Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How would you rank the next 20 languages from most to least important in ASIA?
Arabic
Bengali
Cantonese
English
French
Hindi
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin
Malay
Persian
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Spanish
Tagalog
Tamil
Thai
Turkish
Vietnamese
It depends what part of Asia. English has become the language of international business even in Asia. I would say Mandarin in China and Arabic in the Middle East. Russian in the former USSR area of Asia.
Spanish and Portuguese are not known languages in Asia. Spanish is just known in Spain's former colony and the only colony in Asia the Philippines ( Filipinas ) while Portuguese in Goa, Timor and Macau. Well even in Macau, I think most people cannot understand Portuguese though the addresses or streets are in Portuguese ( I guess they just retain the Portuguese words and names for touristical purposes as it is what makes Macau different from the rest of China and from other Asian countries ) . Unlike Europeans, Asians in general are not multilinguals.
The most important languages are still English and Mandarin, if important refers to the potential for career opportunities.
Apart from English which is still the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin is necessary because of China's status as a major economic power that in recent years took over Japan as runner up.
But in the future, its hard to say. Languages like Hindi and Vietnamese may be necessary since countries like India and Vietnam are regarded as having the potential to catch up economically.
In the political realm, i would think Arabic, Mandarin, English, Hindi, and perhaps Japanese are very important since these languages are often used in Asian politics. Oh yes, and Korean too may be important partly because of the North Korean threat.
The most important languages are still English and Mandarin, if important refers to the potential for career opportunities.
Apart from English which is still the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin is necessary because of China's status as a major economic power that in recent years took over Japan as runner up.
But in the future, its hard to say. Languages like Hindi and Vietnamese may be necessary since countries like India and Vietnam are regarded as having the potential to catch up economically.
In the political realm, i would think Arabic, Mandarin, English, Hindi, and perhaps Japanese are very important since these languages are often used in Asian politics. Oh yes, and Korean too may be important partly because of the North Korean threat.
More than 1/4 Indians don't even speak Hindi. Not everyone in India is proficient in English, but the chances are that government officials, business people and professionals can speak English.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.