For the first time ever, Portuguese has been considered one of the 10 most important languages of the next 20 years for Britons. The announcement comes from the British Council – and it has understandably delighted Portuguese language buffs.
Portugal’s flagship Camões Institute explained that the British Council chose Portuguese due to its usage in the European Union and other international entities – such as the Organisation of Ibero-American States and the Union of South American nations. It has also been found to be the fifth most used language online.
In the same press release, the Camões Institute explains that the report ‘Languages for the Future’ analyses the UK’s linguistic priorities and bases its selection on “economic, geopolitical, cultural and educational” factors, as well as the necessities of British companies in terms of business abroad, diplomatic and security priorities and relevance online.
The other languages considered most important for Briton are Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese.
