But which language should I study?

Like most university students who study another language, you too may want to make Spanish your choice. It is, after all, the second language of our nation and the language spoken by principal trading partners around the world. But you may also want to study or add a language that will equip you with a dimension that distinguishes you from many others: 

Or, consider French, the language learned by those interested in French Art and History and their integral links to American culture; by those wanting to visit American tourists’ favorite destinations, from Provence to the Alps, from Paris to the wine country; by those wanting to experience life la francaise, which includes month-long holidays, an inordinate time of eating, drinking, and speaking of politics (a refreshing change in a Dilbertesque era of corporate downsizing and mega-mergers).

Or consider German, the language of the friendly economic giant of Europe, the European country with the deepest and most extensive ties to U.S. commerce; of the genius in music, literature, philosophy, and science (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, Mahler, Goethe, Thomas Mann, Hesse, Kafka, Luther, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, and Einstein); of Austria and most of Switzerland; of some of the worst outlaws and some of the most poignant victims of the 20th century--in short, the language of the culture which, if only for the spectacle of its contradictions, has extraordinary significance in the modern age. 

Or consider Russian, the language spoken by millions of people from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean; by those interested in international affairs and business opportunities in the East; by those interested in science and mathematics where Russia still leads.

And then there’s Portuguese, an official language in countries on five continents, spoken from Mozambique to Macao; it is the language of Brazil, which has the eighth largest economy in the world and the second largest economy in the Americas; it is studied by those interested in making connections between the Americas, either in culture or in business; by those interested in the history of European empire-building and its effects in Africa, Asia, and South America.

(Shahab Mahdavi)