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The value of knowing another language isn't as highly regarded in the anglo-sphere as it is in other places around the world. Statistics show that in the EU, the UK, alongside Ireland, had the lowest rate of bilingualism with only 1/3 of the population being able to speak another language. However, it should be acknowledged that the mass majority of that third are from a foreign family where English is not their native language, meaning that the number of people actually learning a second language is even less. 

Knowing more than one language has its benefits. A handful of examples include; preventing dementia, improving memory, being a better problem solver, being able to multi-task and, even being paid more in the work force. 

The first obstacle to overcome when wanting to learn a second language is deciding which one to learn. In order to do this, you need to figure out what aspects of the language matters the most to you.  

 

If you’re looking to learn a language which has the most native speakers then look no further than,

 1. Mandarin

 2. Spanish

 3. English 

 4. Hindi

 5. Arabic

 6. Portuguese

 7. Bengali

 8. Russian

 9. Japanese

10. Javanese

 

However, if you’re looking for a language that is easy to learn given that you know English, then consider picking up,

1. Frisian

2. Afrikaans

3. Dutch

4. Norwegian 

5. Swedish

6. French

7. German

8. Italian

9. Portuguese

10. Spanish

 

Useful languages to learn for work in the business sector are,

1. Mandarin 

2.  Arabic

3. Spanish 

4. German

5. Hindi

5. Cantonese

6. Russian

7. Portuguese

8. Japanese

9. French

10. Polish

 

A job in the humanitarian sector calls for knowledge in at least one of these languages, 

1. French 

2. Arabic

3. Spanish

4. Russian

5. Mandarin

6. Persian

8. Hindi

9. Portuguese

10. Mandarin

 

Although, this is no indication of how valuable a language is. Among linguists, there is a firm belief that no language is better than another. Just because a language hasn’t been included in any of the above lists, it does not mean in any way that it is not worth learning. Learning a second language is most importantly about the benefits you will gain from it. For instance, having an interest in Korea suggests that learning Korean would most likely be more useful than learning Spanish or, if you’re interested in Africa then learning Swahili may help you more than learning Russian would. If you often holiday to the same country then picking up the language will benefit you the most. 

So how to go about learning another language? Well, there are numerous ways you can approach it.  An easy, practical way could be downloading a free app on your smartphone such as Duolingo, Memrise, or Busuu, using an online website such as Babbel, Italki, or Lang-8 or even following social media accounts in that language to pick up phrases. If you’re willing to extend your budget, you could download a software such as Rosetta Stone, Fluenz or Living Language or actually travel to countries that speak the language! 

 

What are you waiting for? 

 

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”  - Nelson Mandela