As our world becomes more interconnected and industries continue to transverse international borders faster than ever before, learning foreign languages is crucial to success. The ability to speak, understand and write another language goes beyond the realm of communication—it opens doors to new opportunities and boosts career potential. New global business ventures take shape every day, meaning the opportunities are already there for the taking. With over 7 thousand languages spoken around the world, figuring out which language, or languages, are bound to boost your career can be a complex task to navigate.
Some languages are more helpful than others depending on your industry. For example, as Japan continues to grow its technology sector and work closely with companies based in the United States, those in the tech industry are likely to benefit greatly from learning Japanese. Regardless of the industry at hand, some languages are universally helpful and bound to help your career–and ultimately your success. Whether you are in tech, finance or the arts, Here are five of the most important languages for success.
1. Mandarin
As the most commonly spoken language in the world, learning Mandarin not only allows you to communicate and connect with its 1.1 billion native speakers, but it also gives you access to career opportunities in China. As the second largest economy in the world, China is home to immense growth in numerous sectors including clean energy and electric vehicles. In addition, many American companies trade and conduct business with Chinese counterparts.
2. Spanish
With its status as the official language of 21 countries, learning Spanish opens the door to both Central and South America, along with Spain. Many Spanish-speaking countries have rapidly growing economies, notably the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Honduras. Fluent Spanish also presents opportunities in the United States–it is the second most commonly spoken language and some states have major Spanish-speaking populations, such as California with over 10 million native speakers.
3. French
On top of being the third most commonly spoken language in Europe, French is spoken in 29 different African countries. The African continent is projected to see major economic growth in the coming decades as more countries develop and stabilize their respective economies, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and business expansion. French also opens the door to France itself, one of the world’s largest economies and a hub for technological innovation.
4. German
Learning German gives you the ability to seek opportunities in Germany–one of the largest global hubs for research and development. Germany is also the largest economy in Europe which continues to grow, and is a massive automotive hub, home to brands such as Porsche, BMW and Volkswagen among others. With just over 96 million native speakers, learning German connects you to a larger chunk of the world and boosts your ability to succeed in many industries.
5. Arabic
The native language of over 100 million people around the world, Arabic opens the door to the Middle East, an economic powerhouse featuring opportunities in numerous sectors. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are home to massive amounts of wealth and business growth. Dubai is currently the fastest-growing city in the world. Much of Middle Eastern Wealth initially came from oil companies, but countries have successfully diversified and moved towards other sectors including steel production and telecommunications.
As the web of global connections and global business continues to expand, the importance of learning foreign languages in the pursuit of success has become crystal clear. Fostering relationships with people and companies around the world is a major element to success–we live in an interconnected world that is built on the basis of communication and a mutual desire to reach new heights.
