In international companies across Dubai, Barcelona, Bali, Bangkok, Singapore and London-English is the working language. As a South African, you already speak it natively. What you pick up additionally will set you apart and enrich your daily life.
Language by Destination
Barcelona, Spain-Spanish / Catalan
Work will be in English at most international companies. But basic Spanish makes your daily life dramatically better-ordering food, asking for directions, making local friends. Even A2 level Spanish is noticed and appreciated. Catalan is spoken locally but Spanish is universal.
Duolingo Spanish: 20 min/day. Gets you to A2-enough for restaurants, shops, and casual conversation.
iTalki with a native Spanish tutor. 2 hours/week for 3 months gets you conversational fast.
Dubai-Arabic basics worth learning
Dubai is extremely international-English is the working and social language. Learning basic Arabic greetings (As-salamu alaykum, Shukran, Ma'a salama) is a sign of respect and will earn you goodwill. No need for fluency.
Pimsleur Arabic (Gulf dialect): 10 lessons gives you solid greetings and polite phrases. Enough to impress Emirati colleagues.
Bali, Indonesia-Bahasa Indonesia
Bahasa Indonesia is considered one of the easier languages for English speakers-no tones, simple grammar, Latin script. Even basic knowledge dramatically changes your experience in Bali and makes you much more than a tourist. Your colleagues will love you for trying.
- Duolingo Bahasa Indonesia: available and surprisingly good
- Indonesian Pod101: structured audio lessons, free tier available
- 3 months of consistent learning = conversational basics
Bangkok-Thai basics
Thai is a tonal language-significantly more challenging than Spanish or Indonesian. That said, learning simple phrases (Sawasdee krap/ka, Khob khun, Mai pen rai) makes a big impression. Most Bangkok internship environments are fully English.
Best Language Learning Resources
Apps (Self-Study)
- Duolingo, free, gamified, best for beginners
- Babbel, more structured, R120/month
- Anki, flashcards for vocabulary, free
- Pimsleur, audio-only, excellent for pronunciation
With a Human (1:1)
- iTalki, native speakers from R250/hour
- Preply, similar to iTalki, good tutor variety
- Tandem App, free language exchange partner matching
- HelloTalk, chat with native speakers, correct each other
Find the right destination for your skills
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