Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) standardizes the Arabic used in writing and in most formal speech by removing colloquialisms. Most Arabic letters are written in four different forms, depending on whether they are placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, or as a stand-alone letter. ArabicĪrabic is spoken across large swathes of Africa and the Middle East: It’s the official language in 22 sovereign states and has over 25 distinct dialects, meaning that the Arabic spoken in Egypt is different from that spoken in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, and can sometimes feel like a different language altogether.Īrabic reads from right to left: However, when it comes to numbers accompanying currencies, they often tend to remain left-to-right.
Read how Mandarin homophones almost got Coca-Cola in trouble - and how they spun phonetics to their advantage.Īdd to this the liberal use of idioms and aphorisms developed over centuries of poetry, politics, war, ceremony, and religion, and Mandarin becomes arguably the most difficult language for an English speaker to learn. English speakers or learners will be familiar with such false friends as ‘abel’ and ‘able’ or ‘moan’ and ‘mown.’
Yet, Mandarin, like many Chinese languages, is also rich in homophones - words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. The most recited example is ma - each of the words below is pronounced differently, as indicated by the accent above the ‘a’, and each pronunciation carries a different meaning:ĭepending on the tone, ma can mean ‘mother,’ ‘fiber,’ ‘horse’ or ‘curse.’ For an English speaker, however, mastering Mandarin Chinese is a tall order: It’s a tonal language - every sound in its phonetic transcription system, pinyin, has four distinct pronunciations and meanings. Mandarin is spoken by 70% of the Chinese population, and is the most spoken language in the world. Let’s explore the 10 hardest languages for English speakers to learn, and the challenges they deliver: 1.
The tools of the translation trade can take years to master, and even the most accomplished polyglot might not have the right skills.
Then, there’s the subject matter expertise - from marketing suave to healthcare, tech, and finance jargon. There is an art and science to language translation, encompassing complex grammatical rules and divergent writing systems to the idiomatic expressions of a native language speaker. Learning Hello, Goodbye, and Where’s the bus stop? in a new language is very different from navigating lost orders, finessing brand taglines, or translating product guides. While language learning can be a fun hobby or an extra notch to your professional belt, you can’t rely on beginner lingo to communicate your brand to your customers.
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