Why is Learning a Language Intrinsic to Your Career?

Have you ever seen (and secretly envied) those people who seem to have the best jobs in the world? Do you ever wonder how you could also get a job similar to what they have?

Look no further.

The answer to your question is ‘languages’. Those people have the advantage of studying additional languages, apart from English.

How does learning a new language boost your career, you question?

The following reasons explain why languages are more in demand by employers everywhere than ever before!

Reason #1: Beat The Competition

Statistically, English is still popular in the business world, but languages like Spanish, Mandarin, French and many others are fast catching up too. Many employers favor those C.V.s which clearly state that their writer is multilingual. Such a C.V. is placed at the top of the pile and he/she, (depending on fluency in said language), will generally inch past his/her competition and get the job.

Reason #2: Creating A Rapport

Boundaries and barriers are slowly ceasing to exist in the era of globalization. As the world gets smaller, cultures and nationalities are beginning to merge (at least in the workplace). People from different countries, race and languages work in tandem in many offices around the world, companies branch out overseas or export products to multiple countries, people migrate to a different country in search of change or better opportunities. In such situations, knowing another language is a huge asset for everyone involved. Knowing and being able to speak another language also strengthens the camaraderie with colleagues, clients, suppliers or customers of another nationality.

Reason #3: Admission At A Prestigious University

Introduction to a new language starts in school itself, with many schools offering students a choice to learn some of the more popular languages, apart from English. Students can take this one step further, by enrolling for additional classes in the language of their choice. Not only will it help them get good grades, it also increases their chances of getting admission at a good university, thereby boosting their employability.

Reason #4: Chances Of A Promotion

Learning a language offers multiple benefits-getting acquainted with the culture, understanding the customs and traditions, and familiarising yourself with the rules, both written and implied. If offered a promotion (because, with your knowledge of the language and culture, you are the perfect candidate for it), your acceptance (or refusal) will not hinge on the fact that you feel uncomfortable moving to an unfamiliar place. Travelling to different parts of the world also gets a whole lot easier, if you can converse with the locals in their native tongue.

Reason #5: Money, Money, Money

The math is simple; you know more than one language, you get a higher salary. A study conducted in Canada in 2010 supports this theory. This study found that bilingual workers were consistently paid around 3% higher than their monolingual colleagues. Speaking both English and French helped them earn more, even though they weren’t required to speak those languages for their jobs.

Reason #6: Mind Matters

Training your brain to be bilingual or multilingual allows it to function efficiently, improving your concentration, memory and overall cognitive abilities. Speaking more than one language also helps to keep degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia at bay. Recruiters prefer people who speak more than one language, because they are usually very good at multitasking, can focus in any environment and are more accepting of other cultures.

In a highly competitive job market, where every vacancy receives multiple (often over-qualified) applications, any method that, however incremental, makes you stand out from the crowd and increases your chances of being hired, should be explored at all costs. If this isn’t a great reason to learn a language right now, I don’t know what is.