Language learning can be fun and a positive practice to follow. It can also open a gateway of opportunities if you learn the right languages. Italian and Polish are two important languages. Coming from a similar language family, the subgroups are different, which are Romance and Slavic, respectively. According to the recent census, the USA is home to more than 17 million Italians. Italians are spread all over the country, and Italian is one of the most commonly spoken languages there. Also, they make up a significant portion of the overall population. Coming to Polish-speaking people, these are also not less, and around 9 million Polish are settled in the USA, which makes 2.67% of the total population of the US population. Learning both languages for a native speaker of English can bring a lot of gains and opportunities.
Here is a detailed analysis of both languages, which can help you decide which language you should learn while living in the USA.
Italian & Polish Languages – Difficulty level by FSI
Before we proceed any further, it is important to check the Foreign Service Institute ranking in terms of difficulty. Italian being a close relative of English and coming from a similar language family falls in category I, which makes it quite an easy language to learn for English speakers. However, you might face little difficulty learning this language due to the obvious differences. Where English is from the Germanic family, Italian along with French and Spanish, descend from Latin and belong to the Romance part of the family tree.
According to FSI, you get proficient in category I languages in around 24-30 weeks or with the preparation of 600 to 750 class hours. Continuous study helps you reach decent proficiency level soon, being an English speaker.
The Polish language falls in category III which might alarm you about its level of difficulty. This category has the language family mostly from the Slavic group. Category III languages require at least 36 weeks or 900 instructional hours to reach the basic efficiency. This category is tough for the English speakers. This group has a few of the toughest languages.
Grammar Complexity
Grammar complexity is one important factor that you need to consider before making a final choice of the language. These factors are also important to know if you plan to work as a translator and offer Italian or Polish translation services.
Polish Grammar
It won’t be wrong to say that Polish grammar is quite notorious and extremely complex. There are seven cases in the Polish grammar.
These are
- Nominative
- Genitive
- Dative
- Accusative
- Instrumental
- Vocative
- Locative
All these cases have a strong impact on the pronouns, adjectives, and nouns. The verbs amalgamate on the grounds of tense, aspect, and mood. The complexity that this language and its grammar come with could be intimidating for beginners. Moreover, there are three genders in the Polish language, which are masculine, feminine, and neuter.
Italian Grammar
Italian could be your best bet for a new language while living in the USA and speaking English as your native language. This language shares many similarities with English, and talking about its grammar, it’s quite easy when compared to the Polish language. There are two genders, masculine and feminine. Moreover, there is no case system at all. However, the verb conjugation in the Italian language can make you stumble, as it’s tricky. All the subjects, tenses, and pronouns have different endings. However, this surely is better than the Polish grammar. When it comes to the use of articles, it is exactly like English, which is what makes it easier to learn for you being English native. Once you have a strong command on Italian grammar and language, you can also offer English to Italian translation services.
The job market for both languages
Being an English native and learning Italian can make you grab amazing opportunities in the USA. There are multinational companies that are looking for individuals who can speak English and Italian. Many call centers are also always on the hunt for bilingual individuals. You can also work as a travel guide for the Italian groups and companies set up in the States. Moreover, if you get proficient enough, you can also become a part of a good Italian translation agency, working in the country and can offer translation services as a translator, which is quite a rewarding job. Also, English to Italian and vice versa is particularly the language pair that’s most in demand.
Similarly, learning Polish can give you the advantage of having a little bit of proficiency in other Slavic languages too. The Polish language shares a lot of similarities with its group fellows such as Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Bosnian, and a few others. Talking about learning it in the USA helps you connect with half a million Americans. Bilingual employees are particularly admired and valued in the States. They help nurture better international business relations and also add intellectual value to the workplace. This can also help you to collaborate with a Polish translation agency, being a translator or interpreter. So the choice of easier language is getting tough now. isn’t it?
Conclusion
Italian and Polish are both important languages and are quite popular in the USA. When it comes to learning one of these based on difficulty level, Italian gets scores for a better selection due to its similarities to the English language. Whereas learning Polish can also have significant benefits. A few factors that can help with better decisions are grammar comparison, job opportunities, and cultural exchange. Moreover, both languages are also quite in demand for translation services.
