WHICH FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHOULD I LEARN? Please read.?

Question

I am going to try and learn a new language using the new award winning Rosette Stone software. Which language from the list below do you think I should learn and why? Which is the most sexiest, or do you speak a foreign language yourself and think that it has benefitted your life. My choices are:
Arabic
Latin
Chinese
Pashto
Polish
Danish
Portuguese
Dutch
Russain
Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish (Spain)
French
Farsi (Persian)
Swahiki
German
Swedish
Greek
Tagalog
Hebrew
Thai
Hindi
Turkish
Indonesian
Vietnamese
Italian
Welsh
Japanese
Korean

Please tell me which ONE you think I should learn and why? Thank you

I want to learn a new language because I don't want to be one of these people who are too lazy to learn a new language. And plus, if I get a job in a company where they have customers in France, for example, I could be within that department because of my skills.

Answer 1

I would first advise you on a language you should NOT learn: Latin! People don't speak Latin anymore and, even thoug it IS the root of many language, it will only help you learn other languages. If you're interested in linguistics and language theory, then go for it. Otherwise, I think it would be a waste of time.

I have nothing against Scandinavian countries or the Netherlands, but the thing is, pretty much everybody there speak at least proficient English (and they are probably fluent if they work in business). So, except if you really like their culture, I'd advise you not to study those. If you plan on going on holiday there, I'm sure people would be glad to hear a foreigner speak their own language. But if you learn a new language for business, then it's not necessary.

Italian is beautiful, but is only spoken in Italy (I think).

If you're American, the most obvious choice for you is Spanish. It's spoken all over South America and in Spain. And it's a beautiful language. Also, it's apparently not too difficult to learn it when you're American. A lot of conjugation, that's for sure, but not too many iregularities, and apparently not too difficult to pronounce for an English-speaker. What's more, you'd probably find a lot of learning material.

I'm French, so you're going to think I'm biased. However, if you work close to the Canadian border (East-coast), it can be helpful to get a job. Also, French is spoken as a first language in many countries, and in many other countries, people speak it alongside another language. Problem is, some people find French difficult because of the pronunciation. But I guess if you study it well, it's like any other language! So, learning French can be a good option, but it depends on the type of business you want to work for.

For instance, Chinese can be a good option (can't remember if it's Mandarin or Cantonese that's most widely spoken) as their economy is getting bigger and bigger. And I think that it would be a good idea to study it because the culture is very different, and when you learn another language, you have to learn about the cultural differences.

Same with Japan. It's also an asset because not that many people can speak it fluently, and the culture is very different. They have traditions that you need to know if you do business with - otherwise, it's considered rude.

As for arab, you'll need to find out which one is the most commonly used in the Middle East (I think it's Farsi, but I'm not sure), as there are a few different languages. But like Chinese and Japanese, it is a bit difficult to learn. However, this is once again that not that people can speak, so it's an asset if you can. Once again, it depends on the type of company you want to work for.

Russian is also a good option as a lot of countries speak Russian.

So, all in all, you need to find out which type of company you want to work for and which language is the most useful for you in your country (which language is not that widely spoken, maybe). And you need to have an interest in the culture of the country (countries) you want to study the language. Because remember that it's just as important to know how to speak as to know about the culture.

Answer 2

Chinese is a must learn because in the future it will take over English as the world's lingua franca.

But you mentioned that your company has customers in France. A good knowledge of French comes in VERY USEFUL if you're gonna have relations with Europe. I lived there so I know. If this is a priority, I suggest starting with that.

Here are some facts about languages:
Spanish is also useful because there are more Spanish speakers in the world than English speakers. German is the second most spoken language in Europe, so if you think you'll come across many German speakers it's also recommended. Understanding German will help you understand many other Germanic languages like Dutch, Swedish, and Danish. Learning Greek helps you improve your English vocabulary because many scholarly English words are derived from ancient Greek, the language from which modern Greek is derived. If you're interested in Southeast Asia, learn Indonesian because it's the biggest SE Asian country and the 4th most populous country in the world. If you know Indonesian you'll also be able to communicate with Malay speakers (Malaysians, Singaporeans, Bruneians) because they are mutually intelligible. In Australia, Indonesian is a standard elective at most schools.

Answer 3

Personally, I have never had any luck with Rosetta. Pimsleur is much better and has more language options. They get you fluent very quickly.

I have most of your options and then some in my Pimsleur library.

Really, the language you pick should depend on what your personal goals are. If you would like something that you can learn quickly French, Spanish, or Italian would be three of the easiest. If you want to learn something for business reasons, you should know what your business needs require, Chinese (Mandarin) or Japanese would be the best generally, but they are very difficult to learn. If you want to be a translator, Arabic and Farsi are the most in demand right now, but again they are also difficult to learn.

I'm currently learning Romanian for pleasure (I've always been drawn to the country) and I need to know Russian for the aerospace career I am planning for myself.

I hope that helps some.

Answer 4

Depends on your purpose. Sexiness: go with French or Spanish. Usefulness: in the US, go with Spanish; in the world, go with Chinese. For fun: go with Polish ;-). For pointlessness: go with Danish. Just about any European you have to talk to on holiday or on work will speak at least functional English (and many speak better than Americans or English people). In the UK some schools have started discouraging pupils from studying the traditional second languages of French and German in favour of Mandarin Chinese. BTW Cantonese Chinese (the commonest language of the Chinese emigrant) is now really yesterday's language.

Answer 5

Chinese is the most spoken but it's too difficult, I think you would leave it...

I would be between French, German or Spanish, this last of Spain, I think it's better spoken, and if you know it, you may understand and speak South American also... It depends on what you prefer too, the culture and so on, which may help you also...

I'm Spanish so my opinion it isn't impartial, maybe french may be difficult for the accent, but if you are decided you may learn anyone of them.

PS. Me, for instance, speak Spanish (native), French, English, and now I'm learning Romanian and I would like to learn German, but I think I'm lazy to start with it...

Answer 6

I would say that you learn Spanish because it is widely used.

If your planning to study German, forget it. It's not going to be useful, you'd rather learn french. Besides there are only a few German speakers.

If your going into Asian language, I would suggest that you learn Japanese, because it would be useful when you enter the corporate world. Just observe, most of the succeful business firms today are Japanese: Sony, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Fujitsu, and many more Game Developers. Choose japanese rather than Chinese, Although there are more chinese speakers but it's not that worth it and competitive compared to japanese.

Answer 7

Spanish is a must here in the Us, if you want to work overseas in Europe, French and German are important. For fun, Hebrew is a great language to learn. If you want to work in clandestine CIA type work, Russian, korean and Farsi or Arabic are essential languages. Chinese and Japanese are also important in the technological world, esp if ur a business travel in and out of tokyo etc.

Answer 8

Spanish is a useful language in business with so many Spanish speakers worldwide. French is a dying language.

Answer 9

Forget about which one is sexiest. Choose the one that will help you out the most in the future. Chinese is quickly becomming a world leader in languages. It will help you with any job prospect.

Answer 10

Well i live in Australia and most people don't or cant speak English i would say that English would come in handy as its a foreign language here in OZ