A new language as a hobby

Learning a new language

In the multicultural world we live in today it is often very helpful to learn other languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, German, Russian, Dutch, or Portuguese.Whether it is for expanding job horizons or just preparing a trip, the results can be very rewarding. Fortunately there are many great free resources on the net to learn. For learning the pronunciation there are great audiotapes.

It is amazing that our world is over flowing with different cultures and races that all share their own individual ideas, beliefs, and religions, which adds a rich beauty that surrounds our world. In a lot of ways, the hobby of learning languages is a lot more than a simple hobby to kill time. To learn a new language is a relatively simple way of sharing a piece of culture, or even humanity, between two people that could not have communicated otherwise. Without being proactive in this world, we lose the ability to connect ourselves with people on the other side of the world from us.

The absolute fact about learning a new language is that it is very easy because we are social creatures, but the hard part to learning a new language is the dedication and perseverance behind learning a language. With strong dedication and the will to push through the learning curve, it is quite easy to learn a new language.

The truth behind learning a new language is that it is both fascinating and fun to do. Most people choose to learn a new language because they are looking for a way to add something to their lives, and on the other hand, some people choose to learn a new language for reason as simple as work placement or emigration. One very common reason behind learning a language is because your partner, in-laws, relatives, or friends speak a different language. By learning to speak that new language, you will help to communicate with them on a much higher level. It will also give you a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking.

Knowledge of foreign languages may also increase your chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips.

Best Way to Learn a New Language?

The key to being successful in learning a new language is as simple as three words: Dedication, Endurance, and Perseverance.
Many language teachers agree that immersion is an excellent way to learn a language. Students must use the language outside of class as well as in it. In addition, students will learn more about the culture in which the language is spoken, which will give them context for their vocabulary. Use translation with dead languages, like Greek or Latin, because they are not going to change ever again, unlike every other language in the world that is dynamic and constantly changing.

There are many different courses designed for self-study that are now commonly available. These include textbooks, with or without cassettes or CDs, cassettes alone, videos, DVDs, and computer programs.

Combination textbook audiotape courses are probably the most popular and are designed to give you an all round knowledge of a language. Some courses focus more on colloquial language while others concentrate more on reading and writing. Most courses are intended for complete beginners or people with only minimal knowledge of the language. Intermediate and advanced level courses are available for some of the more popular languages, such as French, German, Italian and Spanish. Computer courses are probably the most popular of all the options, and are designed to give you an all round knowledge of a language.

The most popular language in the world is a tricky question to answer. If you simply go by the numbers, the number one language in the world is Mandarin Chinese with 882 million primary speakers, followed by Spanish with 325 million primary speakers, and followed by English in third place with 312 – 380 primary speakers. I think what the actual question in play is what is the easiest language to learn. I always like to start this answer by saying . . .learn the language you want to learn.

Half the battle with learning a new language is that you can’t give up and you must dedicate yourself to your goal of learning that new language. Practice, practice, and then practice some more. Everyone looks and sound stupid when they first learned a new language. Just never give up.

As far as ease goes, we can break the languages into three separate categories based on their ease of learning. The "easiest" languages for speakers of English, requiring approximately 600 hours of class work for proficiency are the Latin and Germanic languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. The “medium” level, requiring approximately 1100 hours of class work for proficiency are the Slavic languages, Turkic languages, other Indo-European languages such as Persian, Hindi, and some non-Indo-Europeans such as Georgian and Hebrew. Languages like Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese languages are quite difficult because of strange phonemes, large number of tones, and complex writing systems to name a few.

The amazing benefits of learning a language are to improve our decision-making skills.

Learning another language can help you make more money?

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.

Learning a language is a wise investment for anyone, at any age, whether you’re preparing to enter the workforce or looking to expand your opportunities.

Since you can learn a new language quickly with the right solution, that’s a pretty good investment of your time.

What’s more, salary bonuses vary depending on the exact language in which you’re proficient. Here’s a quick breakdown of a few different secondary languages and their annual bonuses as reported by The Economist:

•   Spanish — 1.5 percent bonus

•   French — 2.3 percent bonus

•   German — 3.8 percent bonus

 •      You can open your doors to new career opportunities, such becoming a Brand Specialist for Google or a Game Translator for Nintendo, where you’ll be paid to translate video games!

The most useful languages to learn

1. German

•      German is known to be the best language that will earn you the big bucks, earning you over 125,000 (Euros) in bonuses!

•      Germany is one of the three European powerhouses. This means that the language will be more economically valuable for an outsider than the language of a relatively more closed economy.

•      2. French

•      With over 200 million people on 5 different continents around the world speaking French, you can see why it ranks as one of the most useful languages to learn.

 •      At first glance, French may appear to be spoken by only those living in France, but it happens to be the second-most widely learned language after English.

•      Knowing how to speak French opens the doors to French companies in not only France but also other French-speaking parts of the world such as Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, and North and sub-Saharan Africa. As the world’s fifth-biggest economy and number three destination for foreign investment, France is a key economic partner.

•      For students looking to pursue their Masters or MBA degrees, knowing French can act as a big advantage. Renowned French universities and business schools are ranked as some of the top higher education institutions in Europe and the world.

•      3. Spanish

•      Over the past decade, knowing how to speak Spanish has not only been an advantage for job seekers but it’s become a necessity. In the United States and Europe, Spanish is the foreign language of choice after English.

•      No matter what industry you are in, the numbers alone present a strong case to learn Spanish, especially in business. In addition to the sheer number of people you can reach by knowing how to speak Spanish, countries like Mexico, Chile, and Colombia are quickly becoming powerhouses in the global economy.

•      Here’s the cherry on top of the sundae: Spanish is the easiest language out of the most useful languages to learn if you already speak English. You can quickly learn Spanish by taking advantage of online solutions like Rype, where you’ll receive unlimited private Spanish lessons and get to work with a dedicated language coach online.

•      4. Mandarin

•      It’s no secret that China is the world’s new dominant economy, with a growing influence from Africa to the Americas. If you’re in business, then China is a goldmine of opportunities, with over a billion people that you can target.

•      According to London-based search firm Ascentator, demand for executive positions by American and multinational companies in China has risen 35% from the previous years, echoing similar figures from other recruiting firms.

•      However, unlike Spanish, Mandarin is a complicated language to learn.

•      The good news is that f you can manage to learn Mandarin, you can bet that your future boss and co-workers will be impressed.

•      5. Arabic

•      The Arab world is recognized as one of the wealthiest regions in the world, with over $600 billion in GDP.

•      The size of the Middle Eastern economy alone increased by approximately 120% in the five-year period from mid-2003 to mid-2008.

Due to the abundance of market opportunities in the Middle East, Western Arabic speakers are in very high demand but in very low supply. Those who speak Arabic have the opportunity to develop an international career in a variety of industries such as education, finance, journalism, foreign services, and more.