Language learning is becoming increasingly important for jobs and companies, with translation services playing a significant role. With 43% of people worldwide being bilingual.
(Credit: Times higher education)
Second Languages Spoken: Language learning as a talent is no longer limited to the market for translation services. Speaking and understanding various languages is becoming more and more of a requirement for jobs and companies. A well-known language learning program, Preply, estimates that 43% of people worldwide are bilingual and 17% are multilingual. Furthermore, another major participant in the language learning industry, Duolingo Inc., said that the number of its daily learners rose by 63% in 2023.
English is the most widely spoken second language in the world, but it also has the largest market share for language study, with students hailing from more than 122 nations. According to a Duolingo Inc. survey, nearly 49% of its users say that their primary motivation for learning English is their job or school. Additionally, you may view the 16 Easiest Languages for Spanish Speakers to Learn and the 25 Most Spoken Native Languages in the World.
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In addition, the majority of young individuals under 30 are leading the charge in language acquisition. The survey claims that Gen Z in the UK is the main factor behind the popularity of language courses in Korean and Japanese. Furthermore, 72% of Duolingo Inc.’s new Portuguese language learners were under 30. The expanding number of foreign career prospects and the trend toward remote work are also motivating young people to pick up new languages. As to Forbes, out of all full-time employees in America, 12.7% work from home, while 28.7% have a hybrid work arrangement. Furthermore, it is projected that by 2025, 22% of workers will work remotely.
Furthermore, multilingual individuals are in high demand by foreign employers. As to a Forbes survey, employees who speak at least one language other than English are preferred by 90% of employers globally. This is because the employers feel that such employees can expand their business outreach and increase the likelihood of conducting business internationally. Furthermore, according to 56% of companies surveyed for the same report, there will be a huge increase in demand for bilingual and multilingual workers over the next five years.
Two of the careers that persons with multilingual talents can aim for are translation and interpreting services. The global market for translation services was estimated by The Business Research Company to be worth $23.1 billion in 2023. It is anticipated that the market would expand at a 4.8% compound yearly growth rate and reach $29.85 billion by 2028. Multilingual content production, international commerce and cooperation, international corporate expansion, and rising international travel are the drivers propelling the market’s growth.
The market for translation services is being driven by the rise in online learning, technological developments in translation software, and growing demand for languages other than English. Particularly since the epidemic, e-learning and online education have grown in prominence. All throughout the world, students are acquiring new skills and education outside of traditional classroom settings.
McKinsey reports that between 2019 and 2020, the enrollment rate at online universities rose by 11%. In order to provide education for everyone without a language barrier, translation services are important for e-learning platforms and online colleges. Online learning services, such as Udemy Inc, offer video lectures and translated transcripts so that consumers can take a variety of courses in multiple languages.
5,300,327 people speak it as a second language.
As the official language of Odisha state in India, Odia is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family. There are various dialects of the Odia language, but Mughlabandi is considered the mainstream dialect. The 25th most spoken second language worldwide is odia.
5,740,000 people speak it as a second language.
Algerian Spoken Arabic, a dialect of Maghrebi Arabic spoken in Algeria, France, Egypt, and Tunisia, comes in at number 24 on our list. Around 5 million people worldwide speak it as a second language.
6,017,500 people speak it as a second language.
Turkish is the official language of Cyprus and Turkey and is a member of the larger Atlantic language family. The Ottoman Empire brought the Turkish language to Turkey and it has a long and rich history that dates back to about 2500 years. Over 6 million individuals speak it as a second language worldwide.
6,164,000 people speak it as a second language.
The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, which is a member of the larger Slavic language family’s East Slavic subgroup. Slovak, Belarusian, Polish, Russian, and other nearby languages all share its lexicon.
8,053,000 people speak it as a second language.
Tamil, which is a member of the Dravidian language family, is the official language of Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. During the colonial era, speakers of this language immigrated to several nations. There are more than 8 million people worldwide who speak Tamil as a second language.
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Nine million people speak it as a second language.
Sudanese Arabic is spoken as a second language by 9 million people, placing it 20th out of the 25 most spoken languages in the world. Sudanese Arabic is a widely spoken Arabic dialect that heavily incorporates terminology from neighboring languages. The Egyptian and Hejazi dialects are closely related to the Arabic dialect used in Sudan.
