<p>Yeah, I’ve heard that in UAE that almost everyone speaks English already. I’m not sure what I should learn then…any suggestions? I speak fluent French and Mandarin.</p>
<p>You don’t need to learn a language for business. </p>
<p>You learn a language as a way to connect with a culture and get a greater understanding. I would recommend studying Arabic but that is partly because I enjoyed my time in North Africa. No matter where you study, you will likely learn Modern Standard (Fusha). From there you will be able to adapt to other dialects. </p>
<p>I do know people that have studied the language and it has opened the doors to government positions but they have spent many years studying the language full time outside of the country and their work is more in reading than doing anything exciting on the ground. They subcontract native speakers more often for public interactions. </p>
<p>What other languages would you recommend?</p>
<p>Madarin and Spanish are more important than Arabic. </p>