How Learning a Foreign Language Can Benefit Your Career

There is a consistent demand for people who can bridge the communication gap between two or more cultures. It is becoming easier and easier to gain access to foreign language courses and online apps, allowing the process of learning a foreign language to be accessible to everyone.

One of the greatest benefits of knowing one or more foreign languages is that it gives you an edge over monolingual job candidates. Many corporations today search for candidates with bilingual and multilingual capacities and some companies even require their employees to know a foreign language in order to be hires. As the world continues to globalize it is important to have people on the job that can communicate in different languages. Knowing one or more foreign languages can also help you grow in the long run, allowing you to build relationships with people from all across the globe by relating to different cultural groups in a personal manner. In fact, one of the most effective ways of learning a language is to surround yourself with native speakers. Read this article to find out more about learning Spanish effectively through language immersion tips coming from a certified Spanish translator.

While learning and becoming fluent in a foreign language certainly provides personal fulfilment, it can also provide a financial reward by benefitting your career. Knowing one or more foreign languages opens up many doors to different job opportunities in various sectors that may not be open to monolingual candidates. A multilingual candidate is in fact always more attractive than a candidate who can only speak and provide the company with one language.

As employees who can speak a foreign language are in higher demand, they often also receive higher pay. In the long run knowing a foreign language, having experience with different cultures and positions, working in higher-level positions, which demand greater work, can all provide great career advancement opportunities. Larger companies are always looking to hire managers who can travel overseas and communicate with their overseas partners and clients. Smaller companies need multilingual employees to explore new business opportunities in foreign countries and establish new overseas relationships.

It is commonly known that the best time to learn a foreign language is at a young age when the brain is still in its initial developmental phase. At a younger age the brain is more open to understanding and learning a new language. However, it is never too late to pick up a new language and acquire new skills.

There are thankfully numerous ways to learn a new language, whether these may be online, through apps or by going to specialized courses. For those who prefer to learn in a steady and organized manner, full-service language programs are available and provide a well-rounded learning experience through the use of textbooks, written exercises and audio courses.

Finding a conversation partner in the foreign language you wish to learn is also a great way to acquire a new language. Practice is in fact the best way to learn and speaking with someone who is fluent in the language will allow you to pick up on accents and correct pronunciation.

Another great way for successfully learning a foreign language is through apps like Babbel, for example. These kinds of apps are great for learning a new language especially for someone who does not have time to work on exercises consistently but needs a more on-the-go education. Thanks to the apps you can keep up with learning wherever you are and whenever you have time!

Is it said that there are currently 7,097 living languages in the world today. This means that there are endless languages to be learned and spoken around the world. When it comes to thinking about which languages can best benefit career opportunities one must think of the future of languages and which languages will be mostly requested in the years to come. A few of the most sought after languages after English in the UK job market are: German, as Germany is one of Britain’s biggest trade partner and holds strong financial services and business ties within the UK; Arabic, there are currently more than 1,000 jobs available to those who speak Arabic; French, there are also more than 6,000 jobs available for candidates who speak French due to France’s close ties with the UK; Spanish, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and spoken not only throughout Europe but also South America; Japanese, Russian, Italian and Mandarin, the most widely spoken language in the world. While these are just a few of the most requested languages on the UK job market, knowing one or more of these is very likely to land you a job interview.

Therefore, it is quite clear that knowing one or more foreign languages can open multiple career opportunities and benefit you in the long run. Not only will you be exposed to new cultures and be able to relate to people from all around the world, but you will be in great demand by global companies and companies who wish to expand globally.

Emily Jones

Emily Jones is a creative writing graduate original from the UK but now living and working as a freelance writer in Rome. She is passionate about green alternatives, travel and writing.