In today’s age of increasingly global economy, learning a new language, especially one-less studied by your rivals in the job market, can significantly boost your opportunities of landing a lucrative work. According to the research of New American Economy, over the past five years, demand for bilingual workers in the United States more than doubled. Again, as per the Student Travel Planning Guide, the ability to speak another language can boost earnings by as much as 15% in the United States, 34% in India, and 55% in Thailand.
Recent studies suggest that bilingual brains process information more efficiently than their monolingual counterparts. Further, explaining, speaking, and negotiating in another language increases your confidence, makes you more employable, and can lead to a high salary.
So, if you’ve decided that you’re ready to take the time and start learning a new language, you’ve definitely made the right choice. But, you need to first decide which language to go with. Today’s blog post looks at the five best languages to learn for the most occupational bang for your buck. Any one of these can offer you a huge advantage in your future business endeavors. So take your time and choose the one you feel will be the best for you.
Best Foreign Languages To Learn For Job and Career Prospects
- Mandarin Chinese
The global influence of Mandarin has been spreading for some time. Thanks to the continued rapid growth of China’s economy-second only to the US in size- Mandarin is considered the second most significant language in the global business behind English. Having Mandarin language abilities will not only open doors throughout Asia, but Chinese is required for more jobs than any other foreign language besides Spanish.
As per the Bloomberg Rankings, Chinese is only the seventh most learned language by American undergraduates despite its undeniable value. Even it is not surprising to find out that Chinese is also considered one of the most challenging languages for native English-speakers to learn. Thus, one must be prepared to put in the miles that mastering Mandarin requires as it promises to provide an impressive and unique skill set sure to captivate any employer’s attention.
- German
For anyone who desires to work in Europe, investing considerable time to learn German could pay huge dividends. Germany has the largest economy in the EU and is the official language of numerous central European nations. In total, there are over 130 million people who speak German worldwide.
German companies like Allianz Worldwide, Siemens, Deutsche Bank Group and BMW, etc., maintain a stellar reputation as hallmarks of quality, daily finding themselves at or near the top of the respective industries. It is also a notably handy language for every profession in the EU, like doctors, engineers, scientists, and those who desire to get a phenomenal education from German Universities.
We Forum’s Power Language Index ranks German third in the world in terms of the brilliant economic opportunities that it presents to its speakers, while the job site Adzuna found it to be the most lucrative foreign language for a British-based worker to know.
- Spanish
A look into top Spanish essay writing service forums will help you comprehend that if your goal is to look for a remarkable way to connect with people worldwide, Spanish has to be on your list of top languages to learn. With more than 460 million native speakers, there are diverse parts of the world where offering an impeccable Spanish-speaking service is deemed a major asset. It is also the official language in 20 countries with over a total population of 500 million people.
More specifically, Spanish is registered as an official language in booming South American economies like Paraguay and Ecuador. This language can prove essential for anyone who lives or hopes to make a living in the US, where the Hispanic population is predicted to nearly double in size to around 111 million by the middle of this century.
- Portuguese
The huge demand for Portuguese speakers has significantly heightened through the steadily developing economy of Brazil. Presently, it ranks 9th in global GDP. As the second-most spoken language in Latin America with approximately 260 million speakers worldwide, it is also considered the fastest-growing one in Europe and among one of the most beneficial languages to learn globally.
Innumerable African countries, like Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, and the Demographic Republic of Congo, teach it in schools. The foreign minister of Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva, strongly believes Africa will be home to the greatest number of Portuguese speakers by the end of the century. As foreign businesses continue establishing their presence in Brazil’s growing markets and vice versa, the newly opened trade routes will increase the demand for interpreters and translators.
- Japanese
For anyone who desires to work or aims to go into the fields of science or technology, becoming well-versed with Japanese can open up a plethora of opportunities. Even recently, it was dubbed to be ‘the language of robotics due to Japan’s notable progress in developing and integrating robots into their workplace.
Approximately there are 128 million Japanese speakers. And while it does not offer the same broad travel advantages as languages like Spanish, Japan is still the third-largest economy globally and most highly regarded for technological innovation. Knowing the language offers opportunities to work with numerous exciting companies.
- French
Though the number of French speakers is facing a sharp decline in Europe, the language continues to thrive in other parts of the world, with the inclusion of Africa, where some of the fastest-growing economies recognize it as their official language. As a matter of fact, the rising population of the African continent could boost the global French-speaking numbers to over 700 million by 2050, making it one of the most beneficial languages for ambitious people to learn.
French is considered a powerhouse in international diplomacy, where both the World Trade Organization and the United Nations rely on it as an official language. It even scores second-best in the world regarding advantages for travelers who speak it. Travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors provide widespread employment prospects to French speakers, not least due to France’s highly regarded wine and food culture.
- Arabic
Wish to start your career in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East? Why not decide to impress potential employers and begin learning Arabic? This Semitic language is spoken in 24 countries and is considered one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
Arabic also boasts around 319 million speakers worldwide. It is deemed the communication gateway to the Middle East, where countless have made a fortune in energy, construction, and real estate. Various countries that consider Arabic as their official language are remarkable economic powerhouses that make billions are conducting business with numerous countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.
Furthermore, it has very few speakers in the US, so companies are bound to be thoroughly impressed with those who make considerable efforts to learn this language, even if it’s only a few phrases. But, it is also significant to keep in mind that similar to Mandarin Chinese, Arabic also requires you to learn a whole new alphabet. This implies that you’ll need to invest considerable effort than most Indo-European languages.
- Russian
The powerful language of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy is progressively turning into the language of natural gas and oil, two of Russia’s biggest commodities. There exist over 250 million Russian speakers globally, and it is the fifth most spoken language in the world.
Though most of them dwell within the Russian borders, many are non-natives. The economy of Russia is advancing to increase and established as a nation that evolves further. The country is also getting progressively involved in international trade, making Russian a remarkable, engaging language for those seeking prosperous careers in international business. Employees well-versed with the Russian language may also enjoy a huge wage hike of around 4% per year.
Parting Words,
The tricky part with a language learning process is to keep practicing it even when you don’t need it every day. Do not forget to constantly shun your newly acquired skills in your period of job-seeking limbo. You will never want to miss an opportunity or waste the first few weeks at your foreign-language-focused job just because you are shaking off the rust!
Each of these languages is excessively influential worldwide and will undeniably increase your chances of getting hired by manifolds. Hence, choose a language that you’re not only excited to learn and fall in love with but one that will, in turn, love you back by rewarding you with a dream job. Take the leap today!
Author Bio
Ethan Taylor is a linguistics graduate and an avid blogger with an excessive interest in Essay Typer. A part of MyAssignmenthelp.com for 10 + years now, he has been famous among students for his remarkable Assignment Maker solutions and informative samples.
