Learning a second language is a huge advantage in todays competitive world. One of the most useful languages offering great benefits from not only a cultural perspective but also from a career-building perspective is Russian. Russian is one of the most spoken languages worldwide and is mainly spoken in CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries such as Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine.

Linguistically, Russian is part of the Indo-European language family as well as the Slavic language family. Russian is similar to Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Bulgaria and a few others therefore it's a great second language to learn if one were to study other Slavic languages. Russian is one of the six official languages of the UN. Since Russian is such a widely spoken language you maybe wondering why you should be learning Russian. Below are the top five benefits for learning Russian.

1 - Increase Your Career-Building Opportunities

In this competitive world many companies and organisations prioritise individuals who have multilingual capabilities. Since many companies and organisations are spreading their businesses to Eastern Europe as a result of globalisation, they will no doubt interact with Russian speaking clients. As a result of this, an individual who can speak Russian relatively well has a greater chance of getting hired into a company as well as fast tracking their way to a promotion within the company.

2 - One Of The Most Popular Languages Online

Of the 2.4 billion people who have access to the Internet (37.3% of the world population), 70 million Russian users use the Internet, ahead of Germany with 66 million users thereby making it the largest Internet user population in Europe. According to W3Techs Web Technology Surveys, In March 2013, Russian is the second most widely used language online. Some of the most well-known sites in Russian include Yandex (Russian search engine) and Vkontakte (Europe's largest social network).

3 - Discover Exotic, Off-The Beaten Path Destinations

Since Russian is the most widely-spoken language in Eastern Europe, you can discover exotic, off-the beaten path destinations which offer rich cultural insights and unforgettable adventures. Some of the top tourist attractions in Russia include the iconic Saint Basil's Cathedral, the Moscow Kremlin where President Putin resides, the Hermitage Museum the world's largest museum, Tretyakov Gallery, the Trans-Siberian Railway the world's longest railway line, Lake Baikal the world's largest freshwater lake, Bolshoi Theatre home to the Russian ballet, the Winter palace home to the former Russian emperors and many more iconic places. Many countries in Eastern Europe have Russian as their official or co-official language.

4 - Impress Your Friends & Co-workers

Of all the languages spoken in the world, Russian has to be one of the most mysterious and exotic languages of them all as a result of the tension during the Cold War between USSR and the West. Few Westerners have travelled to Russia as a result of the lingering Soviet past which intimidate foreign travellers. As a result of this you may be the center of attention during dinner parties and other social gatherings.

5 - Experience Rich Culture & Russian History

The Russian language is home to world-renowned classical writers such as Fyodor Dovstoevsky, Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Gogol as well as famous classical music composers such as Tchaikovsky, Oistrakh and Chaliapin. Some of the best ballet dancers in history originated from Russia such as Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Barishnikov. Russia's rich history extends more than 1000 years with countless wars shaping the geography and genuine hospitality shaping the character of Russia. Architecture in Russia is known to be extravagant and colossal especially during the period of the Soviet Union where building big with excessive grandeur was seen as a symbol of Communism. Russian is second to English in scientific literature so any young-budding scientists can see that Russian is vital in science.

Learning Russian can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life as it gives you the opportunity to discover one of the most unique cultures on earth. However learning a new language can be a daunting and time-consuming interest. A few of the main problems people have when learning a new language is a lack of monitoring progress, lack of consistent practice, lack of conversational practice, lack of language immersion, and the pronunciation of words.

Many language programs are limited in their effectiveness to help the user reach a proficient level in that they don't immerse the user in the language as they don't provide conversational practice. I have researched for months looking for one of the quickest and most effective ways to learn Russian. This program offers you to immerse yourself in the language by helping you to practice in a conversational manner as well as being able to monitor your progress every step of the way, one of the tools offers you to analyze and compare your voice to a real native speakers. Why not learn Russian today!