How Foreign Language Skills Will Boost Careers in 2021

Foreign language skills may not always be required, but the benefits multilinguals bring to organizations are real — especially now that the market is getting more competitive.
“[Multilingual] employees greatly enhance your company’s capabilities to interact with a larger swath of the population; they help foster a more innovative and diverse business and give you in-house capabilities,” explains Salvador Ordorica, the CEO of The Spanish Group, in an article on bilingualism.
This is why multilingual employees are paid better.
But what exactly about knowledge in foreign languages will help you advance in your career?
Here are three important reasons:

1. Foreign Language Skills Boost Cognitive Power

Learning new languages doesn’t just give you an extra skill, it also boosts your problem-solving ability, creative thinking, and memory.
In our post on the benefits of being bilingual, some studies show that those who know more than one language are better at remembering sequences, for instance.
Those who work in math-related professions like economics and insurance might see their career advance faster because of this.
The increased vocabulary may help with your ability to communicate — an essential soft skill you need in higher positions no matter the department.

Students who have completed a full four-year language course even score more than 100 points on the Scholastic Aptitude Test compared to those who only knew one, further emphasizing how well the brain works better if you’re multilingual.

2. Foreign Language Skills Increase Your Ability to Understand Your Team

If you’re aiming for the top, know that you need to learn how to understand and guide the people below you.
Knowledge of your team’s native languages can help you with this.
For instance, they might more thoroughly explain their findings in their first language than they would in English.
Furthermore, top careers in business, like HR and operations management, rely heavily on communicating and connecting with others both within and outside your team.
For example, operations managers are tasked to inform and guide other departments within their organization.
If you belong in these people professions, know that multilingualism will come in handy during your assessments.

Your chances of advancement are better if you work for companies with ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts, as it’s proof of how they value their employees, regardless of background.

3. Foreign Language Skills Open Better Networking Opportunities

Not all prospective partners will have English as their primary language (nor will they be fluent in it), so knowledge of their native language can help you build valuable connections with more people.
For example, did you know that the Fortune Global 500 is slowly being dominated by Chinese CEOs?
Many successful businesses like Trader Joe’s, 7-Eleven, and Holiday Inn are also run by foreigners.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that a lot of your business’ prospective partners' first language won’t be English.
If you’re aspiring for a higher position, you will need to communicate with them frequently.
This is why multilingualism is a very sought-out skill in leaders.

If you run your own business or have a freelance career, the situation is the same. You might find yourself in networking events, which your foreign language skills will prove useful in.

Whether it’s by boosting your memory or introducing you to more prospects, a foreign language can help boost your careers in multiple aspects. Fortunately, learning a new language is something that can be done in your free time via online classes, podcasts, or even games.

Author’s bio: Vienna Dennis is a freelance writer with an expressed interest in foreign languages. Her goal is to learn at least one European and one Asian language before she hits 30.