Will Spanish or Mandarin Chinese become more "important" than English in our lifetime?

7 years ago

Mandarin Chinese, along with Spanish (and to a lesser extent German and Arabic) are becoming ever more popular among people who want to learn a second language. However, English continues to be the official language of medicine, engineering, aviation, tourism, and last but not least business. Will English lose its global dominance during our lifetime, in your opinion? Why, how and, precisely how soon will another language become "planet Earth's global language"?