Spanish
Spanish is one of the most popular languages in the world and is spoken by over 400 million people. Learning Spanish can be helpful, not only for your career, but also for travel as it can help you to communicate with people across Latin America. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, and is the second most used language in the United States, with about 40 million native speakers residing in the states.
In addition to travel opportunities, Spanish has a world of unique media. From reggaetón music, to telenovelas, Argentinian films, Spanish offers a cornucopia of content to enjoy! Spanish is incredibly easy to access for many Americans due to the large number of speakers who reside there. For many Europeans this holds true too due to Spain’s status in the EU.
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, with over 1 billion speakers. As the official language of China, Mandarin is useful for business. Mandarin is also spoken in Taiwan and Malaysia, opening up multiple countries’ cultures and travel.
Chinese language media is famous worldwide for its “cultivator” stories which have tropes such as qi (magic energy) and ancient wise-men, as well as for its romance and historical dramas. China being so close to Japan has a very strong animation and comic or dongman industry. Full of interesting donghua and v-tubers, embrace your inner weeb with Chinese nerd-culture.
Japanese
Japanese is a fascinating and complex language with a rich history and culture behind it. Learning Japanese can open up a world of opportunities, both personally and professionally. One of the biggest reasons to learn Japanese is the country’s growing economic influence. Japan is the third-largest economy in the world and a major player in global trade. Knowing Japanese can give you a competitive edge in business and increase your chances of securing a job in a Japanese company or in a field that deals with Japan. In
Not only business for business, Japan is a popular tourist destination, with millions of people visiting every year. Knowing Japanese can make your trip to Japan more enjoyable as you will be able to communicate with locals and understand more about the culture, as well as finally understanding the original audio of your favorite anime or j-drama!
French
French is spoken by over 200 million people and is the official language of economic powerhouses France, Canada, and Belgium. French is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. There is no doubt that learning French is great for ones’ career.
In addition to Canada and Europe, French is spoken in large swathes of Africa, giving you access to diverse parts of the world. French language media also has a large variety of content, from French noir movies to Quebecoise teleromans, you’ll never be out of content to engage with. French cognates like “survive” and “curfew” make French very accessible to English speakers.
German
German is spoken by over 100 million people and is the official language of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Learning German is beneficial for your career as it will help facilitate doing business with Germany, an economic powerhouse.
German is more than just business, with a unique krimi (German crime story) genre, German media is quite rich. Break into this lovely European language and learn more about how English’s close cousin functions!
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