Japanese because I had a lot of Japanese friends in high school and college. Can watch SOL anime but am branching out to more specific/complex media and topics. I think I would have liked to learn Chinese more in retrospect as an ML but right now my goal is to be fluent in Japanese because I’d love to do translation, and I’ve found a lot of satisfaction in learning about how to learn a language. Also, it’s better to be great in one language than not proficient in multiple ones.

I’ve been saving up money working full time and studying every day, and just might go ahead and give language school in Japan a go. The process of language learning and how rewarding it feels has become a big part of my life, and I think I have goals beyond just having a hobby. So becoming fluent as fast as possible is a very attractive option right now.

As a side note: language learning can be very solitary and I recommend looking at your local community options if they have like weekly classes. The bulk of learning is done on your own but having people to engage with around your language is very important. I missed out on hopping in a language class (even though I was a bit more advanced than the courses they offered) this semester and absolutely regret it!