Having the ability, skill, and knowledge to be able to speak two languages will stand you in good stead in many aspects of life. In fact, learning a foreign tongue will change your life for the better; it will build your self-confidence and give you a greater level of open-mindedness,through having the bravery to strike up interesting conversations with native and fluent speakers. If you’re shy, learning another language will give you a chance to expand your horizons, meet new people and make new friends.
While being a massive benefit in your personal life to improve friendships, relationships,traveling and holidays, one of the biggest advantages of learning another language is in your career. Here are seven of the best benefits of being bilingual in the workplace
1. You’ll be top of the interview list
Having a second language on your CV is a huge bonus point for employers and may even be an obligatory requirement. With the job market growing increasingly competitive you need to have a killer resume and one of the aspects that will earn you brownie points is the skill of being multilingual.
As companies grow and become increasingly globalized, employers need staff that can serve their multicultural consumers and can work efficiently and cohesively with teammates around the world in different offices. If you can navigate diverse cultures through your language skills, it will instantly make you a more versatile employee that everyone will be desperate to have on their team, and mean you will be adept at tasks like editing service reviews across different languagues.
2. Earn more
Having the added talent of being bilingual will make you a much more powerful employee, and with that will come pay incentives to keep you and your skills in the same company. While different languages have different power regarding earnings, it is predicted that being bilingual can earn you 5-20% extra every hour compared to your unilingual colleagues.
Make sure you showcase your language ability in every job and demonstrate how much value your business is getting from you as a language expert.
3. You are more adaptable
Feel like you’re stuck in a rut in your current job? Never fear if you know a second language as that can open the gateway to many other career opportunities, whether in your current workplace or beyond. By having a second language, you may be able to transfer to another office in a different country while still working for your current boss, or maybe you can be the integral link that seamlessly harmonizes two workplaces, having knowledge of a second language may even mean you get offered more business trips. Out of the office and use of your skills is a win-win!
If you are searching for pastures new, then language jobs are one of the fastest growing sectors, there is a huge demand for translators and interpreters and well as jobs where a second language is a must such as travel and tourism.
4. More networking
Have a group of colleagues from Colombia? Well, your Spanish skills will surely impress them. Having a second language helps you to form new relationships with coworkers who perhaps struggle to communicate in English. With your skills, you can network across the business and be there to support all team members and create an inclusive workplace.
Through knowing a second language, you’ll be the first to know any office gossip from your co-workers even if they hide it through speaking in another language. With this in mind, it’s always good to find out the slang language and everyday nuances of your second language, so you know exactly what they’re saying.
5. Creative powers
With more and more research into the many benefits of bilingualism, one of the biggest findings is that of creativity. Being multilingual improves your creativity through divergent thinking. This means that when a work problem arises, bilingual speakers will typically be able to identify multiple solutions.
This type of creative thinking is much needed in the workplace and will not only help you to experiment with new ideas but also help you to think more logically. With your analytical brainpower, you’ll be the go-to person in the office for work dilemmas which will get you noticed quickly for all the right reasons.
6. Decision making
Nobody wants a ditherer in their organization, but fortunately speaking a second language will help you to become better at making rational decisions based on fact, rather than emotion, ideal for the workplace and propelling your career.
According to scientists, the ability to speak a foreign language helps to give an emotional distance, so that you can think with your head, not your heart. So the next time your boss wants answers, think about it in your non-native language, and you’ll impress with your reply.
7. Further your career
Once you have mastered learning one language, you make the job of learning the next language much easier. If your workplace has ties to another country or culture that has made you keen to learn the language, you’ll be pleased to hear that taking on another language will seem much easier.
Another benefit is that your willingness to learn a new skill will show your boss how motivated and committed you are to self-improvement. Your boss will see that you are driven and passionate and that will keep you at the forefront of their mind when a new opportunity or promotion comes up.