<p>Hello! I want to apply for the NSLI-Y and while I know that it is still early and the applications haven't come out yet, which language do you think would be most useful later in life and which culture is the richest (even though they are all pretty rich) I have some concerns about Russia in which people say that they make up fun of the chinese and im chinese. I realize that this isn't probably true but I just wanted to make sure :)</p>
<p>Coming from someone who’s half-Russian, half-American (and spends summers in Russia), I can say that there is no abnormal (meaning, nothing above any crap you might get in other countries, like the US) making fun of Chinese there. If anything, Chinese are respected as powerful, friendly neighbors. STEM oriented students in Russia study Chinese as well as English. So no, nothing bad there.</p>
<p>As for your main question, I’d say go with Russia if you’re planning on staying in China for college/career. There’s a lot of trade links between the two countries, and the language is just about as important as Spanish would be to me (I live near the Mexican border). Arabic would be my second choice, as it’s widespread and an important language in today’s world. Turkish…meh…in etymological terms, it takes second fiddle to Arabic. Sure, most Central Asian languages are Turkish based, but you’d find a lot more use for Arabic or Russian.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for replying! Your post was very reassuring for me. Russia is a very beautiful place and I feel like it would be more easy to learn than Arabic. </p>
<p>What would be most “useful” for you in life is largely dependent on what kind of sphere you want to work in… there will be many people speaking all of those languages for many years, how useful the language is to you depends on what kind of thing you want to do with the language (and, if you have specific career goals, you should consult with someone in your field about what languages would be helpful because that advice is often not broadly applicable).</p>
<p>Arabic and Russian are both languages that are difficult for native English speakers but which one is easier or harder depends on the individual person and which concepts you find most difficult! Going through beginner lessons online can help you get something of a feel for how difficult you might find the language. Good luck.</p>
<p>I know Russian NSLI-Yers went to Moldova this summer and I think that’s where the year students are, due the the chilly US-Russia relations. Russia is obviously still a wonderful and useful language, but careful about basing your choice on what country you may end up in.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what I really want to be, maybe work in the government? That’s why it’s so difficult for me to select a language XD and thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>And I didn’t know that they went to Moldova but I don’t think it’ll affect my choice that much. But yeah, our relationship with Russia is pretty bad, my dad almost lost his head when I told him I wanted to go to Russia XD</p>
<p>In the government, Arabic and Turkish I believe are highly valued languages, especially the former. Knowing Arabic in the government/international relations community would be a plus.</p>
<p>They are all similar difficulty since they all use different scripts. </p>
<p>Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about, because during the program we will be mostly learning MSA which is like almost never used. And is Turkish sought out in the government? I never thought it would be…</p>
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The below is something I wrote on another thread, and will repeat here.
Having said that, they the NSLI-Y programs in Arabic do offer instruction in the colloquial dialect of the region as well. Be aware however, that the colloquial dialect of Morocco is much different from that of Jordan.</p>
<p>Yes that’s true but it would probably take a long time for me to get MSA down and then learn the colloquial dialect since i’m only gonna be doing the summer program. And, when I get back from the program I won’t be immersed in the Jordan/Morocco/Oman culture so learning the dialect will be a lot harder. I’ve also noticed that Korea and China nsli y students are happier? I don’t know how to explain but while I know that kids from Russia, India, etc. have a good time, there isn’t as much enthusiasm or blogs as the China and Korea ones… Are the programs run differently?</p>