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Whats the most useful language to know?

24

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 736 ✭✭✭Dilynnio


    CHINESE ....... The Middle Kingdom will have taken over the world by 2020!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,933 ✭✭✭holystungun9


    English, Spanish, Cork, Geordie.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,136 ✭✭✭ciano1


    Scouse..

    Next year will be our year, I can feel it!


  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    C. Get the very basics down, derivatives like C++ and Java are actually easier as a result :D

    C is horribly outdated. Java is very easy to pick up as a first language anyway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    judgefudge wrote: »
    So I'm thinkin of learning a language, branchin out a little.

    I was lookin at them Rosetta Stone things and gonna get one I reckon but they're really expensive. Just wondering what would be the most useful language to know, in your opinion?

    If you already know English, I would say Spanish. But in Ireland, I would nearly say Polish. But, as an aside, forget Rosetta Stone!! Rip off!! There's a site called Babbel, you can learn any language you like for 7 quid a month. You get access to the entire website for that, grammar, verbs etc. They have 10-12 languages available. Great site, you can chat to other people who are natives and you help them learn as well. Rosetta Stone is a sham, I, eh, acquired it, through a friend and it wasn't worth half what they look for. You have to pat a fortune anytime you want another language pack.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 23,956 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    Mime


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,690 ✭✭✭✭Skylinehead


    C is horribly outdated. Java is very easy to pick up as a first language anyway.

    Yeah I learned Java first, was easy enough. C is harder to learn and as a result is the most useful to know (not learn) as you can easily get other languages from what you know of C.

    As for outdated, it's still the most used language, and the Linux kernel is written in it, making it extremely useful to know ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,119 ✭✭✭p


    For me, the question is what language is useful to learn that will be useful to you in your life, and with opportunity to practice. e.g. Learning German is semi-useful because it's a business language, but many Germans have a high level of English, so it's practical use is not so great unless you're living in a German speaking country.

    Here's a list of total speakers of various languages:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers

    Spanish would get my vote. Useful in Spain, and latin america and will help in Italy, also many people's English is not very good in Spanish-speaking parts of the world. After that, French is useful, also handy for visiting France, and parts of Africa, and some parts of Asia. Also, French is a common second language studied throughout the world so can be a bridge language. Arabic also very useful, but harder due to the script. People often suggest Mandarin, but i'm not sure, due to it's lack of usage outside of China, though that may change in Asia overtime.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,884 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    Klingon.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



  • Registered Users Posts: 34,788 ✭✭✭✭krudler


    Jawa

    "utini!"


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  • Registered Users Posts: 92 ✭✭Evie90


    German or Spanish


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,053 ✭✭✭batistuta9


    Sign language should be up there as one of the most important languages to learn.

    which sign language would you learn though?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭Elvis_Presley


    Robdude wrote: »

    Unless you intend on moving to a country where English isn't commonly used or making a career out of teaching/translating/working with another language; there is very little practical advantage to learning a second language. There are many, many other more useful things you could do with your time.

    Typical US attitude. Learning a language is one the best things you can ever do with your time. It gives you the ability to see things from another perspective, to communicate properly with people from other cultures and to understand other cultures. It allows you to communicate with so many other people. It expands your mind, the skills acquired from pushing yourself to learn a language are useful in many other areas. And foreign women are hot.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 34,568 ✭✭✭✭Biggins


    judgefudge wrote: »
    ...Just wondering what would be the most useful language to know, in your opinion?

    Better make it French, German or Chinese.

    Learning Chinese and Japanese myself.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭✭later12


    No mention of Mathematics? It's the only universal language. You can talk about abstract ideas with people from all walks of life at any time, without having to open a single page of a dictionary.

    As for the more traditional languages, people claim that Chinese languages are important than English. I find that hard to credit given the ingrained nature of the English language and the importance that the Chinese are placing on English, which is well established as the language of business and economics.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,148 ✭✭✭plein de force


    Probably mandarin chinese

    but that could be extremely difficult for a native english speaker to learn

    so Spanish is really widely spoken, German is from the same language family as english
    and i speak french, found it easy to learn but not as useful as spanish so id go with that


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,053 ✭✭✭BornToKill


    Esperanto

    Already speak it like a native.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭gubbie


    If you're going to be travelling close to home: French/Spanish
    If you're looking for a new line of work near home: German
    If you're looking for work at home: Polish/Russian
    If you're looking to go to China and become crazy wealthy: Chinese

    Look at your friend set. Have you any that speak a particular language? Go for that. You could talk to them in that language. Have a bro-club


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,997 ✭✭✭latenia


    Latin. I've never had an Italian, Spanish or Romanian lesson in my life yet I can pick up a newspaper in any of those languages and understand it no problem.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    I'm learning french and spanish from audio cd's and books I downloaded from the internet. I'd recommend the Michel Thomas method. I should add, of the 100 ppl on my floor in work, there's about 10 native english speakers. I sit directly in front of a french team and next to a spanish one so I have plenty of opportunity to practice/get laughed at.

    If you're looking for a handy languare to go traveling with, go with spanish. If you go with something like italian, you'll only ever get a chance to use it in italy. Whereas there are far more spanish speaking countries.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,758 ✭✭✭Stercus Accidit


    I would highly recommend it. It's one of the easiest languages for english natives to learn :D

    It's also ripe pickings for comedic and insensitive over pronunciation!


  • Registered Users Posts: 464 ✭✭Marcin_diy


    Learn Polish language.
    According to the latest Census 2011 there are more people in Ireland speaking Polish than Irish.

    I'm wondering, why still all official documents/letters/sign posts are in English and Irish, not English and Polish :D:D:D
    :cool:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 21 THEBALLS


    judgefudge wrote: »
    So I'm thinkin of learning a language, branchin out a little.

    I was lookin at them Rosetta Stone things and gonna get one I reckon but they're really expensive. Just wondering what would be the most useful language to know, in your opinion?

    hold on....rosetta stone comes on a disc..........since when did we pay for stuff that comes on a disc :P


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 21 THEBALLS


    Marcin_diy wrote: »
    Learn Polish language.
    According to the latest Census 2011 there are more people in Ireland speaking Polish than Irish.

    I'm wondering, why still all official documents/letters/sign posts are in English and Irish, not English and Polish :D:D:D
    :cool:

    cause this is IRELAND........not that crappy slum chunk of Russia


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,221 ✭✭✭A_Sober_Paddy


    01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 00001101 00001010


  • Registered Users Posts: 136 ✭✭PG4000


    The language of love


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,081 ✭✭✭fricatus


    latenia wrote: »
    Latin. I've never had an Italian, Spanish or Romanian lesson in my life yet I can pick up a newspaper in any of those languages and understand it no problem.

    I learned Spanish, and I could pick up an Italian, Spanish, Romanian or Portuguese newspaper and understand it, no problem.

    Plus, I was able to converse with loads of people who haven't been dead for 2,000 years!


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,768 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    FUS RO DAH!


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,081 ✭✭✭fricatus


    Clareman wrote: »
    COBOL
    Java
    C++
    later12 wrote: »
    Mathematics

    The question is obviously about human languages. Have you all missed this point, or are you just being wilfully dense?

    The OP clearly wants to meet foreign chicks, not sit up in his bedroom playing with a fcuking computer like ye lot!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭omahaid


    later12 wrote: »
    No mention of Mathematics? It's the only universal language.

    How would I go about ordering a snack box and a batter sausage in Mathematics?


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