To stress the importance of learning a foreign language for international business is somewhat embarrassing. Yet the number of UK business personnel and managers that do not speak a second language is more embarrassing.
A common point made by such individuals is that English is now the world language. This is simply not true. English is one of many international languages and competes alongside Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic and Japanese.
Why Learn a Foreign Language?
Numerous studies have highlighted the lack of investment in language skills by industry in the UK. Webber (1997) in Trade Talks? Language Lessons for Commerce and Industry, reports that from a survey of 844 UK businesses along with data gathered from surveys of employees and other sources only 4.6% of companies offered any incentive to their staff to study a foreign language, yet 22% of staff interviewed believed that a knowledge of a foreign language would be a 'significant' benefit to them in their work.
Vielba and Edelshain (1997) analysed the role of business schools in promoting language proficiency. Their findings showed that 90% of the continental business schools had a requirement for a foreign language on entry, while only 6% of UK schools asked the same. They conclude that 'given the changing patterns of world trade, this could be a short-sighted strategy which shifts competitive advantage away from the USA and Europe in many of the growing markets of the world', and that, 'a greater diversification of cross-cultural competence will be needed in the future, not only to reflect the diversification of global markets, but also to facilitate a diversification in management thought'.
Language learning clearly has its benefits and is something any serious career minded individual should consider if they see themselves progressing in the international field.
Our teaching staff have the experience and knowledge to assist you in your language development. We will analyse your needs and create a syllabus just for you, focusing on your weaknesses, interests, career path, the field you work in and your aims and objectives.
For more information please visit our English Language Tuition, Foreign Language Tuition or Online Language Tuition pages.
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