Polish is the 5th best languages to study for Brits

It's Polish. According to The Telegraph, best languages for graduate jobs are:
1. German
2. French
3. Spanish
4. Mandarin
5. Polish

.telegraph.co.uk/education/9487434/Graduate-jobs-Best-languages-t o-stu dy.html#?frame=2314820

Well historically, French has always been a popular language for the Brits, i.e. the English, ever since VIctoria (though her husband was a German). Lady Bracknell in "Importance.." called German 'a moral language', so that sort of stuck, as it were, until Hitler:-) Spanish and Mandarin? Never figured there was much demand, then again, nothing surprises me at this point, and with Polish, the language has become for the UK what Turkish has become for Germany and Spanish long since the "(un-)official second language of the USLOL

The British only speak English although it's quite easy to get French radio over the Channel.

ah the Telegraph, that bastion of truth.

The US do not have an official language

I'd certainly question this list, especially German which was forced upon us in school along with French. As for being the most useful, I'd bump Spanish to the top of the list. Lots of Brits own homes or holiday to Spain, many settle there and try and find work, start businesses, etc. The same can't be said about German or French. Also, unlike in Germany and France, lots of Spanish don't actually speak English to a high level.

As in terms of usefulness for a career, most of our German customers have such a high-level of English, that it has never been necessary to have translators or even documentation written in German (Although I'm sure it would earn us some points if we did so).

Are you serious? Ever been to France? It's teeming with Brits owning properties, especially in the western part..

propertywire.com/news/europe/france-spain-second-homes-201204176424.html

Can't say I have had much experience with France, I have lived in Andalucia in Spain though, and the place was overrun with British, and in Britain nobody I knew would want to live in France and hated the place. There was never a need amongst the Brits there to speak Spanish, and many who had lived there many years barely speak a word. The ones that owned businesses though, did speak Spanish, as they had to (and were more successful there because of it)

I'm learning Polish because it's something I actually use (family, etc..), I doubt however it would ever improve my career prospects, unless I had a some sort of low-paying government job dealing with Polish who don't want to learn English.

English is the national language!

Wow that's nice. Probably due to the large number of Poles living in the UK now, and also the expanding British market in Poland.

Bullfrog,

Is 'Schwyzertuuetsch' or Swiss High German the "national" language of Switzerland? As I recall, you have in fact four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch (mostly though confined to Graubuenden/Grisons).

There's also a hell of a difference, both legally as well as culturally, between a "national" and an "official" language!

Incidentally, in American English, the US is singular, not plural as it is in Great Britain:-)