Do you only speak one language? About 43% of the people in the world speak more than one language. If you decide you’d like to join their ranks, there’s one big question you have to figure out: Which language should you learn? There are so many options, starting with Spanish, Mandarin, French, Russian…we could go on and on.
The answer to this question may be clear-cut for you. For example, maybe you recently moved to Mexico from the U.S., so you need to study Spanish.
But if there are no outside factors driving your choice, how do you narrow down your choices about which language to study and learn to speak? Learning a new language can be useful to every day life as well as a fun endeavor — especially if you’re learning together with your family. Here are a few questions that can help you decide what your second language should be.
Are You a Native English Speaker?
If not, we don’t think you can go wrong by studying English. It’s the most-spoken language in the world. And, if you’re a professional, English is the lingua franca of business.
Even if you took English classes in school, learning to speak English one on one with a native speaker instructor can dramatically improve your ability to understand and be understood by native English speakers. So go ahead, get fluent in English!
What Other Languages Are Spoken in Your Country?
Learning to speak another language can be helpful if you’ll have the opportunity to speak in that language with others. A good example here is the fact that Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the U.S. So if you’re a native English speaker in the U.S., there’s a good chance that learning Spanish could boost your career prospects, especially if you live in an area that has a lot of Spanish speakers.
What Are Your Career Goals?
Speaking of career prospects, did you know that being bilingual can boost your success at work? Besides English and Spanish, some of the most useful languages in the business world include Mandarin, German, Portuguese, Arabic, French, Japanese, Russian and Hindi.
Studying these cultures alongside the language can also be very interesting. You’ll be surprised at the progress you can make with a native language teacher!
What Languages Are Similar to Yours?
If you’re learning a new language for the first time, you may want to give yourself a head start. Depending on your native language, some languages will be easier for you to learn than others.
For example, if you speak a Romance language like French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Romanian, you should be able to pick up one of the other Romance languages more rapidly than you could a language from another language family. These languages will share commonalities in grammar structures and pronunciation.
Do You Have Personal Motivations for Language Learning?
When you were little, you learned your native language because you wanted to communicate with the people around you. That can be a very real motivation for learning your second language, too.
For example, if your fiancé hails from Tokyo, you’re likely to push yourself in your Japanese lessons because you want to better communicate better with his family. Or maybe you’re driven by wanting to talk more to your Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Having a friend to practice your new language with can also go a long way to helping you get fluent more quickly.
Need More Information?
Explore some past articles from the Fluency Corp blog on the languages you’re considering.
Learning English
Learning English just for work? This will help: Can You Speak ‘Office English’? 20 Confusing English Business Terms Defined along with these 3 Tips for Learning English at the Office.
If you’re still driving in to work each day, make that time count! Check out How to Improve Your English by Listening to Podcasts during Your Commute.
Learning Spanish
Every language has its own challenges, like these Tricky Spanish Phrases.
Learn more about how Spanish is used with these Trends in the Use of the Spanish Language.
And finally, don’t miss the success of this company in our Case Study: Spanish Language Training for Executives
Learning Japanese
You don’t have to learn everything! Check out these Basic Japanese Phrases to Learn for Business
What would surprise you if you went to Japan with these Surprising Cultural Differences Between Japan and USA
And don’t miss these Cool Facts About Japan. Sugoi!
We also have some articles to help you choose the best language training options for you:
Private Language Training vs. Group Classes: Which is Better?
How to Convince Your Boss that Corporate Language Training is Worth It
How to Choose Language Training that Motivates Learning
