English is an official language in Malta, so essentially everyone here can speak English very well. However, Maltese is also an official language, so locals tend to prefer to speak in Maltese among one another. Maltese is an interesting language that sounds like a mix between Arabic and Italian, a mix reflective of Malta's geopolitical and cultural history as a nation. ("Geopolitics" means how a country's politics and relationships with other countries are shaped by its geography.) Not many people outside of Malta speak Maltese, so it is quite a unique language to hear. For example, it is unique enough that Google Translate and other online translation apps aren't able to recognize or translate Maltese. Maltese people hold their language closely and speak it as much as possible in an effort to ensure it is not lost due to the increasing amount of English spoken. However, since Malta is such a multicultural country, you can hear a variety of languages being spoken on the streets each day. For example, some languages I have heard being spoken this week that I can recognize are Italian, Spanish, German, French, Swahili, Bengali, Hindi, Arabic, Somali, Nepali, Dutch and Ukrainian.
