“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” – Nelson Mandela
What Nelson Mandela said about languages can easily be applied in the business world. When you are speaking with business associates, potential partners, and even customers in their language, you are gaining additional respect and an upper hand over the competition.
However, even though the advantages of speaking two or more languages are widely recognized, 40 percent of the world population speaks only their native language. This is good news for you, because the fact that you are reading this means you want to be in the world population’s 43% who speak two languages, or perhaps even in the 3% who speak more than four languages.
If professional goals are motivating you to master a new language, you probably want to know which of the world languages would be the most useful and which ones are the most spoken. Here is a short overview.
China is a very large and densely populated country, so it’s no wonder that Chinese is the most spoken language in the world with over a billion speakers. It is followed by Spanish with 414 million. Believe it or not, English is the last of the top three with approximately 335 million native speakers. What follows is a list of the remaining seven of the top ten languages and the number of their speakers:
You may be feeling a little confused after reading this list, considering that English is the most widely studied across the world, and the most useful when you find yourself in a foreign country. The reasons why it made its way to this position are multiple, including the popularity of Hollywood movies, social media, and the role of English-speaking countries in various industries.
However, this doesn’t mean that English is the only language for business people. On the contrary, knowing another one, which is not as conventional but is nonetheless influential, could give you an advantage among clients or over other job applicants. For example, while Mandarin could obviously get you far, mastering Spanish would be an exceptionally smart call. After all, its popularity has grown significantly over the years, making it one of the more universal languages among non-native speakers. Of course, as with any other language, the easiest way to learn Spanish is by studying it in a Spanish-speaking country, and you have plenty of options, from South America to Europe.
Furthermore, because Brazil has so much potential in various industries, Portuguese also appears on the list of the most useful languages for business. Depending on your branch, other languages that could help you make it include French, Russian, Arabic, German, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, and Italian.
Of course, your choice of language should depend on your industry. So, here’s a quick roundup of popular languages for business along with some useful hints.
The country’s GDP and its leading industries are not the only motives that should guide your choice. Here are some other things to consider:
Proficiency in a foreign language is always a great thing to add to your resume if you’ re looking for a job. But it is also incredibly useful if you are already working or own a business. Knowing another language upgrades your personal network by earning you trust and respect among other professionals. An additional benefit is the brain exercise and the perks that come along with it, such as better decision-making skills, improved memory, and increased perception. There are no downsides to it. You just need to analyze the pros and cons of a specific language in terms of career building and choose the one that is best for you.
Biologist by day, writer by night, and a huge geek. My fields of expertise could be summed up to health, psychology and lifestyle-related topics.