Can someone help me with what language to take?

Question

I have been accepted into University to four courses. They are from the same Uni, but I enjoy all four languages, therefore don't know which one to accept!
The courses are -
German and Polish
German and Czech
German and Italian
German and Russian

I live in Scotland, and I already speak a lot of German, however the other four would be from scratch.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I learned 5 foreign languages. Some of them I had to take in school and some I have chosen to study myself. It is definitely easier to learn the language you are excited about. In my case that was French and Chinese. Choose the language of a culture you are interested in. You can't learn the language well without understanding the cultural niuances.
Please remember that once you learn 1 language it is much easier to learn another. It is also easier to learn the languge that is similar to your native tongue. In your case that would be Italian. It is very good that you are already advanced in German, it's hard to start learning 2 languages from scratch at the same time.
One of my teachers gave me a golden rule for learning foreign languages: you have to learn at least 1 international language and 1 language of your neighbor. Since you already speak English you have that covered . I would advise French or Spanish , but once you learn Italian you will have really good foundation for learning them later.
Please do not forget that Polish and Czech are spoken only by those 2 nations. I am Polish myself and I can tell you that these 2 are very difficult to learn because of their complex grammar and weird pronaunciation :).
Russian is obviously important and fun because it has a different alphabet than you are used to. The main question you should ask yourself though is if you will ever use it in your life or career? I had to take German for school and I enjoyed it but I haven't had a chance to use it in the last 10 years. On the other hand I hated English when I was in high school and I never thought I would use it. My life took me overseas though and I've lived in the US for the last 7 years, speaking nothing but English.
The last thing to remember is that you can't go wrong! Learning a foreign language opens up your mind, improves your memory and gives you great skills for the marketplace. Best of luck to you!!! Let me know what you decided.

Answer 2

I'm a bit partial to Russian, myself, since I am studying it. I'm taking a first year Czech through Russian course, so I have to say that I do see a lot of similarities between the two. The professor, though, does point out quite a few similarities [in vocabulary] with German.
It can also be fun to use the Cyrillic alphabet [which for me was more a psychological hurdle than anything else]. Since it is a less commonly taught language [as are Czech and Polish], not many people can read Cyrillic, which can help keep things private.
Russian is also spoken by a greater number people than Polish or Czech; I cannot speak for Italian.
From my limited experience, the Czech case ending options per case have a lot more choices [more ending and rules to memorize] than does Russian.

Answer 3

Interesting options!

In terms of the ease of a native English speaker to learn the language, Italian would be the simplest from your list to pick up. However, a lot more people speak Russian than speak Italian.

Czech and Polish are remarkably similar, so if you learn one, you could probably teach yourself a decent amount of the other. Although both languages are Slavic, neither one is really super-similar to Russian. Of course some words are the same, and how the languages work are similar, but I haven't found that my knowledge of Polish and Czech has helped me much with Russian!

Czech and Polish are both somewhat easier to learn for a native English speaker than Russian, if only because you don't have to learn Cyrillic. However, Cyrillic really isn't all that hard once you figure it out.

Is there any one of these countries which interests you? For example, I'd pick Czech because I'd love to go there, the culture is interesting, and a lot of really good films and books are in Czech, but not available in English. But my reasons are not your reasons. Which culture most appeals to you, from your list? I'd suggest that, if all other things are equal, you pick that language.

Answer 4

I don't speak or read all of these languages, but I can give you my assumption: It is my assumption that you will find the most common points (thereby quicker and more natural learning) between German and Polish.
Even thought the German word for "potato" and the Russian word for "potato" are the same word; you will probably find few cognates between German and Russian, likewise with Italian and (I can only make an assumption about Czech because I know absolutely nothing about this language).

Answer 5

Well, I only speak English. If I had learned another language, it would have been Spanish. I'd pick the better of the four that the majority of the population around you speaks. What is the point in knowing the language, if you never use it, and in 10 years cant remember how to speak or spell it?....

Majority rules here in my mind.... unless you just wanna take the language that has the better looking guys or gals.. then I'd go off of looks or attractions. ;o) Good Luck

Answer 6

I think there are way more Russian speakers than there are of the other three languages. And you get the fun of a different alphabet and will be able to read and write Cyrillic.
Next option would be Italian, it is probably easiest, also rather similar to Spanish, which a lot of people speak.

Answer 7

I would suggest the Italian, because knowledge of one Latin-based language would make it possible to at least read and possibly speak others (like Spanish and French). It may even help with other languages. I actually do speak Russian, and surprisingly a lot of Russian vocabulary is based on French.

Answer 8

My advise to you is: forget the languages you have chosen, if you can already speak the German language, then learn to write it! Unless you are entering a career path where these languages will be paramount to your career path, they are not beneficial. I am suggesting Chinese or Japanese. Why, they are the fasting growing population in the world, and anyone who can speak their language will forever have unlimited opportunities in the working world. In the State of Utah - these languages have been taught for over 20-years, and because of that, Utah has attracted some of the largest companies from that part of the world. Bringing with it thousands of top paying jobs! and furthermore, Utah is the only State who shows a fiscal budget in the surplus! That State has NO DEBT! So, be intelligent, and choose a language that will benefit you through out your life. Good Luck - (i do know what I am talking about).

Answer 9

German & Italian.

Answer 10

Take German and Italian :)