Ok, so I know that there's a thread similar to this but I'd like to get someone's opinion on my personal circumstances. Sorry, this is going to be a really long post, I hope that's alright. I'm starting university starting in September and I've already decided on computer science as my major so I was looking through the list of minor to see if anything seemed interesting. One in particular really stood out to me, the international minor. Basically, you take four semesters of a language and then study abroad for six weeks. I love traveling and I've always been interested in learning a language so I've decided to take that minor. The only problem is I'm not sure what language or country to pick. I've narrowed it down to Korean Japanese, French, or Mandarin and I've compiled a list of pros and cons so I'd like someone's opinion. Preferably someone who has traveled abroad or visited one of these places. Keep in mind that I'm learning a language for fun so the usefulness isn't that important to me.
Korean:
Pros
-I'm really interested in Korean pop culture
-I'm familiar with the Korean alphabet and a bit of vocabulary
Cons
-Not that useful
-I've heard foreigners are treated poorly there
-Difficult to pronounce
Japanese:
Pros
-I also enjoy a lot of Japanese pop culture
-I'm familiar with one of the Japanese alphabets and a bit of vocabulary
-Useful
-Easier to pronounce
Cons
-In the US there's a strong social stigma against people who enjoy Japanese culture and learn Japanese because of that
French:
Pros
-No social stigma
-Similar to English so it would be the easiest to learn
-Useful
Cons
-I'm not that interested in France or French culture
-I've lived there so going there wouldn't really feel like experiencing a new culture for me
Mandarin:
Pros
-I am absolutely fascinated by Chinese history
-I enjoy a lot of Chinese pop culture
-Extremely useful
Cons
-It's VERY difficult
-Difficult to pronounce
Honestly out of all the languages the one that interests me most is Mandarin then Korean, Japanese, and least of all French but I'm not sure about picking Mandarin because of its difficulty level I've heard that people can study it for years and still be completely lost. I think I'm mostly between Korean or Japanese. I'm more interested in Korean but I'm hesitant to pick it because of certain social stigmas surrounding koreaboos and how poorly and differently foreigners are treated there. Since I have very long hair, even for a girl, my appearance tends to stick out even here in the US so I feel in Asian countries I may get a lot of uncomfortable stares. Hence, I considered French but I feel like going to France would just be something regular and within my comfort zone and I took this minor to explore new things. I'm not sure but at this point, I'm leaning towards Japanese but I'd really appreciate some advice. Sorry again for the long post.
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