Advantages of Being Bilingual in the Workplace

Communication plays a vital role in any type of organization where people have to interact with one another. One of the problems that may hinder successful communication is the language barrier. In order to address this problem, more companies and businesses are employing individuals who have the skills and the ability to learn Spanish language. Managers and supervisors who are equipped with knowledge and understanding of major languages aside from English will be able to manage their workforce better especially when cultural diversity is present in the workplace.

Aside from people coming from Hispanic origin, there are also other groups of people who may be speaking another language other than English. Individuals who are occupying the managerial and the supervisory levels may provide instructions through the language that is understood by their subordinates. The workers or the employees on the other hand may also give the right feedback and do their work properly as instructed especially if they have clearly understood what their employers would like them to do. Language barriers in the workplace should be minimized if not eliminated in order to attain goals or objectives.

The changing demographics in the workplace account for the need of business organization to hire individuals with additional qualifications such as proficiency in major languages of the world which includes English, Mandarin and Spanish. People who are in charge of hiring workers or employees who are coming from varied cultural background and orientation may be able to select the best ones especially if they understand the language that applicants use. A culturally diversified workforce may benefit the business or the company especially when they need to expand their markets around the world.

Another advantage of people who have the ability to learn Spanish easy and understand other languages is that they are able to perform better in the workplace. Individuals with bilingual competencies have better work output because of better cognitive functions according to some studies that were conducted. Employers would want to hire people who have higher cognitive abilities as they can contribute to the attainment of the organizational objectives. Individuals may also have better career opportunities if they can speak other languages like Spanish for example.

There are lots of available jobs for individuals who know major languages of the world. Aside from government work like foreign services that require individuals to know at least two world languages, there are also various companies that need workers and employees who can speak languages such as Mandarin or Spanish. Individuals who would like to advance in their career or to land on the next step in the corporate ladder have to acquire the necessary skills and competencies like proficiency in major business languages.