<p>What are the recommendations for foriegn languages you should take for med school. does it matter if you take some other language other than latin? i've heard all different stories</p>
<p>UCLA strongly recommends fluency in Spanish. Generally Spanish would be extremely useful for practice - including clinical rotations - in any border state, with CA and TX being the important ones.</p>
<p>Alternatively, Arabic gives you a good backup career in case you do poorly on the MCATs. Joining the CIA is so much cooler than being a doctor...</p>
<p>Spanish is important everywhere. Even here in Nebraska it can be a major help in one's ability to treat patients. </p>
<p>The number one problem for the student run clinic I sit on the board for is finding enough translators. </p>
<p>That said, after having been pimped for the last three weeks by my preceptor, knowing greek and latin stems is a very helpful thing in understanding medicine...</p>
<p>What about Japanese?</p>
<p>I doubt it would be as helpful as Spanish.</p>
<p>Spanish would be the language to learn if you're interested in communicated with a larger array of patients.</p>
<p>I mean, obviously there are specialty practitioners who open practices in, say, Japantown, Los Angeles. But this will not be nearly as useful in academic settings.</p>