There are several languages for international business that will position you for success, whether you’re hunting down contracts or wanting to build customer connections. The increasing ease and cost of foreign travel and the thriving internet economy have spread global commerce.
There are 6,000+ languages spoken worldwide, and it appears tough to select the most important languages to affect your overall revenue. When considering which languages to learn for your business, consider your macro-level business goals, key target markets, and how you envision yourself in the coming years.
Why should you learn another language for international business?
It is critical to think worldwide if you want to expand your business or build out your résumé. Having multilingual language abilities makes you appealing to prospective employers or clients. Demonstrating your ability to communicate in an increasingly global marketplace of ideas might help propel you to the top or hit an employer’s list of prospects.
The 11 most important business languages
English
English is the most important language of academia and the business world, occupying the top in the languages field and spoken by over three-quarters of the world’s citizens. English, the world’s lingua franca, maintains its position as the language of over 378 million native speakers, more than 1.1 billion total speakers.
Chinese
China’s position as a massive economic behemoth is no longer a mystery. Mandarin has almost 1.1 billion total lecturers, close to English. With gigantic growth rate averages and the world’s second-largest economy, China’s massive importance can no longer be overlooked.
Spanish
Any forward-thinking marketing campaign or export plan would do well to keep the Spanish language in mind. The sheer number of fluent Spanish speakers gives a tremendous opportunity for enterprises. Along with being the third most common language on the Internet, Spanish-speaking countries have some fastest-growing economies.
Arabic
Arabic, a historic and sophisticated language that has given rise to scientific, mathematical, and philosophical breakthroughs, is making a 21st-century revival as a commercial language. With exceptionally positive GDP numbers, it has never been more crucial to have your business message available to the 400 million+ Arabic speakers.
Because of the growing internet presence in Arabic-speaking nations, your company’s capacity to communicate in the language has never been a better investment.
French
The French language is spoken on all 5 continents and contributes to 20% of global trade in products. With over 220,000,000 speakers globally, it’s easy to see why the la langue brand is a major commercial language.
Japanese
The Japanese language is a traditional international business language. At the same time, having a population of just 125,000,000 people, the Japanese punches above its weight because of its customers’ extraordinarily high spending power. It is no surprise that Japan’s internet economy is exceedingly high-tech and diverse. Did you know that Japan has the world’s third-largest eCommerce market?
Hindi or Hindustani
Many linguists see Hindi and Urdu as varieties of the same language, ‘Hindustani.’ While English proficiency is good in this region of the world, learning the language of over 500 million people can provide your company a competitive advantage.
German
With the biggest population in Europe, the largest economy, and the fifth-largest worldwide economy, German’s place as the main business language requires no explanation or justification.
In reality, being able to communicate in German gives everyone interested in international business a major edge. The German language is the 4th most spoken language in the world, with a total of 210 million speakers globally and about 95 million native speakers.
Russian
Despite being overshadowed by the Chinese and others, the importance of Russian in international commerce cannot be overstated. It’s the second most popular Internet language, which means there is boundless potential for online marketing. Despite falling somewhat into the shadow of the Chinese and others, it’s still impossible to overlook the importance of Russian for international business. It’s the second most popular Internet language, which means endless online marketing opportunities.
Portuguese
The huge expansion and potential of the Brazilian economy underpin Portuguese’s prominence as a business language. The enormous spending power of the ordinary Brazilian consumer makes this language of over 215,000,000 a very appealing potential – and it is not Portuguese.
Brazil is the key draw for professional business owners when doing business. Being the most highly-mentioned science base outside the G8, Brazil has several chances to profit from scientific cooperation and collaboration, notably in medicines and energy.
Dutch
Although the Dutch have just 23 million native speakers, the Netherlands has a rising Internet usage as a fraction of its inhabitants, making it a sensible investment for online marketing.