so you can always find someone who speaks it. Plus for an english speaker it's not to hard to pick up. Spanish is obvious but has limited uses when traveling.... hate to say it but Spanish speakers are viewed as the rednecks of the world. if you really want to make an effort and learn something with real value Arabic or Chinese is the way to go but they are super tough. So start with any romance language(latin based) and the rest will make sense.

Answer 5

Mastery of English is a must no matter where you go in the world. It is the international language. A lot of English words are similar in sound and meaning to the languages of Europe as they are all Latin based. As far as a second language. Spanish is quickly becoming a second language in the U.S. It is also spoken in Mexico, most of South America, The Caribbean islands, and a smattering of Europe. French is spoken in Canada, Louisiana, some Caribbean islands, and of course, a smattering of European and other countries. So if you plan to spend most of your time in or around the U.S. I would suggest Spanish. If you plan to travel abroad try French. If you want to impress someone try Chinese or Japanese. Still can't decide? Flip a coin. You'll know the answer while the coin is still in the air.

Answer 6

After weighing six factors (number of primary speakers, number of secondary speakers, number and population of countries where used, number of major fields using the language internationally, economic power of countries using the languages, and socio-literary prestige), Weber compiled the following list of the world's ten most influential languages:

1. English
2. French
3. Spanish
4. Russian
5. Arabic
6. Chinese
7. German
8. Japanese
9. Portuguese
10. Hindi/Urdu

(I would add here that if you live in Europe or you're planning to go there, French should be you're choice. If you're in the US and you're planning to stay there, you should pick Spanish.)

Check the link for a detailed explanation...

Answer 7

I believe Spanish is the upcoming language to learn...spoken in many parts of the US today (moreso than French) and the world. It's also a beautiful language!

Answer 8

Spanish

Answer 9

Spanish

Answer 10

Here's a listing of the ten most popular languages spoken worldwide, along with the estimated number of primary or first language speakers for that language.
1. Mandarin Chinese - 882,475,389
2. Spanish - 325,529,636
3. English - 311,992,760
4. Hindi - 181,780,905
5. Portuguese - 178,557,840
6. Bengali - 172,756,322
7. Russian - 146,327,183
8. Japanese - 128,278,015
9. German - 96,047,358
10. Wu Chinese - 77,998,190

Answer 11

Depends where you live, I live about 60 miles from Mexico, so knowing Spanish is a big help. So if you live in say, Canada, but don't know French, learn French.

French is also the international business language.