Styleforum › Forums › General › General Chat › Most useful language to learn next?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Most useful language to learn next?

post #1 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:28pm
Thread Starter 
I'm trying to come up with another language to learn that has a lot of potential in the next 10 to 20 years.

Obviously, Mandarin is high on that list. Any other languages I should think about?

When I look at lists of the most widely spoken languages, Russian, Arabic and Hindi are up there. Any thoughts on those?

Best value in business vs work required to learn the language?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milpool View Post
I'm trying to come up with another language to learn that has a lot of potential in the next 10 to 20 years. Obviously, Mandarin is high on that list. Any other languages I should think about? When I look at lists of the most widely spoken languages, Russian, Arabic and Hindi are up there. Any thoughts on those? Best value in business vs work required to learn the language?
for which secotr do you work? and waht languages do you know already?
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:30pm
Spanish, for the women .
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:40pm
Thread Starter 
I know english and spanish already.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milpool View Post
I know english and spanish already.

without knowing the sectorin which you work, mandarinf would eb the overall better choice. but Arabic would eb better if you want to master both speaking and written forms.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 42
2/1/10 at 5:56pm
Learn Farsi/arabic on a professional level + behave yourself (...good credit, no drugs etc) ....and the world of behind the curtain opportunities shall open for you
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 42
2/1/10 at 6:18pm
I just got back from traveling through China and picked up an extremely small amount of Mandarin while I was there. It's an extremely hard language to learn (coming from a Western, English speaking-perspective) but I believe it could open up a lot of doors for you.

Plus, if you like challenges, Mandarin is a big one. I've been told it takes 9 years of full-time study to become fluent and I fully believe that.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 42
2/1/10 at 6:55pm
Why would mandarin open a lot of doors? Unless you're planning on going to china, I can't see how knowing chinese will help you in anything here in the western hemisphere. I would suggest that japanese is more important from a business perspective.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 42
2/1/10 at 6:57pm
Jive.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 42
2/1/10 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by uhurit View Post
Learn Farsi/arabic on a professional level + behave yourself (...good credit, no drugs etc) ....and the world of behind the curtain opportunities shall open for you
The only possible uses I can think of for either of those languages is if you intend to apply for a job at the cia/nsa or the military, or if you intend to become an islamic scholar.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 42
2/1/10 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sherlock View Post
Why would mandarin open a lot of doors? Unless you're planning on going to china, I can't see how knowing chinese will help you in anything here in the western hemisphere. I would suggest that japanese is more important from a business perspective.

So much mfg is conducted in China now, plus it is a massive economy that most every US company wants to sell their crap to the Chinese.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 42
2/1/10 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sherlock View Post
The only possible uses I can think of for either of those languages is if you intend to apply for a job at the cia/nsa or the military, or if you intend to become an islamic scholar.

I think "behind the curtain" implied cia/nsa/military.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 42
2/1/10 at 7:11pm
step 1) learn urdu/Arabic step 2) join cia step 3) become the US version of James Bond
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 42
2/1/10 at 7:30pm
Try learning European, I hear the EU is going to be the next big thing.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 42
2/1/10 at 7:39pm
Cockney hip-hop.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: General Chat
Styleforum › Forums › General › General Chat › Most useful language to learn next?