Corporate language training isn’t just a “nice to have” perk for your employees. It’s a necessity as your workforce becomes more global. And language training isn’t just for executives and managers. Businesses like the Walt Disney Co. are investing in language training even for hourly workers.nnAre you trying to make the case to your bosses that your company should start providing language training or step up your offerings? We’re here to help you out. We rounded up some of the most powerful research and statistics showing the value of business language training and how it can benefit your company.
What Business Trends Point to the Need for Language Training?
The English-speaking world’s share of the global economy is shrinking.nnAs businesses expand globally, they must provide sales and services in the languages their customers around the world speak.nnThe demand for bilingual workers more than doubled in the U.S. from 2010 to 2015. The intense competition for bilingual workers gives companies an added incentive to create their own language training programs.nnBy 2060, the U.S. will have the second-largest population of Spanish speakers after Mexico. This signals that companies doing business in the U.S. need more workers skilled in Spanish.nnAmerican businesses lose over $2 billion a year to language or cultural misunderstandings, according to the U.S. Committee on Economic Development. That’s not surprising when we consider that only 18 percent of Americans speak more than one language (compared with 56 percent of Europeans).
10 Secrets to Managing your Multilingual Global Workforce
What Are the Benefits of Corporate Language Training?
Businesses with multilingual teams enjoy improved reputations, and their employees are more engaged. Language training programs also help attract top talent. Employee Language Proficiency Helps Global Businesses Compete, Says New Study.nnHaving a language strategy is a competitive advantage for global organizations. And part of any language strategy is having language training programs in place. Companies that provide language training enhance their ability to hire the best talent, because they’re not selecting or rejecting candidates based solely on their language skills. What’s Your Language Strategy?nnIn one study discussed in 3 Ways Language Training Benefits Your Business, more than two-thirds of employees surveyed felt more confident in their work and in collaborating with others after completing language training. Language training also enhances productivity and efficiency.nnBeing bilingual or multilingual changes your employees’ brains in some pretty fascinating ways as described in this Quartz article that make them better team members. Research indicates that speaking more than one language improves intelligence, attention and other skills that can make your employees more creative and innovative.nnBeing able to work in a second language may also help employees be more analytical, make better decisions and keep cool during negotiations. This “foreign language effect” is described in more detail in an article on BBC.nnIf your company needs a proven partner for language training programs, Fluency Corp has a strong track record with clients including Hitachi, Google, Kayak and Samsung. For a free consultation, contact us at getfluent@fluencycorp.com or (800) 401-3159.
