Having speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of WHICH LANGUAGES, will best help himself or herself climb his or her career ladder the fastest over the next few years?
I have never heard such a question before. I worked with S.Korean adults who needed to learn English to advance in their careers and lifestyle. In the U.S., being multilingual is beneficial for career advancement but there is not always specifics as to which languages are the best. English and Spanish are quite popular but what if you work in an area that is predominantly French, German, or Italian? I would imagine that it would have to depend on where you work.
Hi Hassan, English seems extremely important to cultures where it is not spoken. In English speaking cultures like the U.S., we are being encouraged to learn another language. I chose to learn French and Spanish but it has not worked out well. I think it is all relative. I never understood how hard a language English really is, until I had to teach it to others.
an interesting question. When we first look not into the future but into the past, history tells us very clearly that the dominance of a language changes with the supremacy of the political power or powers concerned. At the time of Hellenism this was Greek, which dominated the language in the land of Jesus of Nazareth, the Aramaic language. In the Roman Empire, the official language was then Roman or Latin, and through the Church it remained in Europe until early modern times as the language of scholars. The French royal rule of the 17th and 18th centuries and the early 19th century naturally made u.- until Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat 1815 - the French to the language of the educated in Europe. But since the discovery of the non-European world - the Common Wealth - also England and Spain in America and in as world powers - partly also Portugal - became and still are important world languages English and Spanish. For a few decades during the German Empire before and after 1900, the German language had leading significance as a scientific language, but after the First World War English was also clearly on the advance in Europe compared to French. And Russian was a compulsory language for almost half a century, not only in the Soviet Union but also in the people's democracies, because every country belonging to the so-called Eastern Bloc offered Russian as a compulsory language in schools.
What does the future look like? If humanity destroys itself through nuclear war, a few beings will remain who are not quite as intelligent as we are today. And their language will then play a certain role.
English remains steadfast.Other choice could be based on what type of career you are in and what international scope(expansion) it has in future.This will decide the additional language one can learn.One can learn the additional language because the major business is expected from that language speaking region.If one has a ethnocentric approach to his career,then no need to learn any additional language except as a hobby.
I think if we are looking at this answer from a linguistic perspective there appears to be a large percentage of the world's population that is able to speak and write in English.
However, I think the language of relational skills (understanding the other's context and journey) as well as digital literacy is equally if not more important. With the ability to download apps which help translate from one language to another there is really no need to speak the same language - it is the nuances and the context which becomes more important and the ability to utilize technology in one's favour.
Without a doubt it wold be English, the universal language if you want to move up the career ladder. Certainly other languages have nuances that English does not have due to their legacy and culture. One should continue to cherish other languages and learn some of them to enrich your repertoire.
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