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RE: What‘s the best international language to learn?
I have to disagree with any criterion that excludes Mandarin simply because it is not spoken on multiple continents. China is a relative newcomer as a global economic and technological power but it surpasses the French, Russian and Spanish speaking countries in most essential metrics. More importantly, Mandarin is quickly gaining in importance as China assumes an increasing central role in the world economy.
Thanks for commenting!
Mandarin is of course an important and interesting language. And moreover, it has growth potential.
But the international language is by far English.
As a L2 Mandarin is predominantly learnt in Asia. Yes, in the U.S. it‘s also learnt. But to what level of proficiency and what percentage?
Be that as it may, I can‘t see for the moment that, for instance, a Japanese and a Spaniard will speak Mandarin when they meet each other, let's say, in South Africa. However, that‘s what it takes for a language to be considered as an international language, at least for me.
Let me know what you think about it!
I am taking a Mandarin class at a local university. We are all adult students and several do business in China. They are all American citizens and all speak English but one is Hispanic, one is from Pakistan and another is from Ethiopia in Africa. China is attracting business people from around the world and many are choosing to learn Mandarin to improve their ability to negotiate and build relationships with suppliers and customers. For now, English is the de facto world language but if you can speak English, Spanish and Mandarin you can communicate with 80% of the world population.