Learning more than one language is a significant asset in today’s world because of all the opportunities that would be opened to you. As the world continues to move into globalization, aspiring multilingual applicants are at an advantage. You just have to know the right languages to learn.

Before you learn just about any language, you must weigh the factors that make a language useful. Firstly, you have to look at the number of speakers of a language. Global communication would be best attained if you know how many people speak this language as their primary or secondary language.

Secondly, if you want to travel or migrate to a specific country or continent, it is crucial to consider the common languages spoken in that place.

Practically speaking, you have to consider the multifacetedness of a language. How much would you be able to utilize this language? Since learning a language would consume a lot of your time, it’s best to invest it in a language that would be largely usable.

Lastly, if you’re aiming for a specific career, especially in an international setting, learning common languages used by multinational companies would be extremely useful as well.

Here are the eight most important languages to learn in 2021:

1. Mandarin Chinese

A common misconception is that English is the most widely spoken language because of its “universal language” status. However, Mandarin Chinese is actually the titleholder, with over one billion speakers in the world.

Even if most of the users of this language are located in China, it is still important to learn because of the emergence of China in the global market. Several Chinese companies are rising into power, and a lot of opportunities lie on this corporate side.

2. Spanish

Spanish continues to stay as one of the most useful languages due to many speakers nationwide.

With South and Central America remaining as two of the most popular travel destinations, if you plan to take vacations or discover multinational businesses in the US, it is helpful to learn Spanish due to the abundance of Spanish speakers.

3. German

Germany remains as Europe’s most supreme economy, thus making German the most used language throughout Europe. Therefore, German is the most useful language to learn if you plan to invest or venture into European businesses.

Additionally, contrary to popular belief, German is pretty easy to learn.

4. French

Popularly known as the language of love, French is highly essential to learn because of its extensive international usage.

France remains a popular tourist destination with a great economic stronghold, and French remains a top language useful to know, primarily since it’s used on all continents.

5. Arabic

As the official language of the Arab League (made up of 22 countries), Arabic is highly practical to learn as it would be easier to converse and deal with people within this vast scope of countries.

Additionally, the language of Muslims and with 1.8 billion Muslims all over the globe, Arabic would come in handy.

6. English

Of course, English is absolutely a language you have to learn. With its vast usage in the global market, diplomatic affairs, travel, and technology, English would be extremely useful. It is also the second most widely used language across many countries.

7. Russian

Just a little bit less than half of the online content is written in Russian, so technologically speaking, Russian is one of the best languages to learn. It would also be helpful in European ventures.

8. Portuguese

As the official language of countries spread across the globe, Portuguese is beneficial to learn due to the high demand in its tourism and rise in global economies.

With Brazil rising to become one of the international community’s economic powerhouses, learning Portuguese would surely be worth it.

Curious about the languages spoken in Switzerland? Read ”4 Languages Spoken in Switzerland” to learn more.