After Spanish, These Are 6 of the Best Languages to Learn

After Spanish, These Are 6 of the Best Languages to Learn Your Move: 6 of the Best Languages to Learn After Spanish Choosing a language to learn may not seem like a strategic move.After all, for many, Spanish is the obvious choice.But after you learn Spanishâ€"Wait, hold on. After?Well, yes.Spanish covers a lot of the world. English covers quite a bit more. But added together, you might still only get… about a fourth?There are still many, many places around the world where Spanish and English wont get you far at all. Besides, there are plenty of native Spanish speakers looking for additional languages to learn, too, and maybe youre even one of them!So whether youve already learned Spanish, you grew up speaking Spanish or you dont know Spanish but are still curious about what other languages are out there, its certainly worth considering your options carefully.From bustling cities to remote jungle villages, the world is absolutely full of languages. So why limit yourself?Even if youre English-Spanish bilingual, youve still only scratched the surface.Learning an extra language or two will definite ly give you a leg up in business, travel and even your day-to-day life. And looking into languages to learn aside from Spanish will give you a chance to weigh the advantages of each.So, out of the whole  vast linguistic landscape, here are six of the best languages to add on top of your English and Spanishâ€"or just to learn based on their own merits. Your Move: 6 of the Best Languages to Learn After SpanishThe languages below are highlighted for their overall usefulness but also for how they can benefit those who are learning or who have already learned Spanish.FrenchFrench might be the number one obvious choice.English is a Germanic language with huge numbers of Romance loanwords, most of them from French. Spanish is, well, a Romance language to begin with.If you already know English and Spanish, youll go into French basically knowing every other word. Plus, all that grammar that gives first-time French students nightmares? Youll have been over it.And once you learn French, youl l be able to communicate with millions of people all over Europe, Africa and North America  who have learned French as their first or second language.Tip: It’s a good idea to focus on listening from the beginning with French because there are some tricky sounds and the pronunciation isnt always clear from the spelling. Once your listening is strong, its smooth sailing.FluentU has a very robust collection of videos for learning French that you can start using to build up your listening and speaking skills with authentic language right away. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons. You can also check it out for German or Russian (below), and use it to learn Spanish along with any of the languages on this list.PortuguesePortuguese, of course, is already extremely similar to Spanish. Many Spanish speakers can start reading newspapers in Portuguese with little to no preparation.Des pite that, the approximate 220 million native speakers of Portuguese in the world are often quite proud of their own language. Many of them understandably somewhat resent tourists who only bother to speak portuñol (essentially Spanish in a Portuguese disguise).In fact, as Portuguese isnt as well known as French or Spanish, few Portuguese speakers even expect foreigners in their home countries to be able to say more than a few words.That means if you can speak good and correct Portuguese, theyll understand that youve really put in the time to understand their culture and their language, and probably appreciate it.Tip: Since Spanish is so similar to Portuguese, if you want to learn both, the best way to avoid mixing the two is to achieve a very comfortable level in Spanish first (unless you go for Portuguese first, in which case you can do it the other way around). Give your brain two or three years to really internalize Spanish.Then, when you begin learning Portuguese, translate fro m Spanish to Portuguese and vice versa to keep the rules for the two languages separate in your mind.Additional tip: If you want to learn European Portuguese, it can be tricky to find resources online, but this guide should give you everything you need to get started. If youre learning Brazilian Portuguese, here are some apps you may find useful.GermanLots of people say that German has hard grammar. In reality, it just has different grammar.If you already have substantial experience learning Spanish, that experience will have taught you about using the subjunctive as well as grammatical gender in general. Thats a significant advantage.Ordinary, everyday words in German tend to be more similar to English than Spanish, such as Buch for book compared to Spanishs  libro. As vocabulary moves up into higher registers, however, the German words tend to come from Latin roots that look an awful lot like Spanish. One example: To try is  probar in Spanish and probieren in German.Heres a more d etailed look at what learning the German language entails.If you know German, Spanish and English, pretty much every Romance and Germanic language becomes transparent. You could probably pick up Dutch over a summer or Italian in a handful of weeks.And although German speakers have