Foreign languages open the door to a unique world of opportunities – prospects for a bigger scope of work, better offers in your field of professional choice, and a greater pool of contacts. And if you are a translator, it’s always better to go after multiple language proficiency. According to one study, The Global Online Language Learning Market is projected to reach USD 25.73 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 10.2% from 2022.

But learning a foreign language perfectly requires a great amount of work, time, and investment. It’s never a simple undertaking to choose a new language to master in your 20s or 30s and that choice is what we are going to talk about in this article, by bringing to your attention the 5 top-paid foreign languages to choose from right now (besides English).

Although considered one of the most challenging foreign languages out there, learning German brings good money to those who know to speak it proficiently. In the corporate sector alone, as far as translation services go, German is one of the most popular and in high-demand languages to know, especially in finance. It

Experts in the German language have certain advantages in the science field, engineering, power and utility, management, medical and healthcare, and automotive, and it’s considered a plus when applying for positions at large German companies. These include BASF, BWM, Volkswagen, Daimler, and more. Students who know German have a vast advantage. It’s the official language in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Belgium, besides Germany, but it’s also vastly spoken in Italy, Denmark, Hungary, and Slovakia. As foreign languages go, German is also the second most commonly used language on the internet.

French is the world’s second-most broadly taught foreign language, bringing immense opportunities to corporate carers and professional realization. In fields such as education, finance, export and import, travel, aeronautics, and fashion, French is the primary working language, bringing many professionals a lot of opportunities in big corporations around the world (in over 30 countries).

French is one of the highest-compensated foreign languages worldwide, and there are actually more French speakers outside of France than in France itself. It’s the official language in many countries, among which are Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, Canada, Luxembourg, and others. It continues to be one of the most popular choices among students both at the school and university levels, bringing a good number of international workers for many outsourcing businesses.

Spanish – or Español – is spoken across 20 nations, with over 470 million native and 100 million non-native speakers worldwide. It’s a popular choice for a second language in Europe and USA, and Spanish-speaking countries are among the leaders in the globalized economy.

Spanish is among the top picks among the highest-paid foreign languages to invest in right now. It’s even more preferred because it’s considered particularly easier to learn, in regards to both grammar and pronunciation.

Japanese is one of those unique languages that are much sought-after and required in many fields – since there aren’t so much fluent Japanese-speaking professionals who are not natives. Japan is considered the seat of tech innovation (with the presence of companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Nippon), and knowing Japanese will only bring you closer to your professional expansion in that field. Not to mention that Japanese translators are widely sought-after worldwide.

Internationally, Japanese is one of the most profitable languages, bringing a decent living and good employment opportunities to any who masters it. Around 125 million speak in the world and their skill is definitely in demand since Japanese remains the 6th most in-demand language.

South Korea’s economy is rapidly developing, so experts fluent in Korean are becoming more and more in demand. International companies like Samsung, KIA, LG, Hyundai, and more are Korean-based, so job opportunities are constantly increasing.

Learning Korean brings an increased salary and a good compensation package in many fields besides tech, including the movie industry, teaching, jobs at embassies, tourism and travel, and aviation. Fluency in this language all but guarantees a unique advantage in the employment market and very well-paid positions for those who have indeed mastered this language.

Your choice in what foreign language to learn depends on many things – your field of professional choice, your native language, and your ambition forward. Nevertheless, the chances to thrive in any global environment and get the highest pay in your field will increase a good amount if you master one of the aforementioned languages. The advantages you will get over your competition, as well as opportunities, will be vast. So don’t hesitate anymore and jump right on it!