Top 9 languages that engineers NEED to know and learn

Chinese – Mandarin

Mandarin Chinese is the most widely-spoken language on the planet with over 1 billion native speakers and growing. With China being the most heavily populated country on the planet, it is no surprise that Mandarin has so many speakers.

This is an incredibly tough language to learn due to the variety of pronunciations and tones of words. Learning this language will open you up to work on engineering with over 10% of the world's minds, so this is a must-know in the modern global economy.

Those who search for lucrative engineering jobs can easily find them in China. Due to the vast number of projects in this part of the world, it is also a great place for university students to practice their skills and improve their knowledge. 

Arabic

One of the world's oldest languages, Arabic is mainly spoken in the middle east where much expansion is currently occurring. Native speakers are found in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and many more. Arabic is also the language of the Koran, so many Muslims around the world know Arabic as well.

Surprisingly, Arabic was made the sixth official language of the United Nations in 1974. Always remember that there are lots of Arabic countries investing in their infrastructure. Lots of them are prepared to pay the top dollar for highly proficient engineers.

German

We have all heard of famous German engineering, so it should be no surprise that learning German could help you expand your engineering skills across the world. Germany is also the second-largest exporter in the world, and the fourth-largest economy worldwide, so if you work in the engineering and technology fields,

German definitely, need to know. You should also consider attending an engineering program at one of the numerous German universities. The experience will likely be good and it is always beneficial to have a German degree. Given how much they contributed to the field over the years this is a good way to start your career. 

English

You are probably wondering why English is on a list of top languages to learn from engineers written in English. After all, you should already know English right? Well, even if you know English, communicating effectively and efficiently in the technical world doesn't come naturally, and you will probably need to work on it.

Before you start learning another language, you could try honing your English skills and becoming a more effective communicator. Most people think they know English by simply being exposed to the Internet. Don't be fooled by this as there are numerous engineering phrases that you need to learn in order to properly do the job and communicate with other English speakers. 

Russian

The largest native language in Europe, Russian, is the official language of many smaller European and Asian countries, as well as, of course, Russia. It is widely spoken in Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and a few other locations.

You will most likely want to learn this language if you foresee yourself working in Eastern Europe. It is also a great starting point for learning other Slavic languages later on. 

Portuguese

You probably don't think of Portuguese when you think of the world's top languages, but it currently ranks number 6 in most speakers around the world, and its speakers are spread across many continents.

From South America to Europe, learning Portuguese can come in handy for any work you do in these areas. If you frequent South America, it is the second most spoken language, after Spanish of course.

Spanish

Most people in the USA were probably taught a little Spanish in grade school, and there is a good reason for that. Almost every South American and Central American country speaks Spanish, not to mention Spain.

The English language has many words based on Spanish origins as well, so if you speak English already, Spanish may be a good starter language to learn.