The Best Languages To Learn According To Reddit

Best languages for your career

Many people learn a new language to get ahead in their careers. This makes complete sense, as having more than one language under your belt is highly valued by recruiters all around the world. So, it’s not surprising to find many Redditors asking what language they should learn to advance their careers.

When it comes to learning a language for work, everyone seems to agree on one thing: it depends on the industry you work in and the country where you live. For example, a language might be more valued in Switzerland than in the U.S. because of the number of native speakers living in that particular country. Despite this, people seem to agree that the main languages you should learn are German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. Regardless of the language you opt for, language learning apps like Babbel are perfect for people studying a new language for work, as they provide certificates at the end of each level that you can feature in your resume.

Best languages for entertainment

Learning a new language isn’t always some sort of checkbox that you need to complete in order to get a job. In fact, people who learn a new language for their own enjoyment usually have better results. In this case, the goal is to know more about the culture of the country you love so you can travel there and blend with the locals or appreciate their media without subtitles or translations. So, the main advice you’ll find on Reddit is to learn a language from the country you’re most interested in.

However, there are a few languages that are recommended more than others. If you are undecided about which language you want to learn first, Reddit suggests you go for Japanese, Korean, French, and Russian. Of course, this will depend on your taste and what kind of entertainment you’re looking for. Japanese is known for its video games and anime, Korea for K-Pop and K-Drama, French for more traditional entertainment like Opera, and Russia for its literature. If you’re interested in the cultural aspect of a language then we recommend software like Pimsleur, which provides detailed insight on the country’s cultural and entertainment characteristics along with its language learning lessons.

Best languages for the future

An interesting discussion you’ll find on Reddit is which language will be the most important in the next decade. Since learning a new language is quite challenging and takes a considerable amount of time, you want to learn something that will stay relevant for years to come. English is, of course, the most spoken language in the world and many people outside of the U.S. learn it as a second language.

But what should you learn when you are already a native English speaker? Well, Redditors seem to agree that in the next ten years, the most prominent languages will be Spanish and/or Portuguese, French, and Arabic. Surprisingly, almost everyone seems to believe that while Mandarin is one of the world’s most common languages, it won’t be an asset unless you’re planning to live in China.

Best languages overall

There are also various posts addressing which languages you should learn overall. Basically, what language should you learn without considering any of the conditions listed above. As per usual, the main recommendation is for you to learn a language that you are interested in. Despite this, the ones Redditors suggest the most are Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, and Arabic (there’s also Uzbek, but that’s for the memes). This is an interesting find, as most studies place other languages such as German, Italian, Mandarin, and Japanese at the top. While there were a few comments recommending these, Redditors really seem to believe that learning Mandarin is not worthwhile. If you aren’t sure which language to learn, we recommend a language learning app like Rosetta Stone which unlocks all of its language courses with one subscription. This way you can jump back and forward all you want until finding the right course for you.