The world’s language system is undergoing rapid change because of demographic trends, new technology, and international communication. These changes will affect both written and spoken communication.
Although many languages are going extinct, new ones are emerging in cities and extended social groups.
Which languages will dominate the future? Predictions vary, depending on the location and purpose. But here are a few ways to approach this question.
Languages in Higher Demand for Business
If you are interested in the growth of your business, then you better focus on the following:
- English
English is the lingua franca of business and academia.
- Chinese
Its dominance in the world’s economy makes it a noticeable source of business opportunity.
- Spanish
Having your business content available in Spanish opens doors not only in Spain but also in booming Latin American countries.
- Arabic
Arabic is spoken by 295 million speakers worldwide, and it’s the official language of 28 different countries.
- German
Germany is the world’s third most significant contributor to research and development, with a reputation for quality, craftsmanship, and intelligence.
- Portuguese
Portuguese is the fastest-growing European language after English.
- Russian
The size of the country, its emerging economy, and its natural resources, readily demonstrate its appeal for business.
- French
With 75 million speakers in 39 countries, 220 million speakers of French as a second language and round 102 million Internet surfers – French is an excellent language for business.
- Japanese
Japan continues to play an essential role in high-level international forums and as a significant provider of development assistance.
- Hindi
India’s massive consumer base and cultural diversity are regarded as a potential primary future localization market and a potentially substantial business opportunity.
Languages spoken in fastest-growing emerging economies, ranked by demographic prospects
In millions of inhabitants living in countries with emerging economies by 2050. Numbers are approximations:
- Chinese – 1.300
- Hindi – 1.300
- Bengali – 750
- Urdu – 460
- Indonesian – 320
- Spanish – 290
- Portuguese – 240
- Arabic – 210
- Russian – 130
- Vietnamese – 110
- Turkish – 100
- Farsi – 90
- Thai – 60
- Korean – 50
Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and Indonesian will dominate much of the business world by 2050, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian. Demographic developments are hard to predict. Despite all that, the chart above gives a broad look into which linguistic direction the business world is developing: away from Europe and North America, and more toward Asia and the Middle East.
Languages of the highest usage
Here are the top ten of the languages you should learn if you want to use them as often as possible, everywhere in the world.
- Mandarin
The official language of China, Mandarin is already the most widely spoken language in the world.
Difficulty Level: High
- Arabic
It’s an official language for many of the dynamic, growing economies in the Middle East and Africa.
Difficulty Level: High
- Spanish
Learning Spanish opens doors in Spain, Latin America, and even the United States.
Difficulty level: Easy
- German
It’s an incredibly important language for UK businesses: Germany is the largest economy in the European Union.
Difficulty Level: Fairly Easy
- Portuguese
Portuguese is spoken by around 215 million people in Portugal (naturally), Brazil and some parts of Africa.
Difficulty Level: Easy
- Russian
Russia is full of very wealthy people hungry for new arenas in which to do business.
Difficulty Level: Medium
- French
It is expected that there will be 750 million French speakers in the world by 2050.
Difficulty Level: Easy
- Japanese
Learning Japanese takes a certain amount of persistence and time, but it is worth it!
Difficulty Level: High
- Hindi
Hindi is the fourth most-spoken language in the world, and people often prefer to communicate in their native language when possible.
Difficulty Level: Medium
- Bengali
It is expected, by 2050, Bengali will be the 3rd most commonly spoken language among people living in countries with emerging economies.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Languages of the highest usage on the Internet
- English
The English language has 25.3% of internet users worldwide.
- Chinese
Chinese take the second spot with 19.8% internet users using it.
- Spanish
Spanish at number three with 8% of internet users using Spanish.
- Arabic
4.8% of internet users speak Arabic.
- Portuguese
There are a whopping 131.9 million Portuguese speakers connected on the internet. It means at least 4.1% of Portuguese speaking people use the internet.
- Indonesian/Malaysian
The Malaysian/Indonesian language has 4.1% of internet users worldwide.
- Japanese
3% of internet users are Japanese which translates to 114.9+ million users.
- Russian
The population of Russian speakers accessing the internet increased at a rate of 41.5 percent and its still in the increase mode.
- French
It is ninth in the log with approximately 2.8 internet users.
- German
German is the tenth top language used online with 2.2% of internet users.
What will be the language of the future communications?
Can you answer this question? Do you need a second to think about it? Or are you sure enough that it will be English or Chinese?
You may get surprised, but many of the linguistic studies predict that it will be French.
For many centuries, France was the official language of culture and erudition. It was the language of diplomacy and arts. French is still a fast-growing, global language. It remains an official language in many international institutions, from the UN to the European Union to the Olympics Committee (founded by a Frenchman), and learning French still retains some cachet.
The data suggests that the French language might be the language of the future.
French isn’t mostly spoken by French people and hasn’t been for a long time now. The language is spreading fast, and circulating in the fastest-growing areas of the world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. The latest projection is that 750 million people will speak French by 2050. Meanwhile, French will be present on all continents and particularly predominant in a continent that, by 2050, should be a fast-growing economic powerhouse – Africa.
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