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.
First let's look at the most popular languages spoken across the world. Rather unsurprisingly, the Chinese language Mandarin is spoken by the most people, with over 900 million people citing it as their native language. It may appear only important to know if you live in China, but with so many global businesses being based in, or having offices in and around Hong Kong and China, it can be useful for anyone working in the world of commerce to at least speak conversational Mandarin. With an entirely new alphabet and writing style to learn, Mandarin can be a bit of a challenge but with the world's expecations that China will be the next business superpower of the world, it will be a valuable asset to multi-national companies to have some Mandarin-speaking employees.
Similarly, Arabic is another widely spoken language with over 280 million native speakers, which provides all sorts of opportunities for living in some of the up-and-coming commercial areas in the Middle East.
If you struggle with the idea of starting from scratch, there are hundreds of other languages that may be easier for you to pick up. One such choice is Spanish, which is the second most widely-spoken language, not just in Europe but in the whole world. Learning Spanish can help you in South America, Mexico, the Phillipines and even parts of Africa. This is great for those looking to branch out work-wise, particularly students who are looking for gap year possibilities. The cost of living in many of these countries is less than England so it can be an interesting and fun way of working and saving money as well as having amazing experiences that will last a lifetime. If you are proficient in traditional Spanish, you will be able to speak and be understood in many of the aforementioned countries despite the variations in accent.
Knowing more than one language can be a valuable point on your CV as most employers in today's world of global commerce will look for people who have the ability to work with many different cultures in many countries. This can therefore widen your search for work and can give you the opportunity to gain employment all over the world which can be particularly useful for jobs such as flight crew, translators and teachers. Courses such as TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) will be able to give you placements offering more money providing you speak the basics of your chosen country's language. It can also be beneficial for British business owners who employ mainly foreign workers.
There really is no excuse not to put the effort in and make your way into the world of language. It will help you in all aspects of your life from work to socialising and speaking a new tongue can help breed a deeper understanding of the country and culture in which the language is spoken which can both educate and broaden your horizons.
First let's look at the most popular languages spoken across the world. Rather unsurprisingly, the Chinese language Mandarin is spoken by the most people, with over 900 million people citing it as their native language. It may appear only important to know if you live in China, but with so many global businesses being based in, or having offices in and around Hong Kong and China, it can be useful for anyone working in the world of commerce to at least speak conversational Mandarin. With an entirely new alphabet and writing style to learn, Mandarin can be a bit of a challenge but with the world's expecations that China will be the next business superpower of the world, it will be a valuable asset to multi-national companies to have some Mandarin-speaking employees.
Similarly, Arabic is another widely spoken language with over 280 million native speakers, which provides all sorts of opportunities for living in some of the up-and-coming commercial areas in the Middle East.
If you struggle with the idea of starting from scratch, there are hundreds of other languages that may be easier for you to pick up. One such choice is Spanish, which is the second most widely-spoken language, not just in Europe but in the whole world. Learning Spanish can help you in South America, Mexico, the Phillipines and even parts of Africa. This is great for those looking to branch out work-wise, particularly students who are looking for gap year possibilities. The cost of living in many of these countries is less than England so it can be an interesting and fun way of working and saving money as well as having amazing experiences that will last a lifetime. If you are proficient in traditional Spanish, you will be able to speak and be understood in many of the aforementioned countries despite the variations in accent.
Knowing more than one language can be a valuable point on your CV as most employers in today's world of global commerce will look for people who have the ability to work with many different cultures in many countries. This can therefore widen your search for work and can give you the opportunity to gain employment all over the world which can be particularly useful for jobs such as flight crew, translators and teachers. Courses such as TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) will be able to give you placements offering more money providing you speak the basics of your chosen country's language. It can also be beneficial for British business owners who employ mainly foreign workers.
There really is no excuse not to put the effort in and make your way into the world of language. It will help you in all aspects of your life from work to socialising and speaking a new tongue can help breed a deeper understanding of the country and culture in which the language is spoken which can both educate and broaden your horizons.
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We hope we've managed to inspire you to start learning a new language or at least see and appreciate the many long term and immediate benefits. LanguageNow offer some basic courses, you can learn more by clicking through.
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