Help me Choose a Language! (German vs French vs Italian vs Mandarin vs Japanese)

General
#1

Hello everyone. I am a freshmen in college right now, and summer is almost here… I am planning to take an intensive course during the summer which is Monday through Friday for about 5 to 6 hours.

I can’t choose a language! They are all pretty interesting… I already kind of speak korean so I think I feel like learning a european language.

I really want to learn German, but lately I have been discouraged from taking it. Friends are telling me that it is useless because most Germans in Germany speak English and that I won’t be able to practice the language at all.

Any Advice?

#2

Mandarin for business would probably be most useful. The european languages should be learnt mainly for cultural reasons, like japanese.

#3

actually (haha) a taxi driver in france confirmed the stereotype that the french ONLY want to speak french to me when I was there for a one evening stopover but it is a stereotype I have the feeling though that around here and probably also in germany people definitely know english at various :slight_smile: proficiency levels and are quite willing to speak english as for me my favorite second language for sure I had french in school too but never really liked it much I wish I had spanish cause I would like to learn that now followed by japanese, croatian and some gaelic probably just because of braveheart :slight_smile:

anyway I would say if you do want to learn another language and are attracted to german I don’t see a reason why not I mean you don’t necessarily need spanish neither to get around in spain and still I would like to learn spanish so . . .

#4

don’t know but maybe your friends mean there are people like me who would like to practice their english on you but a compromise can always be found :slight_smile: seriously can’t imagine you not having the chance to speak german in a german speaking country even in austria we understand and speak german although it often sounds a little stiff in case it is not colored by our accent and slang to us . . .

austrian! seriously it’s just I guess similar to the difference between british and american english though . . .

#5

That is a tough batch of languages… I’m partial to Asiatic languages, but that’s because I dig their cultures more than most European cultures. Karl’s got it right; Mandarin will definitely be an advantage business-wise. But if you’re just taking a language for personal interest (aside from school credit), then shoot for a European language as you’ve said.

With that in mind, I’d go with Italian, because I apparently have Italian ancestry.

HOWEVER, I feel this has all been decided already… You said yourself; you want to study German. Who cares whether or not it is “practical”. If -you- want it, then go for it!

Odds are if you went to Germany and just stuck to your guns about speaking the language, they’d give in and speak with you in their tongue. From experience, the best thing to do when studying a language (and traveling to it’s country of origin) is lie and say you don’t speak English, anyhow.

Regardless of what you choose, I wish you the best of luck with it!
Language studies are definitely one of my favorite things; I’m glad you’re choosing to pick another one up.

#6

Thank you for the replies.

What about Russian. I also find it interesting. Heard it was impossible though haha.

#7

In terms of utility it is a good idea to learn a language of a country with growing and relatively independent economics. Mandarin or Russian is fine then. Both are difficult.

If you don’t care about stuff like that - I’d say, French is the easiest in your list.

#8

Go with German if you really want to learn a european language. Germany is a powerhouse and its a language that is used in other european countries. I would discourage you from learning French unless you are planning on spending a lot of time in France only. A lot of French people are really good at dismissing English which is a shame.

There is a point in learning Russian too if you are planning on learning more of the eastern europe languages because they are at least somewhat similar, or so I’ve heard from a Bosnian friend.

#9

Greek!

After Japanese, the two languages I’ve always wanted to learn in Greek and Russian. Once I get free time, I’ll make it a reality.

Mandarin or Russian is fine then. Both are difficult.

Coincidentally, when Luke and I went to Beijing a few years ago, I talked with a girl who primarily spoke mandarin, but english was also decent. In any case, she was learning Russian. Quite interesting to hear her speak, as her voice was high pitched when speaking Mandarin, and then went a little guttural when switching to Russian.

#10

Many words in russian come from european languages, that is the most difficult,is to learn the alphabet, but you get it in other languages ​​and you need also to learn declensions, just as the German elsewhere (in fact, yes the Germans are excellent English, especially compared to French). For French,it’s a language which is demanding, especially in writing, but if you want to learn it to speak, it’s ok I think.

#11

Yeah the most important factor is what you WANT to learn. I mean there will always be people to speak the language with. I’m sure at least a couple of all the millions of people who know the above mentioned languages would want to talk to you regarding anything online, if you’re worried that you won’t visit the country that often :slight_smile:

#12

I’ve narrowed it down to Japanese and German both they have equal pros and cons to me :/…

One of the reasons why I want to learn German is because I want to be a little different. Since I am Korean , learning a language that is really close isn’t as exciting… but I do love Japanese.

The good thing about Japanese is that there are plenty of people I could practice with. My best friend is Japanese and I know plenty of others.

Grrr… this is so hard.

#13

BOTH!

Do it, dude; YOU GOT THIS! Just boss it out and tackle both the languages at once. From what I’ve heard (and experienced) the more languages you learn, the easier it gets. Your brain just taps into the flow of it all. And I’m pretty sure there are a good deal of people here on Bachido, myself included for Japanese, who would LOVE to help you out with your studies and/or conversation.

Again, the best to you with your choices, and happy studying~!

#14

Stev, as many people have said, you can study both in your lifetime!

As for what one is first, what else are you studying at University? What do you want to do with your life? If you enjoy philosophy, science, or mathematics at all, many foundational works in these fields were originally penned in German. It could be interesting to open those routes of study up.

Russian isn’t nearly as difficult as people make it out to be, at least if it isn’t your first language. The hardest part is what changes in everyday speech, but many people find similar problems with Japanese.

@Kyle: Gotta say, there’s a Russian national who owns a restaurant out here. Her accent when she speaks Japanese is absolutely fascinating.

#15

I took 2 years German and thought it be great and interesting. In the 25 years that’s past since then I can count on one hand how many times I have used it. If you have your heart set on it,go for it,but truthfully Spanish and English are the only useful languages.and if you wish to be mega marketable in future stick with the major Asian Lang. German and French are dead ends.

#16

Ps when I said eng. and Spanish only useful Lang. I meant only useful euro languages.

#17

I suggest Chinese.
If you would like a three perspective, it can open up totally different world.
Just because your situation is similar to me, English and Korean (or Japanese) being Chinese a quite different language from both of them, make you lead to another dimension.
Japanese is, I understand a kind of dialect of Korean language, similar especially in grammar and phonetic system. It does not mean I can learn Korean easily, still is difficult to learn, but not very interesting to see the difference.
I studied Chinese before and it made me shocked to see it was just another trekking. It also does not mean I have mastered Chinese, but it was an amazing experience to learn and am still very excited to talk to a Chinese person!
Hope it might be any help to think about learning a new foreign language (^o^)
Bty, I am Japanese and most easy to think and speak in Japanese.
It does not mean I am good at Japanese, though.

#18

@Kyoko

Thank you for your reply. I am looking into Chinese and it all seems fascinating. I guess the main reason why I did not consider Chinese was because of its reputation as being an “impossible” language.

@Everyone else

I’ll probably end up learning Japanese or Chinese academically and German as more of a side hobby.

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