This is a very popular question I get from people who know that I am a language teacher. Today I took a final decision for myself and I would also like to share my priority list of languages for the next decade with you.
The list is based on facts as well as on assumptions but I think it could be useful for language learners as well as language teachers. It should be seen as a priority list for business, I don’t say one should abandon classic languages as French, Italian or German but as we all have only a certain amount of time you have to take decisions, I guess. But basically any language you add to your skill set is a gain, no question about that.
First you might like to know what language I am learning next and why. It will be Portugese. And now you also know why I took my decision today. With Rio de Janeiro winning Olympic city of 2016 the two most important events in sports of the world will take place in Brasil in the next decade. It starts with the Football World Cup in 2014 and then goes on with the Summer Olympics in 2016. Brasil is becoming more and more the counter weight to the United States in America and is one of the future global players along with Russia, India and China. So learning Portugese will open new possibilities of making business for me. Besides that I already have a couple of language students in Brasil and it is one of my goals in life to spend at least a couple of years over there.
And here is my priority list of languages to be learned and why.
1. English English will remain the number one language. Not because of the United States which will have a hard time to keep their top position as leading power of the globe. There are a couple of reasons. Number one: English is one of the official languages in India. With the rise of India as future world power, English remains important. Number two: English is learned by millions of people around the globe right now. Especially in China, the other rising power of the future. So in the next decade more and more English speaking people will take leading positions in business, science and politics in these countries. Number three: despite the problems the USA have today you can already see a move towards a new green and sustainable economy. The USA might loose ground on being the world police but they will surely become a leader in green energy and science. Number four: maybe the most important one. The internet speaks English and software is coded in English. To change this it wouldagain take decades and is simply not worth it. Therefore you can say that English will be more and more detached from its native countries and become a true world language. The same what we have seen with other languages through history.
Where to learn English: – Learn English on the Street or everywhere on the internet – Learn English on Second Life – Active English Course by Pearson – SpeakENG Course by Pearson
2. Portuguese As mentioned above Brasil is becoming an important player on the American continent. There are lots of opportunities for business down there.
Where to learn Portuguese: – over 200 hours of Brazilian Portuguese
3. Spanish What? Not Chinese? Well, not yet. With Spanish you will basically cover the rest of South and Middle America. If you add your English skills you can travel from Alaska to Fireland and speak with everyone you meet in between. The rise of Brasil will also have a positive effect on countries like Argentina or Chile. And Spanish is quite close to Portugese (or the other way round) so it won’t take that much effort to add Spanish to your skill set.