Best Languages For Business
Posted by Jim | November 8, 2009 | 1 Comment
Photo: Oberazzi
As the business world becomes more global, the likelihood of interacting with someone whose primary language is not English becomes much greater. At the same time, it seems English is quickly becoming the universal language of not only business, but also diplomacy, education and the sciences. As a future MBA and a native English-speaker, is there any real business benefit for me to learn a second language?
I’d like to think yes.
Even if many people around the world have a basic understanding of English, they may feel very uncomfortable when talking to a native English speaker. In my limited travels to Europe, I’ve tried to at least make an effort to communicate in the local language first, no matter how poorly. It seems that not expecting everyone to speak English helps make people feel more comfortable, and more willing to offer to speak English.
Secondly, studying a language is more than learning vocabulary and pronunciation. Equally important, particularly in business, is learning about cultural traits, as well similarities and differences with your own culture. Is it considered rude to shake hands at a business meeting? Or to smile at a member of the opposite sex? Such cultural knowledge could be invaluable in an international business setting.
Finally, the process of learning a new language can help strengthen your English communication skills. I’ve recently had the opportunity to do some volunteer work tutoring native Spanish-speakers in adult English as a Second Language classes. First, I’m surprised at how much Spanish I’ve remembered, even though I haven’t studied it for a number of years. Second, thinking about things like sentence construction and subject-verb agreement in Spanish naturally leads to a better understanding of such things in English. As a result, I feel my English communication skills have actually improved.
So, what are the best second-languages for a native English-speaker to learn for business?
Given global trends and my own personal experiences, I’m leaning toward the following:
- Spanish – previous experience studying; spoken in many countries around the world; growing population within the United States, as well.
- French – some similarities to Spanish; prevalent throughout Europe, Africa and parts of Asia; likely that individuals involved in international business would speak either English or French, if not both.
- Chinese – Growing importance in global economy; huge population; difficult for English-speakers to learn; Mandarin dialect spoken by more people, Cantonese dialect spoken over greater geographic area.
Any experiences in learning these, or other, languages for business or personal use? Are products such as Rosetta Stone 
For non-native English speakers, what are your experiences in dealing with native English speakers in the business world?
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September 9th, 2010 @ 5:30 pm
These days and as we move forward into the future… it will become more and more important for people to be able to communicate.