The communication skills of a candidate are one of the most important things that an organization focuses on while interviewing a candidate. No matter how knowledgeable you may be in your domain, your proficiency in a second language may provide you with a better chance to get selected in a coveted position in the organization of your choice. In this article, you will learn benefits of learning a second language.
These days, in IT field, people need to stay updated with the latest IT language. This is a fact about the technical field. But the significance of knowing different languages of communication help in creative and hospitality field to a great extent.
There are multiple benefits of learning a second language for jobs. Here are some of the major benefits of learning a foreign language to help you evolve in your profession and skills:
Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language:
1. Big boost to the power of learner’s brain:
Learning a foreign language will make you aware of new words, idioms and rules. This will provide you with an opportunity to exercise your brain and grasp everything that you learn about that language. As your brain works to find out meaning, you will gain a good grasp of cognitive thinking and problem solving over time. These skills are highly valued in the corporate world.
A learning brain is always active. You are sharpening your learning skills to learn a language which is new. It improves your level of understanding and this definitely tunes you for a better job.
2. Learner Develops Multitasking Abilities:
Not all people are multitasking. Multilingual people who are proficient in communicating in different languages even if there is a dichotomy between them. This is a very challenging and demanding task for the brain.
People with good linguistic skills can handle multiple tasks with a higher level of proficiency faultlessly. This surely adds to their resume and enhances their job prospects. It is thus a great idea to learn a new language.
3. Sharpened memory:
Just as sharpened memory plays a great role while learning a new language, it also contributes to sharpening your memory. like any other part of your body, the brain requires regular exercise to stay sharp and active. You are contributing to this by learning a new language.
Though it may sound clichéd, it is true that the greater the exertion of the brain, the better is its functioning. To have a high level of proficiency in a particular language, one needs to be familiar with the rules related to grammar and vocabulary, which requires the necessity to recall and implement whatever they have learnt.
Language learning requires a high level of brain exertion. This is the major reason why being multilingual people have a better ability to recall names, facts and directions as compared to others.
4. Ability to take good decisions:
As per a recent research conducted by the University of Chicago, multilingual people have the ability to take better decisions as compared to others. Apart from the grammatical norms and vocabulary associated with a foreign language, there are regional expressions that a good student of language uses to judge inner meanings.
Multilingual people thus have the ability to take better decisions as compared to their co-workers. Decision-making forms a vital part of a manager’s day to day work. Therefore, organizations give precedence to multilingual candidates for managerial positions.
They can take important decisions correctly and with comparative ease as compared to people with knowledge of a single language.
5. Remarkable improvement in the first language:
Learning a new language makes you more aware of the nuances of your own language. Things such as the structure of sentences, idioms, vocabulary and punctuation become easier as compared to before. Learning a new language will improve your listening skills as you will be habituated to interpret the meaning of what you learn.
This means that learning a new language enhances your existing language skills. Many times people know a language but fail to remember the ground rules that govern the language. Learning a new language helps you get a revision of these ground rules. It helps you understand what you already know in a much better manner.
6. Enhanced networking skills:
Getting acquainted with a new culture will help you appreciate the views and opinions of other people. Therefore, if you are multilingual, you will get the opportunity to see the world from different angles. It will thus improve your ability to communicate, which is considered vital for growth in the highly competitive world of today.
Many times, language poses a major barrier in communication. Lack of knowledge of a particular language prevents you from interacting with a certain group of people. Learning new languages helps you get over such barriers and enhances your horizon of knowledge.
7. The mind becomes more alert and keener:
Recent studies in psychology have confirmed that multilingual people have alert, keen minds and have the ability to detect anything which is unimportant or incoherent. The main target groups of the study were multilingual and monolingual people.
The first group had the edge over the others. The mental exertion you undergo while studying an unknown subject will mold your mind in an effective way and make you mentally more alert than you really do.
8. Makes the learner knowledgeable and open towards other cultures:
Language is a gateway to a particular culture. By learning a language, you can have a better perception of a community or culture. Being exposed to a culture will make you more flexible and adaptive to good things that you see around you.
As a multilingual, you will have the plus point of viewing the world from different perspectives. Inter-connectivity in today’s work culture is considered a major strong point for any professional. Therefore, the greater the exposure you have to a different culture, the better will be your career growth prospects.
Getting a better view of the different cultures around the world is sure to broaden your perspective. It also helps you get further insights into the human thought process. This is sure to help you advance in different careers + Multiple career options for people with knowledge of Multiple Languages.
Other Powerful Benefits of Learning a Second Language:
The knowledge of more than one language opens avenues and helps you take up some really interesting and challenging jobs that others can’t imagine taking up. It also have greater number of options so that you do not have to stick to the same type of job if you do not enjoy it anymore.
As the advancement of technology contributes to many new career options, a multilingual person has more chances of landing the right job. Here we have listed out a few interesting jobs that language knowledge can help improve prospects of:
1 . Translation:
Knowledge of different languages and proficiency in the same can help you get the chance of playing a translator. While there are surely software like the Google translator, they sure can never replace a human being in the task of translating.
This is especially true because the rules governing each language is different and direct translation through a software may not be able to understand or translate the nuances, thus messing up completely.
2. Transcription:
Another great job that you can take up if you know multiple languages is that of transcription. Here, your language proficiency as well as the knowledge of accents and tones would be put to test. Transcription jobs pay well. They are particularly helpful in reporting, client meetings with foreign clients and education.
3. Sales and Marketing:
There is a lot of room for language experts in sales and marketing jobs. Every good marketing person is aware that marketing a product in the customer’s own language gives you more chances of getting results. That is the reason why the advertising and marketing departments come up with interesting slogans and tag lines in different languages hoping to attract local customers.
4. Search Engine Optimisation:
An emerging field where you can put your language skills at work is search engine optimisation. The demand and traffic to websites in local and regional languages is increasing. This also means that many website owners are seeking content writers and SEO people with knowledge of regional and local languages.
The knowledge of languages can help you generate content in those languages if you are a content writer. The SEO people can make use of their logic and language knowledge to find out the best keywords to target on these local websites.
5. Hospitality Segment:
The hospitality segment has multiple job options for people who have knowledge of different languages. The clients in this segment belong to different locations around the world. Knowledge of different languages can help to simplify the conversation. It also helps to build a better relationship with the client. This counts heavily in most businesses and jobs.
The myriad benefits of learning different languages surely increase the significance of language skills. It is a great way to strengthen your resume by learning some foreign languages. It will help you have an edge over others around you.
