Welcome to the Skills blog series-
Language skills
The most widely spoken languages in the world are Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic respectively. If you are a native speaker in any of the languages above, that is great. If not, then knowing one or two of them would be the way to go. Being from Nepal, most of us are familiar with Hindi and English to a certain degree (basic to advanced), thus knowing basic to moderate Chinese or Spanish is beneficial for us. Being proficient in Chinese can create a lot of job opportunities for those in the travel & hospitality industry. My one year of Spanish classes in high school has proved very helpful in my travels around Europe and US.
Knowing another language especially Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi or Arabic could be very useful in your personal or professional life. A plethora of websites and apps are now available to get you started in learning a new language. Even having some basic foreign language skills will help you when visiting another country or interacting with someone whose native language is different than yours. In the global marketplace, bilingual speakers get more job opportunities and can build rapport easily with people from different countries.
In the write up “The Value of Spanish in the Workplace”, it mentions that bilingual executives are most frequently needed in marketing, sales and general management and to serve as president or CEO. “If you see yourself doing work internationally or going into banking or trade or any other business where you’ll travel, you’ll take Spanish more seriously,” said Tom Birmingham, Korn/Ferry’s managing director of global accounts. Plenty of reasons available for you to start or hone your language skills now.
Key takeaways:
-Learn any of these languages: Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi or Arabic
-Start learning a language today
Previous Skills blog series:
Image source: Think New Asia