In this article, we will be looking at the 15 best foreign languages to learn for a child. If you would like to skip our detailed analysis of language learning for children, you can directly go to the 5 Best Foreign Languages to Learn for a Child.
Why Language Education Matters in the Early Years
In a world where globalization heightens with every passing day, learning foreign languages can open people up to a plethora of new experiences, including travel, career, and cross-cultural relationships. While there are over 7,000 living languages today, accessing just a few will change your worldview. Research has shown connections between language learning and skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, information retention, and empathy. Thus learning new languages serves several cognitive benefits as well.
According to Scientific American, language learning should start at a younger age, preferably before the child reaches ten, which makes childhood the best age to teach a foreign language to a child. Before adolescence, it is easier for the brain to adjust itself to a second language, an ability which decreases with age. The point, however, is not to discourage adults from language education. Acquiring a new language is a beneficial skill at any point in one’s life, but kids may find it slightly easier to get accustomed to this process while also gaining several benefits in the process.
A 2021 study by D'Souza et al. discovered that kids who grew up as bilinguals found it easier to distinguish visual changes as well as shift their attention from one image to another quickly. Another research from 2013, titled 'Bilingualism in the Early Years', concluded that bilingual children tend to demonstrate higher empathy, including the understanding of other perspectives, desires, thoughts, and intentions. Robust language systems that work by detecting changes in the rhythm and tone of certain words will also enable their learners to get better at understanding tone of voice, another benefit picked up by this study. Tonal languages such as Yoruba, Mandarin, and Cantonese can offer these benefits, and they’re also some of the most spoken languages in the world.
It might seem daunting to push kids to pick up a second language, but if kids can excel in learning programming languages, human communication is no different. In fact, language learning is a prime example of how the first step is the toughest, but the rest comes easy. In 2017, Grey et al. discovered that bilingual kids find it easier to pick up other languages in the future because they already have a strong foundation for language learning. Thus, these kids receive an edge in careers that may require multilingual candidates.
Career Opportunities for Multilingual Kids
The primary reasons for encouraging kids to become multilingual include higher education and career opportunities. In the QS World Universities Ranking published in June 2023, 11 of the top 50 universities are in Asia, while six are in Europe, minus those in the UK. Many of these countries do not have English as an official language or do not actually use it as a medium of instruction. For students wanting to get into any of these universities, having access to the country’s language will open a lot of closed doors.
After education, career paths are another brilliant reason for kids to learn other foreign languages. It makes it easier to conduct business in various countries and tap into foreign markets, but it also paves the way for diplomatic careers. The United Nations has five official and working languages other than English. Official languages are those in which the UN documents are available while working languages are used for internal staff communication.
For people who might not speak either of the six UN languages, their lives are made easier by translators and interpreters. According to a report by The Business Research Company, the global translation services market was valued at $22.7 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% until 2027, reaching a value of $27.86 billion by the end of the forecasted period. As the demand for foreign languages increases, the industry is bound to grow. A 2019 language industry survey by EUATC found that some of the industries with the highest demand for translators were legal, governmental, travel, media, and finance. Furthermore, Industry Research valued the interpretation industry at $9.4 billion in 2021, projecting it to reach $17.5 billion by 2027, at an expected CAGR of 10.7%. According to ZipRecruiter, foreign language linguist jobs in the US can pay up to $153,000 per year, whereas interpreter jobs can pay up to $80,500 per year.
Resources to Help Children Acquire Foreign Languages
Not every important language in today’s world is easy to learn, but even the most difficult languages can be tackled well through the proper resources. School might be the best place for kids to pick up a new language, but there are gaps in what languages are accessible in American schools. According to a report by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey, Romance languages are the most common foreign language courses in US high schools, with 46% of all classes focusing on Spanish and 21% on French.
In this environment, companies such as Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) become instrumental. Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) is a language learning platform that offers 43 languages, including lesser-spoken ones like Welsh and Irish and fictional ones like High Valyrian and Klingon. According to a study conducted by the company itself, finishing five sections of a language on Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) can be equivalent to five semesters of reading and listening to the said language. In the third quarter of 2023, 26 hedge funds were long Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) with stakes worth $1.36 billion. This is compared to 30 positions in the second quarter of 2023 with stakes worth $1.31 billion.
