I am a prospective IR major. I took Arabic for a short time but dropped it because I was struggling quite a bit. I’ve decided to start studying Italian. I traveled to Italy this summer have a huge interest in Italian culture and plan on studying abroad there. I am not naive though, I realize Italian is not the most useful language in the world. I am taking it mostly for personal reasons. Is it a mistake to not take French instead? It is my second choice. I thought that if I study Italian in college and study abroad in Italy, I could possibly self study French and attempt to get an internship in a French speaking area or spend time there. I don’t want to give up Italian, but I know the smartest route would be to just start with French. Is Italian at all useful in international relations careers or diplomacy? I know French is useful for diplomacy, which is a career that I might pursue. Is it feasible to learn both Italian & French in 4 years? Any advice or answers would be appreciated.
You’re already a native speaker of what arguably is the most important international language, which is English. So, for a second language, go with the one that most interests you, which is Italian. While French does have more native and second language speakers, is an official UN language, etc., Italian can still be a useful language to learn. Besides its obvious usefulness for Italian affairs, the Vatican and the FAO headquarters are in Italy. Also, there are many Italian NGOs that are active in the Middle East and elsewhere. Italy is a major target destination for migrants from North Africa. There are Italian immigrant populations in Argentina and other Latin American countries. Knowledge of Italian would make it easier to learn Spanish, which would be useful for European and Latin American affairs, and possibly, just as useful or more useful to know than French (depending on what wold regions interest you). So, Italian could prove to be quite useful to learn. When learning any language, just keep in mind what are your specific purposes in learning it—e.g., understanding print and broadcast media, interacting with political or business officials, travel, interacting with local speakers, reading professional and scholarly literature in your field, etc.
I forgot that the FAO is in Rome. I’m sure it’d be difficult to get in there, but that would be a possibility if I ever miraculously gain employment with the UN. Since Italian is less common of a language to learn (not too obscure though), maybe it could make me stick out a little. As you mentioned, learning Italian first could make learning Spanish or French easier. If I do pursue a career in diplomacy, I know that they would teach me any languages I’d need.