What are the most important languages of the future? The Steinke Institute has tried to answer this question with a list of the 10 languages that are expected to be of particular importance for the world economy in 2025. The list was compiled on the basis of a growth calculation of the gross national products of individual countries, which were then converted to the respective languages. Unsurprisingly, English still occupies first place among the world's most important languages in 2025. The second-ranked language, however, is much more exotic, namely Chinese!
For some time now, Chinese has been regarded by experts as the language of the future in the business industry. But what is the truth behind these fabulous prophecies for the Chinese language? Will we soon all have to speak Chinese to be competitive or will English still be enough to get ahead professionally?
It is undisputed that English cannot be toppled from its throne as the world's number one language: no other language fulfils the global networking that a world language must bring with it as English does. Although Chinese is the language spoken by the most native speakers in the world, a good 845 million, its global distribution is low.
If one looks at the development forecasts for the Chinese economy, they are not in its favour either: The International Monetary Fund announced that China's economic growth will fall below the 6 percent limit by 2020. So the great boom and the years of growth are over. On the one hand, the fact that China has recently focused less on exporting products and more on expanding its service sector plays a role here. On the other hand, the Chinese are increasingly reaping the fruits of their one-child policy: the country is threatened with overpopulation, the people are simply getting older and older, which in turn has an impact on the economic situation.
Now the question arises whether it is still worth learning Chinese at all? Of course it is! We at ILS are of the opinion that every language you master is an expansion of your personal horizons. Learning Chinese is particularly useful if you are travelling in Asia for work. Besides the People's Republic of China, Chinese is also widely spoken in Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. However, if you are travelling in other parts of the world, you are unlikely to meet a Chinese-speaking business partner.
For those who like to prove something to themselves, learning Chinese is definitely recommended: The language is still considered one of the most complex and difficult for foreign language learners to learn, partly because of its elaborate characters, which look beautiful to us rather than conveying content.
If you would like to learn Chinese, we would be happy to accompany you on this path. Our Chinese teachers are native speakers and will support you in achieving your personal goals. Learn more about our Chinese offers here.
