Things to Consider When Deciding Which Language to Learn
Language preference varies among people who look for different purposes from learning a language, not to mention different individual has different language backgrounds. The decision is personal and depends on the learner.
You might be wondering what the “best” language to learn is? The bad (or good) news is there is no such thing as the “best” language.
Language preference varies among people who look for different purposes from learning a language, not to mention different individual has different language backgrounds. The decision is personal and depends on the learner.
Whether you are in the process of deciding which language to learn, or you already have a clear picture of which language to pick, this article will help you confirm your decision.
I am going to guide you through the selection process, help you define your reasons and purposes of learning the language and figure out the language you are looking for.
To ensure that you know what you expect the language to be, let’s start off by asking yourself a few questions regarding the potential languages you have in mind.
If it’s easy to learn
Consider whether the language is similar to your indigenous language, in terms of its sound, structure and vocabulary. There are similarities and relationships between languages. To give an instance, Italian and French share a lot of vocabularies. It might be easier for speaker of one to learn another. It’s helpful to do research on languages related to your mother tongue if you are aiming for a relatively easier language.
If it fascinates you
When picking up a language, you learn a lot about the cultural background. You have more chances of meeting people who speak the language, visiting places that the language is widely spoken. Making sure that the language intrigue you is always essential to ensure an enjoyable learning experience. If you are into European culture, you might want to choose Indo-European languages, like German, Portuguese, Italian… Identify your interests and let them lead you to the language that’ll be fun for you to learn.
If it’s a common language
Some languages are more widely used which enlarge the chances of you using the language on a regular basis. If you are looking for a language that’s useful for you regardless of personal preference, you might want to do research on number and distribution of the speakers for the language in the world for reference. Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic, for instance, are the most-spoken languages in the world and therefore are always good options. You should also take into account local variations. For instance, it would be more beneficial to learn Mandarin if you are based in Asia as more people speak this language, contrary to this, Spanish may be a better choice if you are based in the Americas.
If it’s beneficial to my prospect
Pick a language that gives you advantages in your future plan. Determine the fields you are eager to work in. The in-demand languages by employers vary among fields. If your dream company is looking to expand its market in China, you might want to learn Mandarin. Ask yourself, where do I see myself at in 5 years? Will this language help me achieve my goals? Take your plans into account so the language you choose will favor you in the long term.
If I have good resources to learn it
On whether the language is accessible for you to learn well, ensure there are enough learning resources of the language from where you are. With growing online access, you can basically find learning materials for every language online. Even if you want to learn the language in a language school but struggle to find a good local language school, you can join language courses online, offered by language schools from around the world. On FluentUp, you will be able to look for the right language course that suits your needs so you don’t have to worry about not having abundant resources in learning the language.
After reading this article, we hope you are more confident about the language you have picked. If you are still unsure about it, you might want to read information about different languages to decide which language suits you the most. In the next article, we will give you a thorough language guides so you can distinguish the uniqueness between different languages. Stay tuned!