Is it pracrical for an Arab to learn Spanish as a third language?

Question

¡Hola!

Do you think it's practical for a native Arabic speaker (an Egyptian to be more specific) to learn Spanish as a third language (after Arabic and English)?

Things that you might want to concider in addition to your own view and experience: - I am studying Economics (not business). - Everyone here learns English and if they think of an additional language they will probably go for French. - I have already studied French in school ( My French would probably puttb me in an elementary level, if I were to take a French course) - I am here asking whether it's PRACTICAL (would help me in my studies or my future career) or not, not about which one is easier. - I am a little more interested in learning Spanish than French (but that's probably because I haven't studied it before unlike French!).

My thought is that learning Spanish instead of French would either give me a competitive advantage ( since fewer people learn it) or it would of no practical use ( although it would still be a fun and pleasant experience)

• I apologize ahead for posting in English not in Spanish and for any grammatical or spelling mistakes if there is any

Gracias )

Okay, Thanks for replying! - applerbear, Jul 17, 2013

I'll try to figure out which of the two languages is really demanded in the market and go for it first, but I'll definetly learn Spanish someday - applerbear, Jul 17, 2013

Answer 1

Hi,

It's a good question, but one I think you can answer much better than us, but I'll make 3 comments.

First, you would have a much better idea of the value of Spanish vs French in your region. Spanish may be a more unique skill there, but it might also be less in demand, in which case there would not be a practical benefit. I don't think we can know that.

On the other hand, globally (vs just in your region), Spanish is a much more widely spoken language, so it might well give you access to a larger market.

Also, part of learning a language ought to be just the interest in it. You seem to have that, so maybe that alone is reason enough.

En todo caso, buena suerte.

I agree. - chileno, Jul 14, 2013

Yes, I agree Roger, I think the biggest determiner would be where a person is planning to live and work. - 0095ca4c, Jul 14, 2013

Answer 2

Rogspax gives good advice. Most importantly decide where you are going to use that other language: Europe? Africa? the Americas? Asia? In Africa and Europe, perhaps French would be more to your advantage, in the Americas obviously Spanish and in Asia perhaps neither.

If you decide on Spanish, please come back and let us help you progress in your studies!

Answer 3

French is a language that lives off prestige more than anything, except in the places where it is acutally spoken. German, Mandarin, Portuguese and even Spanish are more "practical"

Answer 4

Rogspax has summed it up very well. But I'd like to offer a different view:

Before I pursued Spanish, I studied Russian, not for practicality, but to see if I could conquer it (Russian, Chinese, and English are supposed to be the 3 hardest languages to learn). I don't really related to anyone who speaks Russian, whereas I'm relating more (now) with Hispanics.

I think that there is always an advantage to learning a new language, even if it's not the popular local choice. If you're going to go international via Internet, Spanish is spoken in many countries. Plus, if there is a desire for Spanish-speakers to learn Arabic, this could be the start of a very productive and beneficial project. Any volunteers?