When English people go abroad and struggle to be understood, it seems customary to simply say the same thing a little bit louder. Still struggling? Try shouting the same thing again. No, it doesn't work. It seems as though we as a nation expect to be understood wherever we are in the world. The fact that English is one of the most widely-spoken languages too breeds a laziness on our part not to bother learning any other languages. We can always get by with our trusty handbook, which opens many doors to conversations such as Where is the toilet? or How much for a beer?. It seems that as long as we know the important stuff, we can enjoy our holidays safe in the knowledge that we will somehow be understood by the locals. Modern society is putting paid to this age-old English way, by giving us no excuses not to learn to speak in another tongue. The rise of technology in the past ten years alone has made it so easy to communicate with so many other countries almost instantly that it now seems silly to expect foreigners to speak in English.
Deciding which language to learn can be a difficult choice as it is important to choose something that will be beneficial to your lifestyle and travel choices in the future. The most commonly spoken language now is Mandarin with over 200 million speakers signifying China's enormous population. This is a good choice for those working in or looking to work in the world of business and trading as China and Hong Kong are certainly the world's newest commercial and economical super powers. Choosing to learn a language not based on Latin will be a challenge as you will not only be learning new styles of speaking and pronounciation but also they do not use the alphabetical characters we are used to so you will have a challenge visually understanding the written language too. It will require dedication and effort but the benefits of knowing such and intricate language will be endless, especially in the world of business.
If you are interested in throwing yourself into an unfamiliar language, Arabic is also a massively popular choice especially with regards to business. We have seen a lot of money being thrown into the up-and-coming Middle Eastern countries such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which means that knowing the language can really help when it comes to finding new places to work, live, and outsource to.
If the idea of learning a new alphabet is daunting but you would like to try something new, it may be easier to learn a European language that - like English - is based on ancient Latin. Spanish, for instance, is a relatively simple language to grasp and if you become fluent it can be easy to pick up other European languages such as Italian and French. The tenses and prefixes may be different but many of the root words are very similar allowing you to pick up a few words that can get you by in many countries around Europe. Thinking about a gap year or work abroad? Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, meaning the scope for travel is endless, giving you the ability to work or enjoy holidays in countries such as Mexico and the Phillipines and pretty much all countries in South America. The accent may differ depending on where you travel to but knowing the traditional Spanish language will get you far in all of these locations.
In terms of employment, being bi-lingual can be helpful regardless of your job title. You can be a CEO of a multi-national corporation with the ability to communicate with offices in Hong Kong, or you can be a chef who can easily communicate with any non-English-speaking kitchen staff. You could be a doctor treating a patient who does not speak English or you could simply help a tourist who is lost in the city. You may think that learning a new language requires hours of lessons and money for tuition but thanks to the magic of technology you can easily download apps for your phone or computer that can help you get to an intermediate level. If you want to splash out, there are many resources such as home-based learning products like Rosetta Stone, or local college courses taught by professionals who are fluent in your chosen language.
From CEOs to waiting staff, flight crew to cleaners, it can pay off in a big way to know another language. It will help you communicate with the society around you and let you learn in more depth about the cultures that surround you. It can inspire you to want to work abroad and even holiday in places you may not have felt comfortable in going before. Language is a great unifier and with so many languages spoken all over the world, it would be a shame to waste time not understanding someone when perhaps that person could give you the greatest conversation of your life.
Deciding which language to learn can be a difficult choice as it is important to choose something that will be beneficial to your lifestyle and travel choices in the future. The most commonly spoken language now is Mandarin with over 200 million speakers signifying China's enormous population. This is a good choice for those working in or looking to work in the world of business and trading as China and Hong Kong are certainly the world's newest commercial and economical super powers. Choosing to learn a language not based on Latin will be a challenge as you will not only be learning new styles of speaking and pronounciation but also they do not use the alphabetical characters we are used to so you will have a challenge visually understanding the written language too. It will require dedication and effort but the benefits of knowing such and intricate language will be endless, especially in the world of business.
If you are interested in throwing yourself into an unfamiliar language, Arabic is also a massively popular choice especially with regards to business. We have seen a lot of money being thrown into the up-and-coming Middle Eastern countries such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which means that knowing the language can really help when it comes to finding new places to work, live, and outsource to.
If the idea of learning a new alphabet is daunting but you would like to try something new, it may be easier to learn a European language that - like English - is based on ancient Latin. Spanish, for instance, is a relatively simple language to grasp and if you become fluent it can be easy to pick up other European languages such as Italian and French. The tenses and prefixes may be different but many of the root words are very similar allowing you to pick up a few words that can get you by in many countries around Europe. Thinking about a gap year or work abroad? Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, meaning the scope for travel is endless, giving you the ability to work or enjoy holidays in countries such as Mexico and the Phillipines and pretty much all countries in South America. The accent may differ depending on where you travel to but knowing the traditional Spanish language will get you far in all of these locations.
In terms of employment, being bi-lingual can be helpful regardless of your job title. You can be a CEO of a multi-national corporation with the ability to communicate with offices in Hong Kong, or you can be a chef who can easily communicate with any non-English-speaking kitchen staff. You could be a doctor treating a patient who does not speak English or you could simply help a tourist who is lost in the city. You may think that learning a new language requires hours of lessons and money for tuition but thanks to the magic of technology you can easily download apps for your phone or computer that can help you get to an intermediate level. If you want to splash out, there are many resources such as home-based learning products like Rosetta Stone, or local college courses taught by professionals who are fluent in your chosen language.
From CEOs to waiting staff, flight crew to cleaners, it can pay off in a big way to know another language. It will help you communicate with the society around you and let you learn in more depth about the cultures that surround you. It can inspire you to want to work abroad and even holiday in places you may not have felt comfortable in going before. Language is a great unifier and with so many languages spoken all over the world, it would be a shame to waste time not understanding someone when perhaps that person could give you the greatest conversation of your life.
About the Author:
Whether it's for business or tourism, the benefits of language learning are numerous. To take an example, translation is now an integral part of many multinational firms - to look at some quotes or learn more visit LanguageNow for business translation information services.
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