Studies show
that individuals with multiple linguistics skill sets equate to higher employability, as language barriers can cause exponential problems in the linguistics of business. Communications with consumers, manufacturers, employees, and investors can become a nightmare and cause irreversible damage to your business. It is for this reason that many companies large and small give preferential treatment to employment candidates that can speak at least one other language fluently.
The problem
is that while many people are required to study a second language in their formative years as a student in the educational system, the vast majority are not provided the option to utilize the additional language regularly enough to retain the information, unless they come from a different ethnicity that encourages the use of their native tongue as well as their education in English. It’s not uncommon for children of the household to learn a new language in school that their parents just don’t understand and may not encourage its use quite as much. It’s worth pointing out that this happens on both sides of the spectrum where children of immigrants learn English and perhaps their Spanish, Asian, Islamic, Jewish, Italian, French speaking relatives have not yet learned the language, or prefer that everyone speak their native language within the home to minimize confusion or as a means of including everyone in the conversation.
Corporations and business owners however, love bilingual and multilingual employment candidates as it provides them with the ability to conduct business regardless of the language spoken by the person on the other side of the table. Whether it’s their consumers, investors, or branching out to a new country, the language barrier has become non-existent simply because you possess the skill of “speaking their language” and can translate communications.
This is all well and great for those that learned and retained their grammar, middle, and high school half semester classes and the basics of the language that were taught, but what about people that didn’t take a second language in school, don’t want to go back to college to learn one (which is generally part of any degree program), or perhaps you learned one that you don’t foresee as being useful. Perhaps you live in America, learned French in school in Louisiana, then your job transferred you to Texas where the majority of people speak Spanish, what good is your second language now? Perhaps your company decides to open up shop in Quebec, Canada and needs a French speaking company representative to correspond with the new department heads and your skills have become an invaluable asset once again, providing of course you retained the knowledge and fluency of the language.
Thanks to
research and online availability, learning a second language as an adult can not only boost your resume, but provide brain function and strengthening exercise that can prevent or offset the onset of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune or be time consuming!
Language Programs
such as Rosetta Stone, Rocket Languages, Tell Me More, Living Language and the Pimsleur Approach makes learning a second language a breeze. You can learn the essentials and be speaking a new language in as little as 1-2 weeks if you follow the program instructions.
The great thing is
that with the internet at your disposal, you can join communities of people that will assist you in learning the language, building your vocabulary and understanding, and even allow you to utilize the language as a means of reinforcing the things you’ve learned and assisting you in retaining the fluidity words rolling off your tongue and making great use of your knowledge. You can also download free Apps like Duolingo, Babbel, and many more to learn new languages from iTunes, Google Play, and other App sites to reduce the costs associated with learning an additional language.
I wouldn’t expect a raise right away, but it is a skill that will stand out predominantly on your resume along with skills directly related to the position, when you apply for a new position within your current company or begin the search for more meaningful employment.
