Learning a language for your own pleasure is easy.Deciding which of the best languages to learn to elevate your career opportunities is a different ball game. You have to do the research beforehand to understand the benefits of each language, and see how that aligns with your career path.
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Every advantage matters to succeed

When professionals are brainstorming on how to make their resume stand out, adding a foreign language is usually not the first thing they think about. However, CareerBuilder.com’s hiring forecast showed that 39 percent of U.S. employers said they plan to hire bilingual candidates. And half said that if they had two equally qualified candidates, they would be more inclined to hire the bilingual one.

Success in the job marketplace is a game of inches, and you want every possible advantage that you can have. And it's often before you think you'll need it.
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The future of business is global

Everything from business to entertainment is being globalized because of technology and communication tools.This is great news for all of us. It opens up new opportunities that have never existed in the past, or would have been hard to identify. For forward-thinking businesses and individuals that are prepared for this new world by learning a language, it's even better news.

According to Forbes Insights, over 65% of companies surveyed stated that they face language barriers within their organization. This is the primary reason why it's increasingly difficult for them to expand their business internationally.

When companies were asked whether they'll be sending more U.S employees to foreign assignments, 72% said significantly more, more, or about the same.

When they were asked whether they'll be hiring more foreign executives, 80% said significantly more, more, or about the same.

This goes to show that if your aspirations are to continue rising up in your organization, knowing how to speak a second language will become increasingly more important for your career. In the globalized world we live in today, depending on English is just not enough to thrive.
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Why do employers want workers that can speak a foreign language?

Understanding why the other side wants you to do something is always an important advantage. When organizations were asked what the biggest language and cultural challenges are, they listed the following as their Top 5:

 
• Cultural adjustment
 
• Understanding business etiquette and customs (business culture)
 
• Inability to communicate effectively
 
• Inability articulate strategy and ideas verbally
 
• Inability to communicate with employees

In other words, whether you're an English-speaking individual moving to a foreign country for work, or vice versa, the inability to communicate is by far the biggest challenge you'll need to overcome.
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7 Best Languages to Learn For Your Career

This is why today, we're going to share the 7 best languages to learn to elevate your career opportunities. Hope it helps you.
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1. Spanish

Spanish is not only the the official language for nearly all of the countries in Central and South America, it's also the second most spoken language in the United States. With each day that goes by, the growth of the hispanic population in the U.S is increasing, and is projected to hit over 100M by 2050!

This is why the benefits of learning how to speak Spanish isn't solely for business purposes, it's also a useful language to learn for social and cultural purposes. Spanish has become a language that's no longer a 'nice-to-know' but a 'must-know' in many parts around the world.

In addition, Investopedia states that your ability to learn Spanish is estimated to increase your wage by about 1.7%.
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2. Mandarin

It's no surprise to hear that China has become one of the fastest growing countries in terms of GDP.With a population of over 1B people, businesses all around the world are flocking to market their products and services to the people of China. But it's not just western countries looking to integrate with the people from China, the rate of immigrants moving to North America is staggering

.In 2014 alone, there were over 12.7M immigrants who moved to the United States, making it a bigger priority for businesses to attract employees who can speak Mandarin.
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3. English

It's a no brainer for us to recommend English as one of the best languages to learn for your career. Today, English is the global language for business, entertainment, politics, and more.

However, there is a difference between understanding English and business English. The latter is what will help you elevate your career opportunities, and just because you grew up speaking English, does not mean you can become a standout presenter, interviewer, or public speaker.Like learning any skill, it takes practice, making mistakes, and years of training to master.
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4. German

With Germany proving to be the country with the largest GDP in Europe, it's without a doubt that learning how to speak German will give you a significant advantage if you want to work in Europe.

Because of the stability in its economy, Germany is also one of the most populated countries in Europe. There are also a lot of German speakers living around Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, and more. Investopedia estimates that learning German can increase your annual wage to about 4% or more.

5. Arabic

There is no question that the the Arab World is on the rise economically. The Middle Eastern economy as a whole has grown by about 120% from 2003 to 2008, and has a GDP of over $600B.

This wealthy nation is attracting businesses around the world for collaboration. Foreign workers are immigrating to develop an international career in countries like Dubai in industries like journalism, finance, foreign services, education, and more.
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6. Portuguese

Portuguese is not only a beautiful language to learn, but it's also the official language of Brazil, one of the fastest growing developing nations in Latin America.

Many have reported that learning how to speak Portuguese can offer a greater advantage than learning a more common language like Spanish, as there are not as many people that can speak Portuguese today.
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7. Russian

With over 250M Russian-speakers worldwide, it's one of the best languages to learn for your career. Because of the vast amount of resources that the Soviet Republics control, there are increasingly more trade deals occurring in these regions, especially in Russia.

In addition, Russia comes with it a vastly different culture and language structure, compared to other cultures and languages. If you're curious about the history and the mindset of how Russians think, there's no better way than to speak their own language.

We hope this list was useful in helping you decide which of these best languages to learn to elevate your career.

Share with us below which ones you'll be learning!