<p>I keep going back and forth between Arabic and Russian. </p>
<p>I'm a native English speaker who's Intermediate in Spanish. My ultimate goal is to work for the government, and I know you're going to say "Arabic! They love Arabic speakers!". :) But I also know that Russian is a critical language for the government and that it's slightly easier to learn.</p>
<p>I'm willing to spend years becoming fluent in one or both (it's on my bucket list to become fluent in one and knowledgeable in the other before I die :) ), but I honestly can't decide. </p>
<p>(Love the Middle East, but can pronounce Russian words better than my Arabic sounds right now..)</p>
<p>Help!</p>
<p>Hey ismarie620.</p>
<p>I have the same dilemma :p</p>
<p>I went through the same process and, while I’m still a HS junior, I’ve pretty much decided on Arabic. The value is larger than that of Arabic, but not exponentially. (Think of who our enemies are now!)</p>
<p>Russian and Arabic are both challenging, and you’re right about Russian being easier for a native English speaker. </p>
<p>If you love the Middle East, I’d recommend Arabic. Sure, you can pronounce Russian easier but Arabic, IMO, sounds more beautiful and is more rewarding. </p>
<p>I recently toured SUNY Binghamton and they have a spectacular Arabic program; you should see their collection of Arabic books, it’s staggering. </p>
<p>As for wanting to work for the government, same with me 
I know that the CIA offers programs and schools to teach you languages even after you’re employed, completing your goal of knowing both. So my advice? Go with Arabic (at Binghamton, if you’re so inclined 
), it will give you a slightly better edge at gov’t agencies like CIA/FBI. Then once you’re in, you can always learn Russian.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>With your interest in working for the government, it sounds like you’re thinking that fluency in two critical languages will make you a more attractive candidate. Here’s another perspective: Arabic and Russian are quite different languages, so achieving fluency in both would be difficult, especially considering that you’d need to study abroad in areas where each of them are spoken in order to do so. It also would be difficult to keep up adequately with in-depth background knowledge regarding two very different and geographically noncontiguous regions. So, the language that most appeals to you, but consider some other language pairings. For Russian, you might consider Turkish or Persian. These two make sense in terms of geography and Russian/Iranian or Russian/Turkish relations. Also, either Turkish or Persian would be a gateway to other Central Asian languages for countries that are strategically important and that border Russia. Alternatively, you might consider Arabic and Turkish, Arabic and Hebrew, Arabic and Persian. All of these combinations make sense in terms of geographic and historical contacts and current conflicts/relations. Linguistically, the Arabic and Persian combination makes sense due to use of the same alphabet, a high number of loan words, and serving as a gateway either to other Semitic languages or to certain Central Asian languages. Arabic and Turkish share loan words and could serve as a gateway either to other Semitic languages or to Turkic languages for regions that have the same religion. Arabic and Hebrew are both Semitic languages and also could serve as a gateway to other Semitic languages. </p>
<p>While courses in Arabic and Russian are more commonly available at universities, Turkish or Persian are not. However, they are available through intensive summer programs, many of which might offer Federal funding.</p>
<p>Take a course in each, see which comes to you most naturally! :)</p>