Practical Language Magic The 10 Most Useful Languages for Any Learner

Practical Language Magic The 10 Most Useful Languages for Any Learner Practical Language Magic: The 10 Most Useful Languages for Any Learner Learning a language can cast a spell on you.The grammar is bewitching!The vocabulary is beguiling!But with all the excitement of learning a language, you mayve overlooked the most practical magic of all: usefulness.While its fun and exciting to learn any language, not all languages are equally useful for every learner. After all, learning a dead language may be intriguing, but unless youre a particular type of scholar you probably wont find yourself whipping it out in casual conversation.So if youre deciding which second (or third, or fourth) language to learn  and you value practicality, look into the crystal ball to see your future with these 10 useful languages! What Makes a Language Useful?The usefulness of a language depends on several factors, including personal goals and preferences. Here are some key things to take into account when deciding which language is most useful for you.Number of SpeakersThe most common languages  are often among the most useful languages for the s imple reason that theyre widely spoken. Learning a language that a lot of people speak opens up more possibilities to use and/or need the language.However, even some languages that arent as widely spoken by native speakers may still be incredibly useful because theyre frequently used in international contexts. For instance, the  official U.N. languages  are often used in political, business and nonprofit contexts.Additionally, its important to consider what second languages people across the world are learning. For example, French is a widely spoken second language, increasing its number of total speakers massively beyond the number of native speakers.Geographic RegionAnother important factor to consider is where a language is spoken.European languages  are frequently popular due to travel and business interests. However, each geographic region has a different appeal for a wide variety of reasons.That being said, its important to consider your own interests and goals when assessing the geographic region where a language is spoken. For example, even if a language is widely spoken in a certain region but you have no intention of traveling there, this language will be less useful for you than a language from a region you hope to visit often. If you practically live on the beach and hate cold whether, Spanish will probably be a lot more useful for you than Norwegian.VersatilitySometimes, you dont really know what youll want to use a language for. In that case, youll want to pay particular attention to a languages versatility.Widely spoken languages and  languages spoken in the U.S.  are usually the most versatile, because you could use them at home or abroad. Languages like Mandarin Chinese or French are versatile because theyre used in a wide range of professional fields, from business to politics to art. Choosing a versatile language can ensure you get something out of all your studying.CareerLanguage skills are highly desirable in virtually any career field. Ho wever, which language is most useful is based largely on your individual career field.For instance, if you work in the U.S. in nearly any field (medicine, law, customer service, education, etc.) Spanish will probably come in handy.However, if you work in international business, you might also benefit from Mandarin, Japanese, German, etc.Each career field is unique, so the best way to determine what language will be most useful for your career is to look at job listings. Find postings of jobs that look ideal to you. What language skills do these jobs require? Developing these skills will help ensure youre qualified for the positions you want.UsabilityHow exactly is usability different from usefulness? Usability refers to how often youll actually be speaking the language. Mandarin Chinese might be widely spoken in your field, but if you personally only use it twice a year at industry conferences, it has less usability for you.If you have travel plans, you might choose a language youll use abroad. If you have family members who speak another language, this would also increase its usability for you.Usability also involves some of the factors weve discussed above, like number of speakers, geographic location and versatility,  since they can influence how and/or when you might need a language.Regardless, languages you use more often are inherently more useful. Plus, the more you use a language, the better youll get at it!Practical Language Magic: The 10 Most Useful Languages for Any LearnerAs you may already know, the fastest way to get started in any language is immersive learning (in other words, surrounding yourself with the written and spoken language). Of course, if you don’t currently live in an area where your target language is spoken, that’s a lot harder to achieve. FluentU is a great way to mimic the immersion experience no matter where you areâ€"it offers authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring talks and more.Each video comes wit h interactive captions, flashcards and exercises, so you’re actively building your vocabulary while you absorb the native sounds of the language. FluentU also keeps track of your learning and suggests more videos that’ll suit your level and goals. Better yet, you can take this personalized and immersive language practice anywhere with the mobile app for iOS or Android devices.FluentU has programs for many of the useful languages that well cover below, including Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, French and more. Check out all the options and start watching as soon as today with a free trial.In the list below, information about which languages are most