While platforms like these can surely come in handy, many people may need to supplement their language learning with additional resources like those offered by Coursera Inc (NYSE:COUR) or Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY). Coursera Inc (NYSE:COUR) is an educational platform that offers courses in over 40 languages, using a classroom-like model to facilitate learning. In 2023, Coursera Inc (NYSE:COUR) expanded to offer VR features in Chinese language courses, which enhance learning by complementing the existing course material. Through VR technology, learners can virtually travel to Chinese settings, where they can interact with native speakers. In the third quarter of 2023, Coursera Inc (NYSE:COUR) was a part of $133.2 million. This is compared to 21 hedge funds in the prior quarter with stakes worth $125.1 million. The hedge fund sentiment for the stock is positive.
Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY) is an online learning and teaching marketplace offering foreign language courses for beginners, advanced learners, and those looking to learn for fun. Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY) also offers generic courses like ‘How to Learn and Memorize the Vocabulary of Any Languages’, which can help kids in any language learning program. Over the past three months, Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY) has received Buy ratings from 5 Wall Street analysts. The stock has an average price target of $14.43 and a high forecast of $20.
Now that we have established how language learning can be beneficial for kids let’s take a look at the 15 best foreign languages to learn for a child based on several metrics.
15 Best Foreign Languages to Learn for a Child
15 Best Foreign Languages to Learn for a Child
Our Methodology
In order to devise a ranking for the 15 best foreign languages to learn for a child, we undertook a three-prong process. First, we utilized the Power Language Index by Kai L. Chan to shortlist the 20 most influential languages in terms of economy. Next, we shortlisted the 15 which had the highest number of speakers. Lastly, to organize the 15 languages in a ranking, the FSI Language Difficulty Ranking was used. The FSI categorizes languages into five categories, with those in Category 1 being the easiest to learn. For all the languages equal in terms of difficulty, the tie was broken based on economic influence.
Note: The difficulty level is determined for English speakers. Furthermore, the language with the most speakers and economic influence is English, which will not be added to this list because we are working off the notion that it is not a foreign language for American children.
By adopting the unique combination of these three factors, we were able to come up with 15 foreign languages that are easy to learn and highly opportunistic for English-speaking children. Economic influence is essential because it determines how many career opportunities one can expect to come out of learning this language.
The number of speakers holds importance because it showcases how many people you can practice the language with. It is also somewhat telling of how helpful the language will be during travel because a high number of speakers may symbolize that a language is spoken in more places. Lastly, FSI rankings will help kids and parents make an informed decision about which language they want to invest time in, given its average learning duration.
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15 Best Foreign Languages to Learn for a Child
15. Korean
Rank of Economic Influence: 14
Number of Speakers: 81.7 million
FSI Category: 5
In February 2023, Korean was the 5th most popular language on Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL), with 11.8 million learners, up from 7th place in 2022. While South Korea is certainly coming up in terms of its economy, one of the biggest reasons behind the growing popularity of the language is the ‘South Korean Wave’, characterized by the Korean media industry. Hits like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game’ have brought much attention to the language, as has the internationally acclaimed pop group BTS. According to FSI, it takes 88 weeks or 2,200 hours to reach proficiency in Category 5 languages.
14. Cantonese
Rank of Economic Influence: 11
Number of Speakers: 86.6 million
FSI Category: 5
Cantonese is one of the best foreign languages for a child because it is the second most commonly spoken variety of Chinese. While most Cantonese speakers live in Southern China, in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the language is spoken by Chinese communities worldwide. The language is also spoken in Hong Kong, which is considered an optimal place for startups, considering its tax-friendly system and lack of exchange controls. It is also one of the wealthiest economies in the world and a region well-known for its technological advancement.
