[updated] [With apologies? to The Vapors]  A few days ago, I came across an article online that said that English only accounts for about 39 percent of online text content. (I’m damned if I can find the article, even after futile searching on Google. My apologies.) In second place was Japanese, followed not so closely by Chinese content. [Update: here’s the article.]

So, anyone who wants to write online for a living thus has a greater opportunity if they were to learn any or all of the top three languages. At least, that’s my hypothesis.

If you’re reading this, then you already know English. Let’s assume that you are English-speaking. So, what about learning Japanese or Chinese, then?

I’m leaving my own linguistic history out, because no matter how I try, it’s too verbose. Suffice it to say that while I’m not fluently multilingual, I do know at least smidgens of seven languages including English, French, Japanese, and my mother tongue, and the letterforms of at least 22 languages.

I believe it’s a good thing to be bilingual/ multilingual, and gives you an advantage in life. If you know how to use it. That goes against the grain for a lot of xenophobic people, but too bad. We are becoming a global village, with not just the websites on the Internet, but also the ability to make free long-distance “phone” calls using the Internet, as well as all the social networks and the ability to chat.

So, if you are tempted to learn one of the top three languages (in terms of Internet content) that you don’t already know, I’ll suggest Japanese. It’s far far easier than Chinese (Mandarin). Believe me, I tried the latter because I was considering going to China to teach English. It’s not a requirement, but I’m a lover of languages and considered it an opportunity. But with up to eleven different tonal inflections for any given syllable, it’s not an easy language for English speakers to learn.

By contrast, Japanese is very phonetic. Despite the fact that there are four alphabets/ written forms in use, you can use Romaji for most Japanese words. Romaji is simply the same Roman letters that are used for English and loads of other languages. Fortunately, there is one sound associated to each unique combination of Romaji letters, so it’s even relatively easy to read. What’s hard for some people is the proper pronunciation of Japanese words.

Still, you should start off with just audio lessons. Humans learn a language from childhood by listening first, then going to school to learn the written forms. So I’ve always found it stupid that anyone bothers to teach the written form of another language first, before teaching the aural form.

Now, with multitudes of websites that offer free podcast lessons, and sometimes written notes in PDF format, the only excuse you have for not learning a language you’re interested in is… Well, you’ll have to answer that for yourself.

One great resource is Libsyn, which is a podcast directory. In the past week, I’ve downloaded audio lessons (MP3 or related formats) for Japanese, Italian, and French (I’m rusty on all of them).

While all you really is a copy of the free Apple iTunes software, for audio/ video playback, it doesn’t hurt to have an audio player such as an iPod. Because of the battery duration on an iPod, I’ve been refreshing my Japanese by osmosis, going to sleep with the lessons running. It saves me time by not having to listen to them while I’m awake. And oddly enough, during the day, I’ll “hear” a Japanese word in my head out of nowhere, in review of what I’ve already listened to overnight.

I guess it doesn’t hurt that somewhere in the creaky depths of my mind, I already know several hundred words of Japanese. (I taught myself so that I could interview the lead singer of the fun, sweet Japanese “girl rock” band Shonen Knife. But that’s a story for another time.)

I’ve only listened to the first 20 lessons, but I’m very impressed with JapanesePod101.com. And the fact that the lessons are free doesn’t hurt either.

And if you’re wondering why I haven’t downloaded any Chinese lessons, it’s merely because I don’t have the time to look for podcasts. Really. It’s not because I’m scared. Honest.