Which language should I continue to study?

Hello, I'm in college and I'm currently studying Spanish and French right now. I'm a foreign language major, and these two languages were originally supposed to be side projects until I transferred schools. Well, it turns out that I want to continue studying them, but I can only continue studying one of them when I transfer (because studying 3-4 languages at the same time is a bit much for me). When I transfer, I'll be studying Japanese (I also had plans to study Modern Greek but it turns out that the college I'm transferring to no longer offers it).

I am American, so most people would say I should continue to study Spanish. While that sounds the most logical, I'm also having a really fun time learning French and I am looking for ways to apply that to my career later on in life (I want to open my own book publishing company that focuses on translating/publishing manga, although realistically I'll probably only be able to work for a publisher because I don't see myself having the money to start my own publishing house lol). Of course, I'm having a lot of fun learning Spanish, too. I'm also picking it up a lot more well than French, so maybe I should go on to learn Spanish, but I don't want to give up on French either.

I feel really stuck right now with this decision, and I should have a decision by the middle of next month when fall registration opens up for the college I'm transferring to (I have a meeting with my advisor who is going to help me set up my schedule for the fall semester).

Rambler · 61-69, M

Spanish does seem to have the most potential at least in the near future, and Japanese should too. … A friend of mine is a young scholar of Chinese and is having a good career with that as well.

Working for an existing publisher makes a lot of sense before you try to start your own. Learn the business working with somebody else’s money.

Good luck .. :)

BlackBloodDemon · 22-25, M

@Rambler Thank you! And of course, I would like to work for someone first. Maybe I can look into getting a minor in Spanish or French if I really can't decide (since I had plans to study 3 languages anyway, but the issue is I'm having a hard time studying Spanish and French together). (:

DrWatson · 70-79, M

In many Americans' experience, French is harder than Spanish at the beginning of our studies, because French aural comprehension and pronunciation are harder than in Spanish. But as we get deeper into it, Spanish grammar is actually more complex than French. (My sister was a Spanish major. She spent a year at the University of Madrid for her overseas study, where among other things, she took a semester-long course on the Spanish subjunctive!)

So I would recommend continuing your formal study of Spanish, and reserving part of your leisure time keeping up with reading in French. It can be light, easy reading, just to keep your mind actively engaged in French -- you can pick up heavier stuff later on.