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3rd lang: German, Spanish, or neither? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| Var Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4016 days ago 14 posts - 17 votes Speaks: English*, French | Message 1 of 34 19 May 2013 at 9:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hello everyone - I'm surprised this is my first time stumbling upon this website
because it seems so nicely fleshed out with such active forums. I can't predict the future but this seems like a very nice place to be. A little background: I'm a soon-to-be college freshman double majoring in mathematics and economics. In high school I formally studied French (at school and home) to the point where I can read newspapers and hold intermediate level conversations pretty well. I also began to study Korean, but I'm now having second thoughts. The problem is that I'm unsure if I should be focusing my time and energy on it instead of a different language, or even no other language at all. This is hard because my potential careers don't pair with languages very well, and in order for me to want to learn one, I have to be motivated more than "It sounds cool and I enjoy learning." This is especially true because I will be taking a lot of courses in college and won't have much time for leisure. Edit: Upon further thought, I realize that learning Korean now simply isn't worth it when I could learn both Spanish and German in the same amount of time. Here are my new thoughts for each option: German: I don't have a passion for German culture, but it is still fairly interesting to me. It's special in that a lot of important scientific, philosophical, and economic researchers have published their work in German throughout time. This seems as if it would be most useful for my career. Also, it seems like Germans tend to travel/study abroad often so there's a good chance I can get to know a few in College. On the other hand, German would take quite a bit longer to learn than Spanish because it is not a romantic language (like French) and there are more Spanish resources online in the U.S. Also, I've heard that a lot of Germans speak English anyway, so perhaps it wouldn't be very useful unless I were to actually live in Germany. Spanish: It sounds very fun to speak, similar to French in some ways, and the cultures it opens up (Spain, Central America, South America...) are appealing. It would be the easiest language for me to pick up already knowing French. Unfortunately, it seems like professional applications of Spanish are limited for math/econ people. It feels less "special" to me than German or French because a majority of people at my school take it.)Edit: On the plus side, I can learn Portuguese soon after this. No Language: I realized that perhaps it would be unwise to tackle another language while I'm still not fluent in French. If I wait a few years before deciding which one to choose, I would have plenty of free-time in college and be able to focus single- mindedly on French without any distractions or doubts. Also I would have a better idea of what career I will pursue and be able to make a better decision. If it's hard to give advice, one simple thing I would like to know is how much longer would it take for a French-speaker to learn German than Spanish? More than twice as long? Thanks for your time and consideration. Edited by Var on 20 May 2013 at 4:01am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6406 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes  4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 2 of 34 19 May 2013 at 11:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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You list French as basic fluency, this level is DEFINITELY fine for starting a new language.
Why do you expect to have more free time in college? Also, any language will be useful if you learn it to a high level. Spanish is very useful and it looks like the best option to me. Oh and get some 'informal' experience with Spanish and German. like, find out more about them without actually making the commitment. There are tons of free resources online. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Var Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4016 days ago 14 posts - 17 votes Speaks: English*, French | Message 3 of 34 20 May 2013 at 12:00am | IP Logged | ||
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Somehow I checked this page only a minute after you replied!
Sorry if I communicated that I will have more free time in college - I actually will have less time; however, if I need to make time for language learning, I certainly will. The issue is more "is it worth it" than "can I do it"... for example, if I was absolutely sure I'd be an economist in Korea I would study Korean with ardor and conviction. Perhaps I've portrayed a sense of apprehension about my experiences with Korean and French. The reason for this is that I am wary about "wasting my time" so to speak. I don't wish to spent 200+ hours learning Korean only to realize that time would have been better spent elsewhere. This is why I want to put careful thought into this decision, because when I decide I will study diligently. -- Thanks for the suggestion, I will gladly get some preliminary exposure to Spanish and German. The main reason I haven't jumped on Spanish was that Spanish-speaking countries aren't nearly as influential in economics (or mathematics) as Germany. I'd venture to say Portuguese might even be more useful for this field, but it's just a guess. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6406 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 4 of 34 20 May 2013 at 12:12am | IP Logged | ||
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It's not necessarily about influence. I work in the IT sphere and while said countries are not giants, there's a lot of spam in these languages for example, so they're useful for me as a spam analyst. Edited by Serpent on 20 May 2013 at 12:15am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Paco Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 4086 days ago 145 posts - 251 votes Speaks: Cantonese* | Message 5 of 34 20 May 2013 at 1:02am | IP Logged | ||
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It seems that no language has chosen you. (Or you have refused.)
If you have no preference at all and, say, just want success, whatever sort of success it may be, you should better be prudential, by following what statisticians and consultants tell you, that you will have as many doors open to you as possible if you are to learn Spanish first AND THEN German. If you had been determined to be a successful economist in Korea, you would not have opened this thread. For a language like Korean, security and love could hardly come together to the hands of an American. A choice has to be made. Edited by Paco on 20 May 2013 at 1:59am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Talib Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6470 days ago 171 posts - 205 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (classical) Studies: Arabic (Egyptian) | Message 6 of 34 20 May 2013 at 1:05am | IP Logged | ||
In the time that it takes to learn Korean, you could probably learn both Spanish and German. I guess it depends on how much you really want to learn Korean. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Var Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4016 days ago 14 posts - 17 votes Speaks: English*, French | Message 7 of 34 20 May 2013 at 1:40am | IP Logged | ||
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Serpent, duly noted. My perspective is that even though any language could be useful, I
want to hedge my bets as best as possible. Paco, what do you mean by "For a language like Korean, security and love could hardly come together" ? Talib, that is a very good point. If I as myself "Would I rather learn Spanish and German, or Korean," the answer is Spanish and German without a doubt. I guess that's only 3 choices left... I'll update the first post accordingly. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Paco Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 4086 days ago 145 posts - 251 votes Speaks: Cantonese* | Message 8 of 34 20 May 2013 at 1:59am | IP Logged | ||
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If you are not yet determined to be a specialist in Korea, learning Korean may not be
as beneficial to a career in economics as learning German and Spanish. If you want a sense of security, learn the two European languages. According to statistics, this should maximise your chance in your career. However, if you are brave enough, look for your love. There is one last point I would like to make. Statistics may be useful in determining which company is better for investment. But in choosing a language? Well, unless I have an actual professional need to master a specific language (which you do not seem to have), I will follow my heart. There are too many variables. Perhaps even if you master Spanish, German and Italian, you will not have any chance. Perhaps, if you go for the Korean language, you will meet a Korean economist who treasure you and give you ample opportunities. You just do not know. And you are only "a soon-to-be college freshman", where you have a lot of time to change and to "be changed", by people, by time, and by yourself. If I were you in your position, I will not let language learning fall into the hands of statisticians and consultants. Foreign language learning is a life-long commitment, which, in my humble opinion, is beyond career consideration. Edited by Paco on 20 May 2013 at 2:06am 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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