Why Should I Give Employees the Opportunity to Learn Their Ethnic Language?

Language is the means to communicate. Although the internet has paved the way to global communication, it remains true that global conversations require a bridge that connects language barriers. Employing those who can close that gap by translating are an integral piece of a global company. 

Maybe you’re looking to diversify your company’s abilities and grow its market potential, or maybe you’re simply looking for a way to reward your employees and increase employee loyalty. Either way, you should consider giving your employees the ability to learn the language of their ethnicity. Here’s why: 

1. Employees learning their cultural or heritage language are more driven to do so, and therefore more successful. Motivation is a huge factor behind success in language learning. We have innately personal connections with our heritage languages — they connect us culturally and linguistically to our parents and grandparents. That cultural connection can play a large role in motivation, and therefore success.
2. As we begin to learn the language of our heritage, we are more likely to have a background in that ethnicity’s language, as well as its culture. By harnessing the innate potential of language speakers with pre-existing cultural knowledge, you will create ambassadors who can effectively communicate between their own cultural and linguistic groups on behalf of you, their employer.
3. They will feel that you appreciate them and value the diversity they bring to the workplace. Recognizing your employees’ diverse cultural identities fosters an inclusive environment where employees feel supported and cherished. Show that you believe in showcasing diversity and that representation matters. By making employees feel valued, you increase their loyalty to your company.
4. Offering specialized language learning will attract globally aware millennials. By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce. This generation sees itself succeeding in a globalized, multilingual workplace. In order to make themselves more attractive to younger generations, many companies now offer language learning as a hiring incentive.

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Allow Mondly to help you achieve your business’s language learning goals. Show your employees how valuable they are to you by getting them on the path to language fluency with MondlyWORKS. Send us an email at business@mondly.com today.