13. Standard Arabic
Rank of Economic Influence: 9
Number of Speakers: 274 million
FSI Category: 5
Standard Arabic refers to the language spoken in Saudi Arabia and taught in schools throughout the Middle East. Despite there being differences in Arabic dialects all over the region, most Arabic-speaking individuals will be able to understand modern standard Arabic. One of the biggest reasons for indulging in this language is travel because Arabic is the official or co-official language of around 25 countries. Countries like Jordan, UAE, and Egypt are rising fast in terms of their tourism potential, attracting more and more people. Egypt is also known for its media industry, so knowing the language can expose people to consuming the content in its original language. Arabic is also one of the official languages of the UN.
12. Japanese
Rank of Economic Influence: 4
Number of Speakers: 123.4 million
FSI Category: 5
Japanese is the most popular Asian language on Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL), with 13.8 million speakers worldwide. When looking at US language industry jobs, Japanese linguists are the second highest-paid, with an average salary of $153,000 a year. Many consider Japanese a ‘gateway’ to learning other Asian languages like Mandarin or Korean. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the largest one in Asia in terms of listed companies. In 2021, TSE had 3,784 listed companies. Media is another reason kids may be inclined to learn Japanese, with the US being one of the largest markets for Japanese anime.
11. Mandarin
Rank of Economic Influence: 2
Number of Speakers: 1.1 billion
FSI Category: 5
Mandarin Chinese is the most commonly spoken Chinese variant and is the 2nd most spoken language in the world. Chinese has also commanded business and economic importance for years, considering that it is the second-largest economy in the world, with a nominal GDP of $17.96 trillion. It is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world and will open children up to many opportunities. This is why Chinese is one of the best foreign languages for a child to learn. Mandarin Chinese is one of the official languages of the UN as well.
10. Hindi
Rank of Economic Influence: 16
Number of Speakers: 609.5 million
FSI Category: 4
According to FSI, 44 weeks or 1,100 hours are needed to reach proficiency in Category 4 languages. India is one of the world’s most rapidly advancing countries in technological development, with over 25% of Silicon Valley startups managed by Indians. Hindi is one of the best foreign languages to learn for children because it will facilitate cross-cultural communication with one of the world’s largest economies as well as film industries, i.e. Bollywood.
09. Russian
Rank of Economic Influence: 12
Number of Speakers: 255 million
FSI Category: 4
Despite being one of the tougher languages on this list, Russian has one of the highest educational benefits. The number of Russian research publications in the STEM field has been growing, even though many tend to stay within the country due to the language barrier. Once kids learn the language, they can access an abundance of educational content that might otherwise have been out of reach. Russian is one of the six working languages of the UN. These are the reasons why it is one of the best foreign languages for a child to learn.
08. Malay
Rank of Economic Influence: 17
Number of Speakers: 200 million
FSI Category: 3
For the purpose of this list, Malay refers to both the variants spoken in Malaysia and Indonesia, which are mutually intelligible. It is the only Category 3 language on this list, which requires 36 weeks or 900 hours of instruction for proficiency. Malaysia and Indonesia are highly emerging economies, making this an excellent language for career progression. Learning either variant will provide access to both countries, so it is like learning two languages with one. Malay is also the official language of Singapore, one of Asia's strongest economies.
07. German
Rank of Economic Influence: 3
Number of Speakers: 133.2 million
FSI Category: 2
German is the only language in Category 2 of FSI because it is a unique language that requires 30 weeks of study due to its similarity to English. Germany is not only the world’s 4th largest economy in terms of GDP but also one of the best-ranked countries for higher education. Furthermore, Swiss German is the most spoken language in Switzerland. ETH Zurich in Switzerland is the seventh university on the QS rankings, first if you consider universities outside the UK and USA.
06. Portuguese
Rank of Economic Influence: 19
Number of Speakers: 263.6 million
FSI Category: 1
Category 1 languages are closely related to English and can be learned proficiently in 24-30 weeks or 600-750 hours of study. Portuguese is the official language of several territories and countries other than Portugal itself, such as Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, etc. Portugal and Brazil are highly popular for their tourist destinations, as well as football potential. For kids who love the sport, learning the language is a great way to connect more with the sports coverage.