widely spoken comes from Ethnologues list of languages by size, while speaker counts come from the dedicated Ethnologue page for each language. Unless otherwise noted, information on the sizes of different economies comes from the CIA World Factbook, while information on the U.S.s top trading partners comes from the U.S. Census Bureau.ArabicIf you want to learn a language thats spoken by hundreds of millions of people and can help set you apart from other job applicants, look no further than Arabic!Arabic is spoken by over 290 million people, making it the fourth most widely spoken  first language in the world. Its the official language in over 20 countries, so there are plenty of places where your Arabic skills will come in handy. Arabic is also an official language of the U.N.Additionally, Arabic skills are in hot demand. Arabic has been identified as a critical language for national security. This means learners can apply for the Critical Language Scholarship Program. But beyond government jobs, Arabic speakers can also find work in international NGOs, journalism and more.Since Arabic is widely spoken in many of the worlds wealthiest nations, Arabic speakers might also find work in science, engineering, architecture, business and more.Mutual intelligibility, the degree to which speakers of one l anguage/dialect can understand speakers of another language/dialect, varies among the dialects of Arabic. While Arabic includes several dialects that arent mutually intelligible, studying Arabic can open doors to learning whatever dialects you hope to specialize in.Mandarin ChineseWant to be able to communicate with a billion more people? Learning Chinese can increase your ability to communicate with a massive chunk of the worlds population.Thats because Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world. While other dialects that arent always mutually intelligible are often grouped together as Chinese, Mandarin Chinese alone has over a billion speakers around the world. For the record, the World Population Clock estimates that there are about 7.6 billion people in the world, meaning more than 13 percent of the worlds population speaks Mandarin Chinese.If thats not enough to convince you of its usefulness, Chinese is also one of the six official languages of the U.N.An d since China has a huge population, it also has huge buying power. China has one of the largest economies in the world. For anyone who learns Chinese, the booming Chinese economy can be a boon in their career.In fact, American Express lists Mandarin Chinese as one of the most essential languages for business.  China is the top trading partner of the U.S.  International business positions are likely to demand Chinese skills more and more, opening up job opportunities.But business isnt the only career option for Chinese speakers! Theres also a good deal of demand for native English speakers to teach in China.  Speaking Chinese can help set applicants apart from the crowd when trying to snag a position.FrenchThis former titan of international communication mayve been knocked down a peg by English, but French still has a strong grip on the world.There are about 280 million-plus French speakers in the world. Of these, only about 76 million are native speakers, making it the 14th most co mmon first language. The other 200 million speak French as a second language.Plus, French isnt only an official language of the U.N., its also the official language of 29 countries on five continents. But dont think French is spoken in only 29 countries! The  Organsation internationale de la Francophonie, an international organization  comprised of countries in which French is widely spoken, has 84 member statesâ€"thats a lot of potential opportunities to use your French skills!Perhaps because its so widespread, French is also widely used in international nonprofits and diplomacy, so its particularly useful for those wanting a career in the nonprofit or diplomatic realms and/or development. French is useful in the business world as well, since CNN reports France has the fifth largest economy.French is also particularly useful in an academic context. In particular, since French has long been a major world player, learning French may be beneficial to aspiring historians.And since a lo t of English-language words have French roots, French is actually useful for anyone looking to study the English language in more depth.GermanWhen it comes to usefulness, German is most certainly not the  wurst.Its estimated that 130 million people in the world speak German. Plus, its the 13th most common first language in the world.Not only is German the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, but Germany is also strong economically. It  has the fourth largest economy, according to the previously noted CNN report.  The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Germany is the fifth top trading partner of the U.S.This creates business opportunities for those who speak German. Plus, Germany has a strong track record in academia and innovation, so anyone interested in pursuing a forward-thinking field could benefit from learning German.HindustaniSometimes called Hindi-Urdu, Hindustani is a name that groups together the mutually intelligible languages of Hindi and Urdu. These la nguages are grouped together due to history, grammar and vocabulary, though they can also be classified separately due to their different scripts and cultural associations. Hindustani is spoken in Northern India and Pakistan.There are an estimated 260 million native speakers of Hindi. Additionally, another 69 million people speak Urdu natively.If Hindustani isnt on your radar yet, it should beâ€"especially if youre learning a new language for professional regions. India is projected to have the worlds fastest growing large-scale economy, so learning