Learn to Speak Arabic

As Russian was the most valuable language to know in the U.S. during the Cold War era, Arabic speakers in the United States are now highly sought after individuals. With developing business in the Islamic world and Arabic speaking countries becoming increasingly important trade partners and adversaries, Arabic is not only a language spoken by a huge percentage of the world's population (as many as 422 million native speakers and 245 non-native speakers), but also a language increasingly studied around the world. Arabic spoken across the Middle East and Northern Africa (it is the official language for 25 countries) and is also the language of the Qu'aran and an official language of the United Nations. Arabic is the official language for the third most countries in the world after English and French, making it a language used across vast geographic and cultural areas. If you want to learn a language that you will definitely be able to use or a language that is sure to score you a good job, than Arabic is a great bet.

Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Semitic language group (which also includes Hebrew, Amharic, Maltese and other language spoken in Islamic parts of Africa). Just as Latin has contributed to most European languages, Arabic has contributed to most Islamic languages and the language has been a major vehicle of culture, science, mathematics and philosophy over the years. The most difficult part English speakers may have when learning Arabic, is that it is written and read from right to left and using a different alphabet. However, Arabic pronunciation and spelling are regular and predictable.

There is a plethora of ways to learn Arabic. A great way to start learning the language is by finding a local community college or private language institution that offers courses in Arabic. Starting to learn the basics in a classroom setting can jump-start the learning process and make the learning curve steeper later on. Because Arabic is so widely spoken in so many countries, it is not difficult to travel to an Arabic speaking country to practice your communication skills. The best way to learn Arabic (and any other language for that matter) is to immerse yourself in it. A few weeks of speaking Arabic on a daily basis is worth more than a year in a classroom. Hiring a private tutor and finding an Arabic conversation class is another option. If you don't have the opportunity to travel to an Arabic speaking country, purchasing a program like Rosetta Stone can help you start learning the basics of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.