Languages have been believed to be a lesser issue in regards to communication with the dawn of the Internet. With the Internet, connecting with other people from other parts of the globe have become as easy clicking a few tabs in any social network. Still, the language barrier is as real as ever before although this has been overcame by the determination of some people to learn other spoken languages other than their own. Safe to say, the larger the population of a spoken language, the higher is the language’s chance to be on the list.

Knowing the top ten spoken languages of the world can help you be better prepared in relating your ideas over the Internet or during those awkward international conferences. This linguistic skill can even get you the approving nods from other people. So what are the top ten on the list?

French. The French language has been dubbed as the most romantic languages in the world, having about 129 million of speakers. Just imagine hearing French words in exotic places like Rwanda, Haiti, Cameroon aside from Canada, Belgium and France.

Malay-Indonesia. About 159 million Asians actually speak Malay-Indonesia and this comes as to no surprise as Indonesia is the sixth most populated place in the world and has Malaysia as its near neighbor. There are many local dialects but most of these are rooted from the Indonesian language.

Portuguese. Okay, so there are tight places like Macau, Angola, Valenzuela, Mazambique and Brazil that speaks Portuguese. These are places visited by the Portuguese navigators centuries ago that explains the spread of the language and ended up being spoken by 191 million people.

Bengali. Yes, about 120 million talks in Bengali everyday. Bengal is near India, also a very highly populated country.

Arabic. Being the sixth language in the United Nations roost can really encourage about 246 million people to speak this language. These people are usually found in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and other territories in the region. Religion also plays a part since the Koran is in Arabic, many Islam people try to learn this language fervently.

Russian. Just when we thought Russia has said it all, about 277 million people are still speaking this language.

Spanish. The wide spread of borrowed Spanish words like bonanza or patio in the English languages says it all – about 392 can speak this language any time.

Hindustani. Perhaps Bollywood or movies made in India has also contributed in making 497 million speak Hindustani.

English. Something familiar like this can really be a comfort, especially if you know another 508 million of people can actually converse with you.

Mandarin. Due to about 1 billion of Chinese, the most spoken language in the world goes to Mandarin. Speaking this languages can take time with its proper tone and pronunciation.

Whatever language you might have in mind, you would want to choose one that has a practical use for you. If it can improve the odds of your career climb, build better communities, have successful international collaboration, then do not hesitate to learn other languages.

Author Bio: Nancy Z.