9,620,000 people speak it as a second language.
Moroccan Arabic, also referred to as Darija, is a dialect of Arabic that is spoken in Morocco. The dialect bears similarities to those spoken in Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is not, however, at all like the Arabic dialect spoken in the East. Around 9.5 million individuals speak Moroccan Arabic as a second language worldwide.
10,001,840 people speak it as a second language.
In addition to being spoken in at least eleven other nations—including Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and the US—Burmese is the official language of Myanmar. Almost ten million individuals speak it as a second language worldwide.
13,015,000 people speak it as a second language.
With more than 13 million speakers worldwide, Telugu comes in at number 17 on our list. In terms of native speakers in India, it is second only to Hindi, and is spoken more frequently in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
15,009,260 people speak it as a second language.
Karnataka, in India, has Kannada as its official language. Kannada is a member of the Dravidian language family. Said to be among the oldest of the Dravidian language family, it is a second language spoken by more than 15 million people.
16,015,600 people speak it as a second language.
Marathi, the official language of Maharashtra, is a member of the Indo-European language family and is widely spoken throughout India. Speaking Marathi outside of India include Israel and Mauritius. 15th on our list, with 16 million speakers of it as a second language worldwide.
21,431,000 people speak it as a second language.
The official language of Iran is Iranian Persian, sometimes referred to as Western Persian or Farsi. Other Gulf nations that speak it include Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, and portions of the United Arab Emirates. Worldwide, about 21 million people speak it as a second language.
25,000,000 people speak it as a second language.
Arabic spoken in Egypt, or Masri, is a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Egypt is where it is most frequently spoken. Nonetheless, this language is also spoken in other Middle Eastern nations, including as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, and Iraq.
26,776,020 people speak it as a second language.
With more than 26 million people speaking it as a second language, Husa is ranked 12th on our list. It is a member of the Chadic language family and is among the most widely spoken languages in West and Central Africa.
27,372,200 people speak it as a second language.
Mozambique, Portugal, Angola, Brazil, and Cape Verde all recognize it as their official language. More than 27 million individuals speak Portuguese, a Romance language, as a second language worldwide.
39,019,880 people speak it as a second language.
On our list of the 25 most widely spoken second languages worldwide, Bengali comes in at number 10 with over 39 million speakers. It is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family and the national language of Bangladesh. In certain regions of India, particularly in West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, it is also widely spoken.
57,963,800 people speak it as a second language.
One of the most widely spoken languages in Europe is German, which is mostly spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. Over 57 million people worldwide speak German as a second language. It is a member of the Indo-European language family.
74,014,930 people speak it as a second language.
On our list, Spanish is the ninth most often spoken second language. Almost 74 million people speak it as a second language worldwide. Spoken widely in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States of America, Spanish is a Romance language that is a member of the Indo-European family.
107,987,980 people speak it as a second language.
Russian is the seventh most-spoken second language in the world, with over 100 million speakers worldwide. Russia’s official language is Russian, which is a member of the Slavic language family.
155,447,100 people speak it as a second language.
Spoken as the official language of Indonesia, Indonesian is a dialect of Malay. More than 155 million people speak Indonesian as a second language, making it the sixth most spoken second language on our list.
161,162,800 people speak it as a second language.
Urdu is among the top 5 languages on our list. Globally, about 161 million people speak it as a second language. Pakistan’s official language is Urdu, which is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family.
198,985,000 people speak it as a second language.
The Mandarin dialect of Chinese comes in at number four on our list, with over 198 million speakers of the language as a second language. The most widely spoken dialect in Taiwan and China is mandarin.
229,034,030 people speak it as a second language.
More than 229 million people speak French as a second language, making it the third most spoken language in the world. Not only is French the official language of France and several other countries, but international organizations like the International Olympic Committee also use it as their common official language.
264,803,900 people speak it as a second language.
Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India and the second most spoken second language globally. It is divided into two regions: Eastern and Western. It is an Indo-Aryan language and has lexical and dialect similarities with Urdu.
1,076,766,120 people speak it as a second language.
English is the most widely spoken second language in the world, with over a billion people using it as their first. In the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, English is acknowledged as the international business language and as the language of choice.
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