Most Valuable Languages To Learn

While everyone knows English is the language of business but what other languages rank up there as languages people see valuable to teach their kids? U.K. market research firm YouGov polled more than 25,000 adults across 23 countries on which language was the most important to learn in 2019. Participants were able to select up to four responses. The study showed that English was overwhelmingly seen as the most vital language for children today, with every country polled putting it ahead of Mandarin.On average, 31% of those polled — excluding people in China — believed speaking Mandarin was an important asset for today’s children.French and Spanish followed as the next most important languages, with just under a third of respondents in nations excluding France and Spain seeing them as important.

You often hear that being bilingual can help your career especially if you’re looking to work at a international company. But the benefits to speaking more than one language doesn’t end there. For both children and adults, speak more than one language can shape you into a different person. Language is a point of connection – the ability to connect with people in more than one language is amazing.

Here are three amazing benefits to being bilingual that go beyond your career.

1. Being bilingual gives you a new perspective. During a study in 2002, researchers found that if a word is masculine or feminine in the language you are speaking in, subconsciously changes how you think of it. Take the word bridge for example, it is feminine in German and masculine in Spanish. When they asked a group of native Spanish speakers, they described a bridge as strong, big and towering while when they asked a group of native German speakers, they described it as beautiful and elegant. People often describe having slightly different personality in each language which can be linked to this idea of subconsciously thinking differently when speaking different languages. Being bilinguals can help you recognize these subconscious stereotyping of words and adjust to them.
2. You meet more people. There is nothing as amazing as speaking to someone in their native tongue. You get to discover their person in a whole new way and develop deeper friendships. Being able to communicate with people from other cultures is a huge social advantage and can open up so many more doors in life.
3. You’re more creative. You’re more likely to “think outside the box,” when you are bilingual. A word doesn’t always translate well from one language to another. Sometimes it takes sentences or paragraphs to explain just one word in another language. Knowing things  are more than meet the eye, allows you to grow creatively.  You think of things different and you imagine them different.

What languages do you think are some of the most valuable to learn? Did you know Kompass’ Booster Program is available in 24 different languages? Not only will the Booster program help you crush it on Google search results, it will get your company in front of a truly international audience. The Kompass database gets 8 million visitors a month from 69 countries that view 26 million profiles, and Booster puts your company front and center with the most relevant searches. Contact us for more important about the Booster Program.