Learning a foreign language is one of the most exciting and challenging experiences you can have. It might seem quite daunting at first but with the right approach you can successfully learn your preferred language in no time. In the journey to becoming bilingual, there are a series of steps you must take like choosing a language, then a learning method, setting learning goals, etc. But it is always advisable to start with the basics.

So in this post, we’ll explore some of the factors you need to consider while choosing a foreign language.

1. YOUR MOTIVATION

The first key to a successful bilingual journey is to identify your motivation for learning a foreign language.

Your motivation will determine the amount of time and dedication you are willing to invest in learning the language.

So;

Are you planning to relocate in the near future?

Does a particular culture enthrall you so much that you want to learn all about it?

Are you looking to bag a job where a foreign language would be an added advantage?

Or are you simply going on a trip to France and would like to be able to order your own food at a restaurant and buy stuff at the market in French?

These are all very good motivations that will guide your choice of what language to learn.

As a bonus, a strong motivation will also help you master the language speedily.

2. THE EASE/DIFFICULTY OF LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

Actually, no language is easier to learn than the other because each language is complicated in its own way. So if you learnt the so-called ‘hardest language’ as a baby, you would still attain the same level of fluency as someone who learnt a language believed to be the easiest.

Nevertheless, in the process of learning a foreign language, some will be easier than others due to the following reasons.

– SIMILARITIES

  A foreign language that falls under the same language family as your first language would be much easier to learn due to the similarities in words and grammatical rules.

For example, Norwegian is a member of the Germanic family of languages, just like English so it would be easier for an English speaker to learn it.

– ACCESSIBILITY

   When you can easily have access to learning materials on a language, it would be relatively easier to learn that language. Your proximity to other learners or speakers of the language is another important factor as it encourages learning.

3. AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCE

The amount of money you will be able to invest in learning a foreign language highly influences the language you choose to learn.

If your budget isn’t so fat, then you might want to consider popular languages like French or Spanish which have thousands of free learning tools online, such as videos, audios, PDFs and even Apps such ‘Duolingo’.

Bear in mind also that immersion is another great way to learn a language so you should also consider the cost it as well as the country’s proximity to your country of residence.

4. ACCESS TO PRACTICE PARTNERS

If you are staying in a region of the world where your preferred foreign language is not popular, then you might find it difficult to learn. In the learning process, it is important to have other learners as well as active speakers of your chosen language that you can practice with.

While technology has made it easier to make friends with people all-over the world, conflicting time zones can be a hindrance to this. So you might want to make sure that you’re in the same time zone with the country where your preferred foreign language is spoken.

5. GEOGRAPHY OF THE LANGUAGE

The geography of a language simply means how widespread that language is in the world.

Below are some questions you should ask yourself when considering the geography of a language.

– How many countries of the world speak it?

– What is the total number of people in the world who speak it? (This includes speakers in the native countries, speakers in diaspora as well as those who learnt it as a second language)

-Is there a high global and local demand for the language?

-From your current location, how many surrounding countries speak the language, especially as their first official language?

6. AVAILABILITY OF LEARNING RESOURCES

How easy is it to find online or physical classes for the foreign language you’d like to learn? If the answer to that is ‘Not easy’ or ‘Relatively hard’ ,you might want to rethink your choice.

If for example, you’d like to learn Japanese, then there has to be an adequate amount of learning resources like quality videos, audios texts, etc in Japanese. You must also be sure that these resources are, or can be, available to you before you decide to learn Japanese.

7. ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE LANGUAGE

For a business-minded person, it is important to consider the number of business and job opportunities that the knowledge of a language would bring before choosing to learn it.

Admittedly, being able to speak a foreign language looks good on a CV or a job application but what most people don’t know is that being bilingual would be worthless if you can’t speak the language that is needed in your industry.

For example; if you’re working in an industry which does a lot of work in China, then learning Chinese would be a smart choice.

On the other hand, it would be even more excellent to go for a language that is both uncommon and useful to the industry at the same time. A great example would be learning German if you are in the entertainment industry. While French and Spanish are the more popular languages there, German also ranks highly and is spoken in a number of European countries including Germany and Austria.

Learning a foreign language is a worthwhile investment that will introduce you to new opportunities and experiences. And with this ‘Ultimate Guidebook’, the right resources and practice, you’ll be speaking that foreign language like a pro in no time. So don’t wait any longer – start your journey today and who knows? You just might learn three different languages while you’re at it.

Bon chance!