What to Consider When Choosing a Second Foreign Language?

The path to effective communication with people from different cultures goes through learning a foreign language. In this regard, you might be wondering which language you should learn as your second foreign language. Your motivation to learn that language could stem from a sense of affinity for the culture or simply because you find it pleasing to the ear. Perhaps you're also interested in new job and travel opportunities with a more pragmatic approach. You want to learn a second foreign language, but can't decide which one? Well, let's explore together what to pay attention to when choosing a second foreign language.

What Is a Second Foreign Language?

English ranks first among the most popular foreign languages in Turkey. After your native language, the new foreign language you learn for communication in education, work, and cultural relations is defined as your second foreign language. German, Spanish, and French can be given as examples of second foreign languages.

When making a language choice, the first step is to determine your goals. Additionally, having an interest in the language you choose is important. Language preferences are as individual as clothing, art, or music tastes. Watching movies in the language you want to learn can help you make your language preferences. Learning a new language and speaking it is not only advantageous but also a lot of fun. However, there are certain points to consider when choosing a language. Some of these include:

The language's practicality

The level of difficulty

Learning a second foreign language brings many additional benefits to your life. Some of these can be listed as follows:

• Learning a second language also opens new doors for travel, education, or work opportunities abroad. Choosing from among the most widely used foreign languages will help you stand out easily among a pool of qualified candidates in the future.
• It allows you to connect with new people.
• It enhances problem-solving, critical thinking, and concentration skills.
• Language, directly related to cultures, enables you to communicate, understand the traditions, art, and history of that culture.
• It helps you gain a new perspective.
• It facilitates making unbiased decisions.
• It boosts your self-confidence by encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone.
• It supports easier learning of other languages.

Choosing the language that suits you best can be challenging. The way to narrow down your options is to decide what you want and watch videos in the languages you've chosen. Learning a different language opens new doors for you and brings benefits in many ways. Language learning increases cultural awareness and allows you to communicate with different people.

What Are the Languages You Should Know?

Learning two languages at the same time increases your awareness of the world around you, improves your chances of achieving your goals, and opens up new job opportunities in your life. But which foreign language is best for you?

Of course, the first language that comes to mind among the foreign languages to be learned is English. The second most widely spoken language after English is Spanish in Europe. On the internet, German and Russian are commonly used.

So, should you learn German or Spanish? The importance of knowing German is significant due to the country's strong economy and abundant job opportunities. Additionally, Germany is home to some of the world's oldest thinkers, which can assist you in grammar, religious, and philosophical studies. You can also check our article on languages to be learned other than English for more comprehensive information on this topic.

After English, the most valid second language can vary depending on the field you want to direct your career towards and the place you plan to be in. In the business world, commonly used second languages are Japanese and Spanish, followed by languages like French and German. Finnish, Japanese, and Korean can be among the easiest languages for Turks to learn.

Chinese ranks first in the list of the most difficult languages to learn in the world. Some of the languages covered by this ranking, which generally encompasses Asian languages, include:

• Arabic
• Japanese
• Korean
• Vietnamese
• Turkish
• Thai

Alongside these difficult languages, other languages that resemble your native language or the first foreign language you learned can be relatively easy to learn. For example, Spanish, which is written as it is pronounced, might be one of the easiest languages to learn. Italian and Swedish follow Spanish.

In conclusion, in a constantly evolving world order, knowing two foreign languages is a necessity that changes your global perspective, positively affects your life in many ways, and provides various advantages. Once you decide which second foreign language is more suitable for you, you can start your studies.