Best language to learn for Physics?

Hello all, I've just been accepted for a Access to Science course and will be beginning in September in order to go on to study Physics at University.

In order to give myself the biggest advantage when it comes to looking for a job, I'd like to learn a second language. Unfortunately, I've yet to decide what field I'd like to study (Although it's between Theoretical, Nuclear or Astrophysics) and would like to know which language will be the most useful.

I assume it will change per field, but German seems to be popping up quite often when I search for answers, but it can't hurt to ask you guys.

Many thanks.

Reply 1

Nitebot

Interesting questions, for a Brit, the best two are surely German and French. Both France and Germany have made significant contributions to the history of physics. Both nations plough in roughly equal (and top) funding into flagship scientific programmes such as the European Space Agency and CERN.

With the Germans canning nuclear energy production and having no nuclear weapons programme, French would be the better alternative language for those areas in the future. And the French seem to take the lead with ESA as well. And I recall during the LHR testing, the lead guy who was British kept switching to French. The Germans don't seem to push their language like the French do. The war's long been over!!

Reply 2

Sam Walters

I asked a physicist this question just a few days ago. He works on a project to create the next generation beam lines up at Diamond RAL. He travels from america, to canada, to france and to

He said its not really all too important, but if he was going to learn another language if english was his only language it would be french. The reason for this is that english is the universal language in engineering and science. But CERN is located in a french speaking area and ITER is in France.

Reply 3

Mbob

Original post by Mr Pooples

I'd probably go for French or German.

I'd say though that having a foreign language won't be much of an advantage for jobs in research unless you want to go and work in a country where they speak that language.