Knowing a second language is a great skill to have; not only will it give you an edge over competition, but it will improve your business’ entire functionality. Businesses all over the world are expanding in many ways so this is the time to stay in lane and evolve in the business landscape as opposed to getting left behind – especially if your business goal is to be global.
Learning a brand-new language can lead employees to feel more confident in their work as they will be able to communicate with customers, stakeholders and suppliers in their language of choice. And as language barriers can be the main reason why team collaborations and potential negotiations are not met, a business small or big should never underestimate the role it plays and the impact it can have on future expansions.
We have worked with the experts at Absolute Translations, and here they have compiled 5 main reasons why you should include language learning as a corporate benefit and how it should be an integral part of the company strategy.
1) Builds confidence
If employees are able to interact better with teams, clients, stakeholders and partners after successful language training then they will ultimately feel more confident in their work. Employees will also reduce the risk of miscommunication amongst team members, management and external factors of the business which leads to less time wastage and an increased level of productivity. Productivity is the key objective for the majority of corporations, so language learning will boost morale too.
2) Understanding customers
If your business is operating in a global market, then language training will be able to strengthen the relationship you have with overseas customers. Even if some of your employees are not in direct content with customers it is important for them to have knowledge of the language in order for them to target specific audiences.
3) Negotiating
When it comes to negotiating with foreign clients and stakeholders for the first time, you need to be able to understand the language in question. This is more likely going to result in a trustworthy and stronger relationship with clients whilst also gaining respect from them. Also, this can cut down on any aspects of miscommunication that can cause negative outcomes.
4) Employee loyalty and retention
Businesses are now recognizing that whilst monetary raises and bonuses are a great incentive, they should never overlook anything which can increase the development of individual employees. If your business is offering language learning, then it will give them a reason to remain loyal to the company due to the ambitious aspect which is attached to learning a second language and expanding their skills base.
5) Improves decision making
When you acquire a second language you improve your memory and increase your attention span. This is due to the process of becoming bilingual exercising your brain and challenging you to ultimately concentrate on problem solving skills. If you are bilingual, then you do seem to gain a more logical thought process as opposed to monolingual employees.
