7.
Italian
Italian is spoken by almost 125 million people worldwide, and remains one of the top five languages studied in US colleges. An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy. With roots in the Roman Empire, Italians have influenced the world throughout history. Many countries, especially in Australia, Europe, South America and North America, enjoy Italian contributions to their own cultures, including food, culture and commerce. To this day, millions of tourists still flock to Italy, and Italian remains widely used in higher learning, literature, the culinary arts and fashion.