Several experts speaking to the Russian news agency "Novosti" have indicated that English and Chinese will be the most popular languages in the world during 2024. The experts noted that although English and Chinese will dominate, European languages such as German and French, as well as Arabic, will also have significant popularity. The Deputy Head of the Languages Department at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia stated that students' choices for foreign languages to learn are largely influenced by the current geopolitical conditions, modern international partnerships, and updates made by employers regarding language requirements, in addition to personal interests. She added, "Chinese, Turkish, and Arabic will continue to gain considerable popularity among language enthusiasts, and there may be an increase in the number of people interested in learning Portuguese. As for English, it is no longer just a foreign language due to its dominance as a means of international communication and as a bridge language for representatives of many countries around the world."
It was noted that French and Spanish will remain in demand as they are official languages at the United Nations and in various parts of the world. According to an expert at the National Technology Initiative 2035 University, Alexei Pulovinkin, the top five promising and interesting language fields for 2024 will include English, as it is the language of international communication enabling collaboration with companies and institutions worldwide, in addition to granting access to the latest scientific information, followed by Chinese and Arabic, which are among the six official languages of the UN and are important for business relations with the Middle East and North Africa, along with French and German.
For his part, Rustom Ainietdinov, an expert at the same university and CEO of "Sking," stated that it is premature to discuss a decrease in demand for English, as it is used not only in Western Europe and the United States but also in Asia. Ainietdinov added that there is a growing interest in Chinese, but this interest cannot yet be compared to that for English. Other languages, such as German, Spanish, and French, continue to be popular, and therefore no significant changes in foreign languages are expected in 2024.
