subject: How To Choose A Foreign Language To Learn [print this page] Let's say you want to learn a foreign language but you don't know which one to choose. It's a huge commitment, so you want to make sure it is something you can stick with and see through.
First, look at your reasons for learning a second language. One reason to learn a language may be economic in nature, that is, you will become more valuable in the job market by knowing a particular language. In that case, learning one of the more popular languages, like Spanish or Chinese, may be the best option.
If you are limited by time, you may decide to choose an easier language. English speakers have a much easier time with the romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French) and German because they use a similar alphabet or script. Learning a new script in addition to learning a new language is much more of a challenge and requires more time.
A lesser known language may be a good choice as there will be fewer "experts" in the language, and you could one day become one. However, finding language learning programs for these languages is challenging. They may be harder to learn on your own without the assistance of a native speaker or in an immersion setting.
One other consideration is finding people nearby who speak the language you are learning. If you wanted to study Korean and you lived in Los Angeles, you would have plenty of opportunities to practice since L.A. has the highest concentration of Koreans outside of Korea. However, if you lived in Nashville, you may have difficult finding someone to help you learn Korean. Fortunately, the internet has some language learning social networking sites which can facilitate the language learning process for those who seek help beyond what the language learning programs offer.
Probably the best advice is to pick a language that is from a culture that interests you or that you find yourself attracted to. That way, learning the language will not seem like so much of a chore. A major part of learning a language is learning about a culture, so this will keep you interested and inspired to master the language.
