Benefits of Learning a Language in the Business World

        Earlier in the week, I happened across someone who quite decidedly believed that learning another language holds no value in the business world - as it so happens, this person stated this quite condescendingly. In all honesty, I was astonished at this belief.

       As an Economics major, it's quite feasible to imagine that yes, I have considered how learning another language might benefit me in the business world. While the largest benefits of learning a second language lie outside the business world, there are, of course, benefits still to be had.

        My first point is : Who likes to make more money? Presumably everyone, no? Well, should you wish to make more money, look no farther than learning a second language. On average, regardless of where you work, fluency in another language typically leads to a 2-4% increase in annual salary. These numbers can obviously be higher (those in the military typically make up to 10% more). Also, the less common the language, the more your talents will be in demand, and the higher the possibilities of a higher pay check. While 2-4% may not seem like much, someone making a mere $30,000 a year would, upon retirement and compounding, have made an extra $70,000. Not bad, to say the least.

       Also, learning a language inevitably leads to more job openings. My French teacher during my senior year of high school is a prime example of this. This man, unfortunately, could not find work at all that related to his Masters degree (musical history, I believe it was). Fortunately, he had become fluent in French as a random past time, and he was able to land a job as a French teacher. His talent became a simple talent to being an avenue to a career in teaching! If teaching isn't necessarily your style, that's fine - remember that two growing fields are interpreters and translators! Thus, should you ever find yourself in a bind, you know you have a marketable skill that can land you a job almost instantly.

       Finally, something to consider is the fact that the world is constantly shrinking. More and more businessmen are being sent overseas to do business. Unfortunately, only roughly 5% of the worlds population speaks English - not a very high percentage, to say the least. Thus, learning another language would be incredibly helpful whenever you're sent to Barcelona or Rome or Paris for a couple months on a business trip. It can go from a trip of being stuck inside a building for business, to being a time of your life as you adroitly explore the city and interacting with the denizens who reside there!

       Thus, to those who believe that learning another language has no practical use once you actually wish to find a job, recognize that....unfortunately, you're incorrect. Again, we find that learning another language, while difficult, has an insurmountable amount of benefits that can change your life forever.

Tips to Learning a Second Language

        Do you remember that horrifying moment in middle school when you learned you were going to have to take a language class? For some, it would be the longest two years of your life...for others, it would continue on from being a two year requirement to a life-changing class.



        However, even those who continue on to study the language for several years often run into problems when learning the language, let alone beginners. Let's face it, teaching yourself to learn how to speak and understand things in a completely different way isn't entirely the easiest nor the most immediately rewarding past-times. For that reason, I've decided to give a few tips that will make your trip to bilingualism a tiny bit easier! Let's get started.

1. Listen to the language spoken naturally several times a week.

No, this doesn't mean you need to spend several hours each week attempting to comprehend some random French anchor. However, a short 10 minute podcast each day will go a long ways to helping you achieve the hardest part of learning a language - understanding the spoken language (completely). If possible, listen to the podcast a couple times - you'll find yourself finding it easier and easier to understand what's being said. This is an exercise that can be completed while driving somewhere!

2. Stay focused!

It's pretty easy to forget why you started learning a language in the first place! It's extremely easy to get thrown into the mindset that your level of proficiency is "good enough". Like learning any practice, learning a language has a rule of diminishing returns - the more and more you study, the less and less results you'll see. This can be discouraging, as learning a second language isn't something you can get a reminder of the benefits of every day. So stay focused and remember why you wanted to start learning in the first place!

3. Make fun activities into practice!

You can be surprised as to what simple exercises can become incredibly practice! For example, if you enjoy playing handheld video games (let's use Pokemon, as an example), it's relatively simple to change the language and play the game in that language! Pokemon, like most handheld games, is a rather simple game that doesn't really require a lot of understanding to play. Thus, it's perfect to use as a little bit of practice! Run around the world and play the game in that language, and you'll notice how many small, simple phrases you'll catch on to... thus, even a small game can become a great tool!

4. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, READ.

Reading, as I'm sure you know, is the best way to test how well you understand a language. However, once you become relatively proficient and can understand the words being said, reading also begins to become a tool that helps you understand the grammar of the language. Without boring yourself with a plethora of rules, you'll merely pick up on them as you read. Thus, I'd recommend picking a simple, entertaining book (possibly one that you've already read before in English), and read it in the language you're learning. Besides being able to use context clues to learn new words, you'll also be absorbing the grammatical structure of the written language, which will indubitably aid you on your way to becoming fluent!

Remember - while some of these tips may be helpful to you, the biggest tip I can give is to just be motivated! The more interested you are in a language, the easier and quicker you'll learn it!

For more tips on how to learn a language quicker, check out this blog:
http://www.thepolyglotdream.com/

The Random Interactions of a Second Language

        Earlier in the day, I was thinking back to exactly why I first decided I wanted to commit to becoming bilingual. Of course, when I first started taking French classes, it was merely to get rid of a required foreign language credit in middle school. I only had two options (French or Spanish), and since most people decided to take Spanish, I decided to be contrary and go with French. However, that can barely be considered the day I decided I wanted to actually "learn" the language.

        I remember, quite vividly in fact, the day my entire outlook on learning a second language flipped. It was just another random day in French class my junior year of high school, and my French teacher at the time (who was a huge influence on me, as it so happened) was going on a tirade in French. Upon finishing her lecture, she asked me a quick question, which I quite promptly responded too, albeit in less-than-perfect French. However, I still managed to respond.

        Looking back on the interaction later in the day, I was astounded how proud I was that I managed to respond the way I did. I finally, after several years of mediocrity, managed to put together a coherent and respectable response. From that day on, I truly started to "learn" French. That tiny interaction is what fueled my desire to learn the language - to me, it was astounding to be able to present an idea in a completely different tongue and have it be understood.

        Two years, a foreign exchange trip checked off my list, and a placing in a state-wide contest later, I was given yet another reminder as to why I cherish my decision to learn French. My friend from France who I'd met during my exchange trip was visiting me, and we had decided to go to Austin for a couple days. We were jabbering away in French at Barton Springs (a local amusement in Austin), and were randomly approached by a guy who we'd never met before. As it so happens, he was visiting from Belgium (a French-speaking country), and had overheard our speaking French! He introduced himself, and we continued on to spend a large chunk of our remaining time in Barton Springs together. Again, the incredible interactions that come from learning another language were thrown in my face. Without that drive to learn a language, I never would have had that bizarre, yet extraordinarily gratifying, feeling that comes from seeing your hard work pay off.

        Thus, when others ask me, "Why did you even bother to learn French? It's not a truly useful language to learn," I typically smile to myself and think back to why I started. When it comes down to it, it's the satisfaction that comes from the smallest of interactions - a difficult concept to explain, yet when experienced, it's never forgotten.