a reputation for speaking perfect English to learners, thats far from a universal guarantee. Even in the most metropolitan cities, people will appreciate that you know their languageâ€"and that opens doors every time.Tip: One of the best free resources for starting out as a German learner is  Deutsche Welle. You can even explore some of their content  through Spanish!ArabicOkay, so none of the varieties of Arabic are related to either English or Spanish. Arabic is going to be a challenge.But if you know Spanish, you have a few tricks up your sleeve.Thanks to around 800 years of Moorish influence in Spain, the Spanish and Arabic languages actually share a deep pool of vocabulary. You cant describe food or a ccommodation in Spanish without tripping over Arabic-derived words like  azúcar  (sugar), alfombra (carpet), albahaca (basil)  or naranja (orange).The benefits of learning Arabic are manifold. The Arabic language covers an enormous swath of the Middle East and North Africa, including millions of people who arent comfortable speaking English or Spanish.Plus, with Arabic, Spanish and English, youll know exactly half of the official working languages of the UN!Tip: Spanish speakers, when it comes time to learn the beautiful Arabic script, you can actually start with texts in aljamiadoâ€"a way of writing Spanish using Arabic letters. Its far, far easier to get used to reading a new script if you already know what it says.IndonesianIndonesian (and its closely related cousin Malay) is the first or second language of millions in Southeast Asia, and thanks to a huge diaspora, people speak Indonesian all over the world, from Australia to the Netherlands. And have you ever dreamed of the whi te sands of Bali? Knowing some Indonesian will help you thrill the locals and make your trip an unforgettable experience.Its true, Indonesian isnt related to Spanish, either. However, as the Malay Archipelago has been a Muslim-majority region for centuries, youll find that quite a few Arabic words in Spanish also appear in Indonesian.And the grammar and pronunciation are extremely simple from a European language perspective. No tenses, no casesâ€"just some interesting verb features.All the time honing your Spanish accent will pay off here: Virtually all the sounds of Indonesian happen to be  found in either English or Spanish!Tip: The biggest hurdle is definitely remembering all the unfamiliar vocabulary. The best way to handle that is to take things slow when you start out and do a ton of review to really make those new words second nature.But theres a great surprise in store, because advanced vocabulary in Indonesian is frequently Latin-based and resembles English and Spanish quit e a bit! No prizes for guessing the meanings of ekonomi or multikulturalisme.RussianNow, Russian is a challenge for any language learner. Between the script and the grammar, its no cakewalk.And yet, although Vladivostok and Madrid are practically on opposite sides of the globe, there are several features of Russian that are quite similar to Spanish.Take the way you say I like it, for instance. In both Russian and Spanish, a construction along the lines of it pleases me is used.Someone who knows Spanish also already has a leg up on learning the sounds of Russian: Your old friends ñ and rr are along for the ride once more.Russian, too, has borrowed heavily from Latin for terms of politics and science. And French was all the rage in Russian aristocracy a few hundred years ago, which means another helping of Latin-derived terms for high society and luxury goods.Russian is spoken across pretty much all of Central Asia to this day. Its even still widely understood in much of Eastern Euro pe, not to mention among the enormous Russian diaspora all around the world.Tip:  Start by doing a lot of listening and reading to get a feel for how all the familiar sounds get rearranged and fit into Cyrillic letter shapes.If you learn another language after Spanish, youll almost certainly gain from some shortcuts like shared vocabulary or similar grammar.But the most important advantage youll have learning any language after any other language is knowing how to learn. Picking up a third language goes significantly faster than your second.But even if youre only starting on your second language now, you already have an advantage in that youre thinking consciously about your choices and considering your options. Why not set the bar high and consider learning multiple languages  so you can reap the benefits?If it takes you three years to get conversational in Spanish, dont be surprised if you reach the same level in Portuguese in less than 18 months.Not only can you quickly relate fe atures of any new language to other languages you know, but if youve previously learned languages you know yourself and you know that, lets say, you really dont like vocab flashcards. So just replace the flashcards with word lists or more reading work. Or focus on listening from the start, if it took you a long time to get used to native Spanish accents.Whatever language or languages you choose, it only gets easier and easier.The only question isâ€"whats next? And One More ThingIf youre digging these language recommendations, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples . Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.

