When it comes to understanding the culture of any people, the first thing you should do is to learn their language. This is critical to communicate with the resident well. The following are the top four languages you should learn when intending to travel to Singapore:

English

English is the second most spoken language on earth and was introduced to Singapore during the British colonial rule. You should, therefore, learn English because most people in Singapore speak English as it is the main language of instruction in schools and other institutions of learning. To add on to this, English is one of the four official languages, necessitating you to be conversant in the language, for easy official transactions during your visit or stay. You need to be able to communicate in English in Singapore because it is the only language that transcends cultural barriers and also has a local version known as Singlish.

Malay

Malay is an indigenous language in Singapore and has the unique status of being the National language as well as one of the four official languages. You should, therefore, learn the language when intending to visit or live in Singapore to ease communication and also to be able to learn and identify with the history of Singapore. Malays are said to be the original inhabitants of present-day Singapore. As such, learning their language will help you integrate easily in the country. This, in turn, will enable you to achieve the goal of your visit easily, be it business, and work, education, tourism, or any other.

Mandarin/Chinese

Chinese language is said to be spoken by more than one million people in Singapore and is one of the four official languages. Learning Chinese is, therefore, critical to your business. You will need to teach Chinese/Mandarin not only to help you in your endeavours in Singapore but also due to its risen status as a result of China emerging as a major world economy. Masterly of Chinese language will enable you to not only transact business in Singapore but also in other countries in the region such as China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Your mastery of the language will also enable you to interact better with people of Chinese descent because you will be able to understand and appreciate them better in their language.

Tamil

Tamil is one of the four official languages in Singapore and has its origin in India and Sri Lanka. To facilitate smooth travel or stay in Singapore, you need to learn the Tamil language which is considered one of the oldest languages and is an official language also in Sri Lanka and the Tamil Nadu state. You will be advantaged to learn Tamil because it is not only spoken in Singapore but also Sri Lanka and the Indian States of Kerala, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, Telangana and surrounding territories such as Puducherry.

Conclusion

The world today is a village. Every country has many foreigners who are there for business or leisure. It is therefore important to as many foreign languages as possible. The above four are crucial especially if you live in an urban place.