Why you should learn the 'language of the future'

According to a British Council report titled “Language for the future,” the top 10 languages for the future are predicted as being Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese.

The report also makes an economic case why learning Arabic is important.

The report, among other things said:

"Six Arabic speaking countries appear among the UK’s top 50 export market in goods, with a combined value to the economy of over £12 billion in 2012 – more than the value of UK exports to Spain, China or Italy. The Gulf economies are booming as they diversify away from oil and gas, open up their economies and bring down barriers to trade and investment.

"Significant opportunities exist for British companies, particularly in supporting the vast infrastructure work planned in the region.

"Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all been identified by the Confederation of British Industry as priority markets. This is endorsed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Arabic speakers are most sort after in the western world.

The Middle East is becoming important in the global world and geopolitics. However, there are few people who speak Arabic and under the culture of the Arabs in the Western world.

In addition, learning Arabic can land you a job in a variety of fields: journalism, business and industry, education, finance and banking, translation and interpretation, consulting, foreign service and intelligence, and many others.

The Middle East is estimated to have a GDP of over 600 billion dollars annually. The region provides an opportunity for export markets of goods and services. Huge investments are made in areas like construction, finance, telecom and tourism in the Arabian Gulf. Also, the banking system in the Arab world is largely on Sharia laws. To understand Sharia law, you will need a better understanding of the Arabic language, and their culture.

Another reason you should learn Arabic is that it makes the brain works more.

A study conducted by Dr. Raphiq Ibrahim and Prof. Zohar Eviatar at theb in Israel concluded that readers in Arabicperform comparatively much more since the two halves of the brain process Arabic differently than they would for other languages.

“It emerges that the contribution of the two halves of the brain to processing written language depends on the graphic and linguistic structure of these languages,” said Dr. Ibrahim.

The two researchers also noted that Arabic should be strongly encouraged the same way other intellectual activities are, such as Chess, which require a higher-than-normal cerebral activity.

Adding to the millions of Arabic speakers, many more understand the language since the Quran is written in Arabic.

There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center estimate. Islam is also the fastest-growing major religion currently in the world. The language for prayers in Islam is Arabic.

Arabs have made significant contributions in the area of science, medicine, philosophy, literature, mathematics, navigation, astrology and architecture. Knowledge of Arabic enables the exploration of this vast body of knowledge in their original language.

Furthermore, if you are a business man or woman who often travel to the Arab world to do business, it will serve your own interest to be able to speak the language.

Arabs are such that they warm up to be they feel speak their language. This is natural actually. People readily identify with people who speak their language.

You may also want to be a diplomat or as an ambassador in the Arab world. However, you may want to break that language barrier before such an opportunity comes starring you in the face.

Learning Arabic also teaches you a thing or two in the culture of the Arabs. They are noted for their hospitality and you can take advantage of that to visit the region.