How Languages Can Help Your Career

by Tiffany Harper

As globalization advances, more people become bilingual or multilingual. Indeed, in the age of globalization, where people can connect through Internet to someone else across the globe, where the mass media provides information from around the globe, and where migration means multilingual and multicultural societies, the necessity of speaking more than a single language becomes more evident as never before, writes Hindawi.

Speaking another language has numerous advantages - it not only sharpens our minds and keeps our memory strong, but it also boosts our brain's power and develops our ability to multitask. When we speak other languages, we inevitably meet different people, listen to their stories, immerse in their culture, and might even develop long-lasting friendships. Career-wise also, learning a new language opens the doors to success.

Anyway, if you're already good at fluency, but sometimes have troubles with writing some documents or don't feel much confidence in a new foreign language, you can always lean on cheap paper writing service.

Over the past five years, demand for bilingual workers in the U.S. more than doubled, show studies at the New American Economy Organization. In 2010, there were roughly 240,000 job postings aimed at bilingual workers; by 2015, that figure had ballooned to approximately 630,000. Being bilingual means being able to communicate with numerous people in numerous ways.

You might have wondered "how many languages should I learn to reach success?" The truth is, as many as you can. The more languages you speak, the more chances to get selected for a job interview.

"We look at our applicants' language skills," shares Ed Longwood, CEO at Times. "We think it's important hiring candidates that can open doors to the international market," continues Longwood. "Our KPI is based upon our engagement and social reach in the diverse business world."

Now let me tell you about my personal experience. I'm fluent in three languages and able to converse in five. That helped me greatly career-wise. First, my resume made me look like an attractive candidate many times. I looked distinctive; I had something other candidates didn't.

Second, it helped me network everywhere I went. I work in Sales, so interacting with people in their native languages brought me numerous customers. When you joke around in a client's first language, they're inevitably attracted to your charm.

We, as humans, search for social interaction endlessly - and when we find someone willing to interact with us using the least complicated mechanisms, we go all in. This is what happens when you speak their language - they're in, no matter what; and you've done your job and got credit for the financial expansion of the company you might be working for.

Third, I worked in an international company for years, building exceptional relationships with clients worldwide. Because of my outstanding (sigh sigh) language skills, I've been able to develop so many connections that I've opened up my own business. So speaking multiple languages has many advantages both short and long time.

If you're interested in acquiring a new language or two, here are the main ones to consider.

1. English

One of the most significant international languages at the moment, English should be your number one priority. If you want to learn a new language, start with this one - it's being used worldwide, and one can barely communicate and integrate internationally without speaking English. Since you are reading this article, I'm guessing you're already familiar with the basics. However, to advance your career, you'll need to make a greater effort. You must learn both grammar and spelling properly to move towards your end goals, at least career-wise.

2. Spanish

More than 410 million people speak Spanish as their native language and this total number of Spanish native speakers covers 5.85% of the world population. Thus, speaking Spanish will be helpful to you in many ways.

3. Mandarin

Countries where Mandarin is spoken include - China, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan. If you are working in the business field, learning Mandarin will boost your career performance and bring you serious profits. Chinese is the most spoken language in the world with more than 14% of the global population speaking it. You do the math!

Here you can find six reasons why learning a new language helps you advance professionally:

Conclusion

So we're ending with the question - how many languages do you need to speak for a successful career? To outrun your competition immediately and advance professionally, I'd personally advise you to learn as many as you can. Start with polishing your English skills and continue learning languages, which are close to your business region or foreign partners of your company. And you will be sure that each additional language will give you more advantages and ways to proceed your career successfully.

There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself, you can never go wrong with it. It is the true way to improve yourself to be the best version of you and lets you be able to best serve those around you.

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