Which BRIC+ Languages?

I'm planning on taking some language courses next year and am having issues deciding on which one to study. I'm currently fluent in Mandarin (more or less - not sure if anyone can truly be in terms of reading/writing without being a Chinese national) so my future no doubt points to Asia. That being said, I'd like to study a language that would be useful whether I stay in the US or go abroad to China, and to give me an extra boost on my resume.

I've been thinking a lot about BRIC languages - so Portuguese and Russian (ruling out India cuz everyone speaks English there anyway) - however I believe that Japanese or Korean may be more suited to my needs. I know people advise to study a language similar to one you already know so that you can be completely fluent - fluency usually trumps usefulness, etc. I guess I have the benefit of knowing both a Western and Asian language, so the only real stranger here would be Russian (kind of. It just seems cut out of a totally different mold to me). I personally love Japan and its culture, but I feel like Japanese is starting to become less useful in the finance world as the country's economy stagnates. Portuguese would be relatively easy, as I have a year or two of Spanish study under my belt. I'm leaning towards these two, but I'm very unsure.

What are your thoughts?

 

i think this ultimately of the opinion as to whether or not you BELIEVE BRIC nations are going to be a thing i personally think india is a fucking joke, and russia, though resource rich, lacks the political and cultural climate to be a truly productive country

brazil may or may not become a thing, so i'd probably say portugese, given the fact that you already know chinese however, if you want to do something that will be rewarding on an personal level, i'd recommend japanese, since kanji characters are chinese, so it saves you a lot of work

I'm not concerned with the very poor -Mitt Romney
 

Et vitae exercitationem nam quos. Recusandae voluptate nisi quo eum vel. Ea et non harum cupiditate consequuntur eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”