In regard to usefulness and importance, which of the languages will you learn: Spanish, German, Portuguese?

Question

I am thinking about taking a language course after work. Now there are 3 options available @ the school near my home. They are Spanish, German, and Portuguese. Just wonder which one of the 3 do you think is more important nowadays concerning usefulness, and the possibility to help getting a better job.

Answer 1

I would think it depends on what kind of job you'll be looking for. For some jobs, you need to be fluent in Spanish, which will take a lot of time. And, no matter how hard you work at it, unless you're an exceptionally talented linguist, there will always be a large number of people who speak it much better.

But if you'll be dealing with the public and need basic conversational skills, then definitely go with Spanish.

However, I keep reading about how German is becoming more important to know in international corporations. Also, fewer people know German, so the competition wouldn't be as fierce. And it looks more impressive on a resume.

Why not go for functional ability in Spanish, and learn German after that?

That's just my opinion. But this might interest you if you want to work for the government:

http://www.govexec.com/features/0502/0502s4.htm

Answer 2

I already know Spanish. Spanish is more widely spread, as it is spoek in more countries but that is the language most people learn.

If you are trying to stand out on your resume I would pick German or Portugese.

I personally would pick Portuguese because it is a combo of Spanish and French. My boyfriend is fluent in it and can still understand/correspond with Spanish speakers. He has never tried with French speakers. Even though I know Spanish I have a hard time understanding Portuguese. I can pick up a few words here and there though.

What you pick depends on the field you are in and what kind of job you are looking for.

Answer 3

Actually Mr. Heteróni portuguese is the 8th. most spoken language in the world, with 225 millions(resourses from The Institute of Portuguese Language 2007). I will say that you must read before critisising contribution of other users.Mr.Sergio said "more than" and "between",this person didn't say "worlwide".More than 150 could be 200 or 300 million,no specification was given. The "importance" of a language does not necessary relate to its worldwide usage. To conclude, spanish has the greater importance of the above languages,and is called a "live" language(continously developing) French because is the language of the diplomacy. German science in general and law. Portuguese. Italian. Korean.

Answer 4

As far as usefulness, probably Spanish due to the number of folks/countries who speak it. Spanish is probably the second or third most spoken language in the world.

I speak Portuguese and can usually get along with Spanish speakers - sure there are some times we need to rethink how we phrase things. Portuguese is probably the seventh or eighth most spoken language. I like speaking portuguese because it is not as commonly taught in schools (usually Spanish, French or German)

Fewer people speak German.

Answer 5

Depending on where you live and do business in, it would be either Spanish or German. If you live in the American continent, Spanish definitely should be your pick. If you live in Europe, German.

Now, if you learn Spanish because you are in America (the continent), your next pick of the mentioned languages should be Portuguese, because it's very similar to Spanish and it would be a breeze to learn it when you already master Spanish satisfactorily. Also, Brazil is the second largest economy in the American continent, after the US, so Portuguese would be a very useful language to learn, business wise.

Answer 6

There are more Spanish speakers than speakers of the others, so by learning Spanish you will be able to communicate with a significantly larger percentage of the Earth's population. Also, you'll be able to understand quite a bit of Portuguese if you learn Spanish as they're very similar. If you live in the US then Spanish is a big plus towards getting a job, as a lot of Spanish speakers live in America.

Answer 7

It depends where you live i'd say. If you live in America, Spanish would likely be the most useful since it's steadily becoming the de facto second language here, and becoming increasing widespread, especially here in New York. I learned Spanish a few years back in high school, not fluent in it, but at times it's been handy knowing a fair amount of the language. That being said, If you're in Europe, intend to live in Europe, or are someone who travels frequently throughout the continent, I'd say German.

Answer 8

Spanish, German, Portuguese in this order.

If you are on the technology field, I'd say German first.

To Dawn K: "[...] Portuguese [...] is a combo of Spanish and French."

Nonsense! If you speak fluent portuguese you can understand much Spanish, but it is not enough to communicate effectively, and it doesn't help with french at all.

Answer 9

It's mind-boggling the number of people in Y/A who have a go at answering all kind of questions, without even bothering to look up the answers or fundament them in some way...

There is a lot of speculation here about the Portuguese language; I suggest a visit to the link below.

As for the language that will be more useful for you to learn, there are advantages and disadvantages to all of the 3 languages, so I suggest you do a little research in your area, and see which one is more in demand.

Answer 10

That depends of which kind of job you are looking:
* In a job where you will be exposed to public, as more and more spanish speakers are living in America, then Spanish will be more useful.
* However, for a engineer working at a manufacturing plant which machinery comes from Germany then german will be an asset.