Career In Meteorology

What are the best languages for a meteorology major?

I want to major in meteorology when I go to college. I read somewhere that the best foreign languages to learn are French, German, and Russian. Are these really good choices when focusing on meteorology?

Public Comments

1. I have never heard that you have to take a certain foreign language to study Meteorology.. Of course you want to check with the school you plan on going to to see what some of the requirements are.
2. I don't think any of these languages are that important for a meteorology major. Some of the most important early work was done by Norwegians and Swedes, but I think there's little point in learning those languages also. It would be better to learn Fortran and as much mathematics as possible. If you really want to learn a foreign language you might try Spanish or Chinese, in case you do fieldwork elsewhere in the world.
3. English is the international language of science including meteorology and also the international standard for aviation. If you want to learn a foreign language, learn the language of countries you are likely to have dealings with. It is, for instance, pointless learning Russian if you are going to be working with Japanese meteorologists at some stage.
4. Learn math: it's practically a foreign language to many people.
5. In the study of Russian language you will spend as much time as the study of all of Meteorology combined.