There are almost 7,000 languages spoken in the world today. However, the most common 50 languages are spoken by 80% of the people as their mother tongue (and about 90% as a second language). It's estimated that half of the world's population speaks more than one language. That said, learning a few words of the language spoken at your destination can open a lot of doors. And even amongst people you share no language with a smile can go a long way.