Is French Useful?

What is the most useful language? English? Spanish? Mandarin? Latin? Nope. The answer might surprise you, but it’s actually French. While the language is often overlooked, there are many benefits that come with learning French.

At first thought, it may seem like French isn’t spoken in many places, but the language isn’t just limited to France – it’s spoken throughout the world. French is one of the two languages spoken in six of the seven continents: Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Excluding English, it’s the third-most spoken language in the United States and is actually spoken in more countries than Spanish, being the official language in 29 countries while Spanish is the official language in only 20. This places French as the fifth-most spoken language in the world. If you're a big traveler, or have ever considered living anywhere besides the United States, French’s global reach makes it an exceptionally valuable language to know.

When looking for a job, knowing French can have many benefits for almost every career path. Because French is spoken in so many places, it’s often used when trading. Moreover, international organizations, like the United Nations, include French in their list of six official languages, and other intergovernmental or humanitarian organizations are always seeking workers who speak French, considering its widespread use. Even without speaking French, just knowing how to speak more than one language can lead to a salary raise from 10 to 15%. Given the popularity of French, a future income increase is nearly guaranteed. With these statistics, it’s no wonder that Bloomberg Rankings considers French the second-most useful language for business.

For those considering different college majors, choosing French comes with many additional perks. According to the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), those who majored in French gained stronger skills in writing, analytical thinking, and critical thinking compared to others who majored in different areas. Newsweek also announced French as one of the top ten most useful majors, defining “useful” as “majors most likely to lead to less unemployment and higher earnings, and which are in industries projected to grow in the next decade according to research from Georgetown University and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics." 

For any English-speaking person considering learning French, it’s not too difficult to learn compared to other languages, according to the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Learning any language can be difficult, but French can be considered easier than others since it, just like English, uses the Latin alphabet. In addition, words in French and words in English have around a 30% similarity in either pronunciation and/or definition. Words such as brunette, petite, and silhouette, for example, are directly derived from French. There’s no difficulty in finding a learning platform, either, as French teaching is very common throughout the world.

But that’s not all. There are many expectations for French to become even more widely used within the next few decades. French is often considered the language of the future; according to a prediction from Natixis investment bank, it will become one of the most spoken languages in the world by 2050 – with 750 million speakers worldwide.

In conclusion, French is a language full of different uses; whether it’s school, work, travel, or just general speaking, the benefits are innumerable, and anyone can find enjoyment speaking French. As Napoleon said, “Impossible n’est pas français.”