Hindustani can put you ahead of the curve in your industry.ItalianWhile it may not be as widely spoken as other languages on this list, Italian can still be useful.There are an estimated 65 million Italian speakers in the world, making it the 21st most common first language.While that might not seem like much compared to other languages in this list, learning Italian still has its place. After all, Italy has long been associated with art and culture. Ancient Rome greatly shaped Western culture and Italy was the epicenter of the Renaissance. While the Latin language of early Romans may be dead, the Italian language was based on Latin, and the Italian language was used in many Renaissance texts.If you work in the humanities, speaking Italian will give you some serious cred by allowing you to conduct research with authentic texts.Plus, speaking Italian would allow you to enjoy a plethora of contemporary research on these eras and learn more about significant sites and history.  In fact, Italy has  over 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Because of Italys strong association with culture, Italian is particularly useful for anyone interested in art, fashion, food, history and/or music.JapaneseLearning Japanese is useful for so much more than just watching your favorite anime (but thats cool, too)!Its estimated that 128 million people speak Japanese, making it the ninth most common first language.Japan is also a business hub . CNN reports  that Japan has the third largest economy. Plus, Japan is the fourth top trading partner of the U.S. That means that anyone considering a career in international business might benefit from brushing up on their Japanese.Whats more, Japan is known for innovation, so Japanese might be beneficial to technology aficionados, whether you want to work in the field or just stay abreast of the latest inventions. Tech giants like Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Nintendo, Toshiba and so many more started in Japan. Some of the most innovative products and ideas, like mind-reading AI, are still coming out of Japan, so speaking Japanese will allow you to read all about these products before they ever hit American markets.PortugueseThere are nearly 230 million people who speak Portuguese, making it the seventh most common first language.  Plus, the Portuguese language is gaining speakers.Portuguese is also spoken in geographically diverse regions. It has official status in nine countries in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.Plus, Portuguese has plenty of professional uses. Portuguese is included on  the American Express list  of the most essential languages for business, which makes sense since Brazil has the ninth largest economy.Additionally, Brazil is home to the Amazon rainforest, so biologists and other scientists may benefit from speaking Portuguese in order to study the region.RussianIf you play your cards right, learning Russian can split open to reveal its usefulnessâ€"like a matryoshka doll of opportunities.There are an estimated 268 million Russian speakers in the world. This includes over 153 million native speakers and over 113 million people who speak it as a second language, making it the eighth most common  first language in the world.  Russian is also one of the six official languages of the U.N.Because of Soviet influence in the region, Russian is common throughout Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, the Caucasus and Central Asia. This makes Russi an a particularly useful language for anyone interested in a huge span of Europe and Asia. While not everyone will speak Russian, many people will understand it to some extent. Since there are dozens of native languages in the region and youre unlikely to be able to learn all of them, knowing Russian can provide you with a valuable tool to communicate across cultures.Russian is useful to professionals across multiple fields. American Express  includes Russian on the list of essential languages for business. Plus, Russias economy is expected to grow. Due to Russias size and power, Russian is also important in international politics.Since Russian literature is often considered among the finest, Russian is also a useful language for avid readers and literary scholars.SpanishIf you live in the U.S. and want to learn a language youll use regularly, Spanish is a leading contender.There are more than 500 million Spanish speakers in the world, making it the second most widely spoken  first language in the world. Spanish has official status in 20 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Africa. Spanish is also an official language of the U.N.Plus, if youre looking to learn an essential language for business,  American Express  puts Spanish on its list. Spanish speaking countries also do a lot of business with the U.S. Mexico is its third top trading partner.But beyond that, Spanish is a particularly useful language for Americans to learn because its widely spoken in the U.S. There are an estimated 52.6 million Spanish speakers in the U.S., meaning the U.S. Spanish-speaking population is larger than those of Spain and Colombia. So even if you dont intend to travel or work in an international setting, Spanish may very well be useful in your day-to-day life.Whether youre using Spanish in the business world, the medical field or youre just chatting with someone in line at the grocery store, in many parts of the U.S., you wont lack for opportunities to use your Spanish skills.So if you want to learn a type of magic more practical than herbology and potions combined, look no further than these 10 useful languages! And One More ThingFluentU has a ton of useful languages on tap, and is always working on adding more. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs qu iz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.