What language should you take to become a veterinarian?

Answer 1

This will depend upon where you want to practice - if you are not already fluent in the major spoken language(s) of that area, I would suggest starting to learn the one or ones you don't already know. In the United States, the primary language of the veterinary schools is American English, but many veterinarians working on the West Coast and along the southern border find being bilingual in English and Spanish very helpful. In other areas, knowing French, American Sign Language, German, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, or Japanese will be useful. The same will hold true regardless of the country - the best language to learn is one you don't already know but may have clients that speak that language.

If you are already fluent in all the major languages of where you anticipate practicing, learning Latin or Greek may be helpful - both languages have contributed many base words to the medical profession.

Answer 2

In the United States, the schools of veterinary medicine teach primarily in English, so you would need to be conversationally and scientifically fluent in written and spoken English.

However, in Mexico and a fair number of schools in South America, veterinary medicine is taught in Spanish since this is the primary language of those countries. In France, veterinary medicine is taught in French; in Germany veterinary medicine is taught in German. Veterinary medicine is not a specifically English-based profession - it translates across all languages. Incidentally, the first modern school of veterinary medicine was founded in Lyon, France, so one could make the argument that veterinary medicine was taught in French and then translated into English.