Three Languages for Future Graduates

Arabic

With around 300 million speakers in 20 countries, Arabic is becoming an important language to learn for travelers looking toward the future, with the U.S. State Department classifying it as a “critical language.” Arabic speakers are in high demand in America, as well as in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are quickly becoming international financial centers. Arabic is also the primary language in many frontier markets in Asia and northern Africa.

Spanish

A staple of high schools across the United States, Spanish is spoken by 500 million native speakers and is the national language in 44 countries. The U.S. is set to become the country with the most Spanish speakers by 2050, making it an important language to learn when considering the growing economies of Central and South America.

Mandarin

China has been all over the news as an emerging powerhouse, and with nearly a billion people speaking its national language, Mandarin is the biggest language in the world, whose native speakers make up 14.4 percent of the world’s population. Mandarin’s influence isn’t restricted to Mainland China. Chinese investment has spread as far as Africa and South America, and many western companies have operations in China, making the language valuable to employers.