5 Career Advantages of Being Bilingual or Speaking Another Language

Searching for a way to stand out from the competition? Want to put yourself ahead in the job market and elevate your career prospects? Learn to speak another language!

With this in-demand skill on your resume, you’ll show employers that you would be an asset to the company. They’ll notice your potential and understand how you could help the business increase revenue and expand on a global scale.

It doesn’t matter what your career ambitions are. It doesn’t matter if you’ll be liaising with international clients, attending global conferences, or providing customer service to domestic clients. Being bilingual is a must for the 21st-century job market.

According to a 2019 report from The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), 90% of U.S. employers alone rely on employees with language skills and 56% predict this will increase over the next five years.

So, how could learning a foreign language help your career? Let’s find out.

Work benefits of being bilingual

1. You’ll increase your earning potential

When you are bilingual or at least speak a few words of another language, you are likely to earn more than your peers.

According to one study, bilinguals in the USA earn on average $7000 more per annum than non-bilingual or 5-10% more per hour because they can speak another language.

Because you’ll be more skilled when it comes to communicating across a diverse range of backgrounds, you could increase company revenue and encourage them to keep reviewing your salary.

Less than 20% of Americans, 38% of Brits, and around 60% of people globally speak another language. Because of this, your language skills will give you a competitive career advantage and accelerate your climb up the career ladder.

Read more: What are the Best Foreign Languages to Learn for Business?

Regardless of which industry you work in, your language skills will pay off in job interviews, meetings, sales pitches, global negotiations, consulting, and practically every area of your international career.

2. You’ll be more likely to land that dream job!

By learning another language, you’ll be more likely to stand out in the highly competitive job market and land your ideal job opportunity.

Having language skills on your CV speaks volumes about how globally minded you are, whether you have a strong work ethic, and whether you’re willing to dedicate your time to personal development and growth.

If you can speak a language that is well matched for your career, your skillset is more likely to impress prospective employers. Why not consider learning German for the automotive, mechanical engineering, chemical, and electrical industries? Or English for international communications? Or Mandarin Chinese to succeed in the Asian market?

If it’s good enough for Mark Zuckerberg, it’s good enough for us!

3. You’re more likely to land international work opportunities

Picking up skills in another language (even if you don’t become fluent) can also help you achieve your dream of traveling the world whilst actually getting paid to do so.

If you can speak another language, your employers are more likely to select you when it comes to attending those international meetings, and conferences, and developing international relationships.

You’ll also stand a better chance when it comes to landing an exciting career opportunity abroad, even if you’re only looking for a gateway to living abroad.

Here at Mondly, we offer industry-specific course content that can give you a competitive advantage in your chosen career and chosen language. Why not check us out today?

4. You’ll become a more effective leader

Do you have your sights on the top of your industry? Want your boss to notice you and give you that key promotion?

Developing your language skills can be one of the best ways to achieve this.

When you study a foreign language, you’re not just learning new vocabulary, grammar, or cultural information. You’re also developing your problem-solving skills and ability to connect across cultural and language barriers. You understand diversity and you’re able to communicate and connect effectively to achieve the outcome you’re looking for.

When it comes to leadership, these skills are invaluable. As Forbes magazine says, effective leadership is “…being about to comprehend and hold different perspectives readily and why people may think in different ways.” Language learning goes beyond diversity and inclusion strategies to provide real hands-on people skills.

5. You’ll become more skilled at ‘thinking outside of the box’

Numerous studies show that the languages we speak affect our perspective of the world. It draws our attention to different elements, describes events differently, and even influences whether we see a story in an individual or collective way.

When you can speak another language, you’ll tend to look at problems in a different way than others. You’ll also be more likely to find an innovative and effective solution.

Your superior confidence, flexibility, listening skills, and multitasking skills make your solution more likely to be selected. As a result, you’ll impress your client and employer and close that critical deal.

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Get ahead in your career by learning a language for business with Mondly

Learn a language for business faster and more effectively with our innovative language-learning technologies.

Daily lessons are suitable whether you’re a beginner, improver or further along in your language learning journey. They cover everything you need to know including vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.

With added features for optimal speaking practice including voice recognition technology and VR, Mondly for Business is the tool you need to fulfil your career potential.

Discover how our corporate language learning packages can transform your business. Contact us today: business@mondly.com