Choosing which languages to learn depends on your goals, interests, and the current demand for certain languages. Here are a few popular and useful languages that were recommended in 2019:
Criteria for Selecting Languages
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Economic Importance

- Growth of global markets and business opportunities.
- Statistical data on economic impact of languages.
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Cultural Significance
- Influence of language on global culture and arts.
- Examples of cultural exchange facilitated by languages.
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Career Opportunities
- Job market trends related to specific languages.
- Skills in demand across various industries.
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Ease of Learning
- Linguistic difficulty levels of different languages.
- Factors affecting language learning ease.
Top Languages to Learn in 2019
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Mandarin Chinese

- Economic Importance: High
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Moderate
- Detailed analysis of economic growth in China and business opportunities.
- Cultural impact of Chinese language and literature.
- Career prospects in international business and trade.
- Challenges and strategies for learning Mandarin.
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Spanish
- Economic Importance: High
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Easy
- Economic influence of Spanish-speaking countries.
- Cultural richness and global impact of Spanish literature and arts.
- Career paths in tourism, education, and translation.
- Linguistic features that aid or hinder learning Spanish.
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Arabic
- Economic Importance: High

- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Difficult
- Analysis of economic growth in Arab-speaking regions.
- Influence of Arabic language on Islamic culture and global diplomacy.
- Career prospects in energy sectors, international relations, and translation.
- Challenges learners face in mastering Arabic script and grammar.
- Economic Importance: High
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German
- Economic Importance: Moderate
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Moderate
- Economic power of Germany and German-speaking countries.
- Cultural contributions in philosophy, music, and engineering.
- Career options in engineering, automotive industry, and scientific research.
- Comparative analysis of Germanic languages and learning strategies.
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French
- Economic Importance: High
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Moderate
- Economic impact of French-speaking countries in Africa and Europe.
- Literary and artistic contributions of French culture.
- Career paths in international organizations, diplomacy, and hospitality.
- Phonetics and grammar challenges for French language learners.
Emerging Languages and Trends
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Python (Programming Language)
- Economic Importance: High
- Cultural Significance: Medium
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Easy
- Role of Python in software development and data science.
- Cultural impact through open-source communities and tech innovations.
- Career prospects in tech startups, AI research, and web development.
- Learning Python syntax and applications in various industries.
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Korean
- Economic Importance: Medium
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Moderate
- Economic rise of South Korea and cultural influence in Asia.
- Korean pop culture (K-Pop) and global fan base.
- Career paths in entertainment, technology, and international trade.
- Linguistic complexities and effective learning methods for Korean.
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Portuguese
- Economic Importance: Moderate
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Easy
- Economic growth in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking countries.
- Cultural diversity in Lusophone world and literature.
- Career avenues in tourism, agriculture, and renewable energy sectors.
- Comparative analysis of Brazilian and European Portuguese.
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Russian
- Economic Importance: Moderate
- Cultural Significance: Medium
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Difficult
- Economic influence of Russia and former Soviet Union countries.
- Cultural legacy in literature, ballet, and space exploration.
- Career prospects in energy, aerospace, and global markets.
- Challenges in mastering Cyrillic alphabet and complex grammar.
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Japanese
- Economic Importance: High
- Cultural Significance: High
- Career Opportunities: High
- Ease of Learning: Difficult
- Economic impact of Japan and technological innovations.
- Cultural exports like anime, manga, and traditional arts.
- Career paths in electronics, gaming industry, and tourism.
- Linguistic features such as honorifics and kanji characters.
Conclusion
- Recap of languages discussed and their significance.
- Importance of language diversity in a globalized world.
- Personal and professional benefits of learning multiple languages.
Academic References on Languages
- Motivation to learn languages other than English: A critical research synthesis
- Plurilingualism and using languages to learn languages: a sequential approach to deal effectively with language diversity
- Profiling Chinese university students’ motivation to learn multiple languages
- Exploring evolving motivation to learn two languages simultaneously in a study‐abroad context
- In a world of SMART technology, why learn another language?
- Using Mind Maps to motivate the digital generation of students to learn foreign languages
- The influence of the teaching style of communication on the motivation of students to learn foreign languages
- Choosing transfer languages for cross-lingual learning
- How captions help people learn languages: A working-memory, eye-tracking study
- Using new technologies to learn programming languages
