Communicating with clients can be difficult, if you own a business or work for one you know that. Sometimes we aren’t able to explain ourselves well no matter our charisma levels, and sometimes a customer can just be difficult for the sake of it. However, being bilingual can often solve these difficulties for you. You no longer need to hire an interpreter, and can explain something in another common language between the two of you if English isn’t up to the task. Check out some of the best languages to learn for the modern day below.
English
It makes sense that this is first up on the list, with English being the standard language for some of the biggest countries in the world. English is among the top three spoken languages around the world, and if you’re in doubt of how to communicate something, chances are you can revert to English.
A lot of people are already English speakers however; to read this you need to be an English speaker. But knowing how to use it properly in terms of manners and effective communication is another matter. Sites such as EffortlessEnglishClub.com make both learning it from scratch and building on your skill a lot easier. Thank God for the internet.
Mandarin
According to Fluentu.com, and depending on how you learn, it doesn’t have to be extremely difficult to get to grips to with. Yet knowing Chinese Mandarin not only means you’ll open doors in the business world, but it’s also incredibly cultural to know.
Mandarin is the most widely spoken language around the globe, with most of East Asia employing it as their official language. This means you’ll have about 1.28 billion people to communicate with in their native tongue, so getting a pen pal couldn’t be easier! Chinese history is so rich, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy in it.
Portuguese
In 2012, Portugal overtook the UK with their economy size, and as a result have steadily grown in other areas. There’s about 208 million portuguese speakers worldwide, so you’re likely to come across someone with that language skill in your lifetime! South American countries are trading more and more with the rest of the world, especially the West, so the market is orienteering more and more towards them.
This is an excellent step forward for progress, so limiting yourself as a result is one of the worst things to do. Portuguese is also rather easy to learn compared to something like Mandarin or Arabic, so it’s a great starter.
You don’t have to learn a second language, but it can dramatically increase your job prospects and make your daily life a lot more enjoyable. Think of all the places you could travel to easily with no barriers and no worries about communication. It also means you can read in your non native language for enjoyment, and pick up those packets in supermarkets you find in the ‘World’ section and know exactly what they are!