Languages

A lot of the rationale behind learning a second language in schools is the prospect of increase job opportunity and the ability to make more money. However, is that really true? Will people who know second languages earn higher wages? And if so, by how much? There has been a few intriguing economic studies that seeks to answer the question.
25% of people in the United States claim they speak a foreign language. And many of them hold onto the belief that having a foreign language handy will come in handy in the work force. This belief isn't unfounded as there is a positive return on investment for learning a foreign language according to Albert Saiz, economist at MIT. However, you will not make that much more money. According to his research, there is only a 2% return on investment for learning a foreign language. Of course this is an overall average and different languages will offer different rates of return: Spanish has a subpar return rate of 1.4% and French is 2.7%. However, more uncommon languages spoken in English-speaking countries will offer higher rate of return. For instance, learning Germany will offer a 3.8% rate of return.