Get Down to Business 6 Corporate Language Training Programs to Make Your Organization a Global Player

Get Down to Business 6 Corporate Language Training Programs to Make Your Organization a Global Player 6 Corporate Language Training Programs to Make Your Organization a Global Player What if there were a way to expand your business massively?What if employees had an easier time making the deals your business needs to thrive?What if company retreats could suddenly get a whole lot cooler and more international?The good news is that all this is possible.There are many advantages to learning a foreign language  and benefits of being bilingual  in or out of the job market. In the workplace, learning a  language for business  benefits both the individual employees and the company as a whole. Countless  awesome jobs require additional languages. If youre considering corporate language training, weve no doubt that jobs at your company are pretty awesome, too.So its time to take the plunge into corporate language training. These six training programs might just give your business the edge it needs to go above and beyond the competition! Why Use Corporate Language Training?One reason to use corporate language training is to ensure your staff possesses necessary skills to be successful. Employees often receive on-the-job training in areas like computer programs, corporate policy and other job-related skills. It goes without saying that some may need more training to ensure they have the language skills necessary to perform well.These employees might already be bilingual, but every field has its own technical vocabulary. You want to be absolutely sure your staff has a firm grasp on essential terminology to be successful in their position.Additionally, corporations often use language training to expand business into more markets. Having staff members who speak key languages improves a businesss ability to negotiate effectively in international contexts and opens up new opportunities.Finally, using corporate language training provides greater employee development. Additional training in skills like languages can attract better candidates to positions in your company and make existing employees more satisfied with their work. After all, even the most ja ded employee would most likely jump at the chance to learn a new and exciting skill.6 Corporate Language Training Programs to Make Your Organization a Global PlayerBerlitzIf you want corporate language training from one of the biggest names in language education, look no further than Berlitz. Berlitz is known for its language learning programs that focus on functional communication.Their corporate language training programs offer flexibility and customization to fit your organizations needs, goals and budget. Want in-person training? Thats cool. Prefer online training? They can do that, too. Plus, corporate language training is available for beginners to advanced learners, and Berlitz can assess the employees to determine their skill levels.Berlitz corporate language training programs can even be personalized to focus on specific skills to prepare your workforce for whatever situations theyre most likely to encounter. Berlitz also trains in culture, which is a valuable component to conducting business in a foreign language.But Berlitz offers more than corporate language training. If you have employees moving abroad, Berlitz can also provide assistance with relocation and/or the transition to life back home.Berlitz offers instruction in common languages like English, Spanish, French, German and Italian, but they also have instructors who teach less common languages, like Finnish and Dari.TalkWhat more could you want than corporate language training thats affordable and effective?Talk aims to provide just that.Talk is also flexible. They can either come to you to train employees onsite, or you can choose their online learning option. Plus, Talk offers a variety of unique opportunities. For instance, Talk can help you work on accent reduction, presentation skills, business writing and/or industry-specific language skills.If you decide youd rather have your employees study abroad, Talk will even help you find a program.Talk offers English, Spanish, French, Italian , Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese and any language that is essential in todays multilingual marketplace.Education FirstEducation First offers four different types of corporate language training programs. Thats four. You read correctly.These four types of courses include face-to-face courses, teacher-led online courses, self-study online courses and immersion abroad at Education Firsts language institutes. Yes, your company can actually send employees to study abroad, and they may very well love you forever for it.Each type of course has different features. All the programs offer access for various devices, professional content and tailored course material. Immersion, face-to-face and teacher-led online courses also offer additional features like writing exercises, conversation classes, level testing and certificates.Education First also offers industry-specific courses to prepare employees for certain industries like aviation and pharmaceuticals.Study abroad programs are available for E nglish in 12 cities in the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Singapore and Malta. Additional language programs are available in Berlin, Paris and Madrid. Face-to-face, teacher-led online and self-study online courses focus primarily on English education.Concordia Language VillagesCant resist a good corporate retreat? Then Concordia has the corporate language training youre looking for!Located in Minnesotas Northwoods, Concordia Language Villages offers customized training retreats that are usually six to seven days in length. These retreats aim to educate participants in language and culture.The idea behind using a retreat to teach a language is that its more immersive, which can help participants learn more quickly. Even the food is authentic to the country of origin of the target language. They take immersion seriously (and deliciously).The customization element allows for companies to train employees in whatever skill sets are most important for their business. For instanc e, programs may focus on learning the necessary language or using the language skills in realistic scenarios that employees might actually encounter.Concordia Language Villages offers 15 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.LTC Language SolutionsWhether your organization needs French language skills or Flemish language skills, LTC Language Solutions has you covered. LTC Language Solutions offers corporate language training for a wide array of language options. However, if the language is not yet offered, theyll still try to hook you up.LTC Language Solutions focuses on teaching participants valuable language skills in a low-stress environment. Programs are crafted specifically to meet the needs of the learners and build on each persons skills and experience.Plus, LTC Language Solutions offers targeted programs for specific industries. Whether your organization ha ppens to be a sports team traveling abroad or a manufacturing company looking to ensure all workers speak the same language, LTC Language Solutions can help give your employees the language skills they need to excel in your industry.DexwayDexway is a useful corporate training program whether you want your organization to learn online, in a blended format or at in-person classes at training centers across the world.Dexway programs use interactive multimedia to help participants engage with the language and focus on immersion. Dexway apps work on multiple devices, making it easy for employees to fit learning into their busy schedules.Voice recognition software can help even remotely located students practice their speaking, but anyone looking for more conversation practice can also access conversation groups with other Dexway students.Dexway also offers a wide array of sector specific courses in areas like business (including finance, human resources and more), retail (including cloth es store, supermarket, etc.), tourism, insurance, industrial and healthcare.Languages offered include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Russian.These six corporate language training programs will not only prepare your employees to work effectively in a global marketplace, they may also up your companys cool factor several notches. And One More ThingWant to learn language skills for all areas of life, not just for the office? Then youre going to love learning with FluentU!FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.  Its all stuff that native speakers  actually watch.  With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. N ow native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs Quiz Mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU has quizzes for every videoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.