JohnSword

I didn't read the article, but going by the quote I would take it with a pinch of salt. I think societal and cultural norms influence a person's saving habits much more than the language he or she speaks.

There's also the issue of bilingual people. Since I speak English and Chinese, does that mean I'm average when it comes to saving money?

I remember when I was younger I used to text in short forms and whatnot. However, now that I'm older that seems pretty childish. These days I always text in standard English no matter who the recipient is.

My language-related goal for 2014 is to be proficient and fluent in Spanish. I aim to put in an hour a day into learning the language.

Thankfully Spanish isn't as hard as languages like Korean or Japanese, so with enough determination I'll be able to accomplish my goal by this year.

I've been using Google Translate on some occasions since I started translating subtitles. It's pretty good when it comes to simple words. However, put in a sentence or two and the translations effectively become nonsensical.

I typically cross-reference a translation with the translator at Dictionary.com so as to make sure my work is as accurate as possible.

Sadly, I would say I'm not much of a listener. My mind tends to wander off during conversations, though I do make an effort to appear interested.

It's one of the things I'll be working on in 2014, as being a good listener is essential in any relationship.

Actually, Chinese is already the most spoken language in the world, with close to a billion speakers. However, English can be said to be the most widespread, with many parts of the world adopting it as the business language.

I agree that China is emerging as an economic powerhouse, and as such more people are learning the language. Who knows, in future I might even be typing this in Chinese.

I live in Singapore, which is well-known for Singlish, which is basically English with elements of Chinese and Malay incorporated into it.

While I use standard English when it comes to work, me and my friends feel more comfortable conversing in Singlish.

Well, I've just started learning Spanish. Looking at how things are going at the moment, I would say it would take me a year to be proficient in the language.

I agree that it all depends on how much effort one puts into it.

That's really an interesting topic. Here is another idiom about cars for you guys:

In the fast lane - to do something actively, often with a degree of risk involved.

I would say I'm a fast reader, since I've been reading since young. Of course, it depends on the reading material as well. If I'm reading my favorite novel, I tend to slow down so as to enjoy the story-line.

I don't have a habit of reading out loud. However, some of my friends do that as it supposedly helps them concentrate better.

I was taught English and Chinese since young where I'm from. English is an integral part of our country's education system, probably because our government recognized the benefits of being proficient in the language.

I doubt English will ever officially become the world's language. While I agree it's much easier to converse with people around the world if there is only one language, I doubt countries such as China would agree to such an arrangement.

However, many people do learn English as a second language since it is the official language in many countries.

I was born a Chinese speaker as well. Although I was taught Chinese in school, as I got older my proficiency in the language is starting to go downhill.

Recently I've been starting to relearn the language, since bilingualism is an asset when it comes to finding employment.