Once upon a time, when it was more difficult to visit and communicate with other countries and cultures, we could be forgiven for not speaking the local tongue if we ventured abroad. It is common to know a few key phrases to get by: Hello, how are you? Where is...? How much is...? etc. But in today's multi-cultural and multi-lingual society, it really can pay off to put the effort in and learn a new language in full, offering you some semblance of fluency. With the rise of global commerce and the progression of technology such as Skype, Facebook and other globally-connected social networking platforms, it is easier now more than ever to communicate meaningfully with almost every country in the world. It seems to be a common practice for English people abroad not to know the local language though and simply expect to be spoken to in English wherever they go, and we think it's about time this changed.
Deciding which language to learn can be a difficult choice as it is important to choose something that will be beneficial to your lifestyle and travel choices in the future. The most commonly spoken language now is Mandarin with over 200 million speakers signifying China's enormous population. This is a good choice for those working in or looking to work in the world of business and trading as China and Hong Kong are certainly the world's newest commercial and economical super powers. Choosing to learn a language not based on Latin will be a challenge as you will not only be learning new styles of speaking and pronounciation but also they do not use the alphabetical characters we are used to so you will have a challenge visually understanding the written language too. It will require dedication and effort but the benefits of knowing such and intricate language will be endless, especially in the world of business.
Also, Arabic countries have come to the fore as far as business and tourism goes, so knowing how to speak or write in Arabic will help you in many aspects of your working life. Perhaps you are looking to change your job to something based in Dubai but are worried you will not be able to settle in a country that may be vastly different from you own; learning the local language will help you feel accepted and at home in your new country of residence.
European languages are slightly easier to learn as they are based on ancient Latin as is English. You will find many similarities between Spanish, French and Italian making it relatively simple to grasp all three of them provided you are fluent in just one. Spanish would be the popular choice as far as European languages are concerned as it is spoken by nearly 400 million people worldwide from Spain to Mexico and from South America to as far east as the Phillipines. While there are variations in accent, pronunciation and colloquialisms, if you can speak traditional Spanish you will most certainly be able to communicate and be understood in any one of the twenty-one sovereign states that have Spanish as their official language.
Business owners and employees alike can also benefit from being bi-lingual as there are so many English people working abroad and also so many foreigners working in England. For instance, there are many Polish people working in jobs such as contracting or landscaping so if you own a business specialising in these things, it can really help bring you and you workers together if you can at least communicate the basics. Equally if you are looking to work abroad, you will find it much easier to find work if you know the local language, people will be more willing to give you a chance as you have shown dedication to the job by learning how to communicate properly with your employers too. It is useful to any profession. For instance, doctors working in England nowadays may be faced with patients who speak little English which can make it very difficult to diagnose them, it can also be quite dangerous to prescribe medication to someone who does not understand you. Learning basic medical terms in a variety of languages will make both the doctor and patient's life easier.
In today's society it seems selfish not to bother learning a new language, even if it just the basics. Also, if you start teaching yourself something new, there will be so many opportunities to practice your chosen language even locally given the huge diversity of cultures living in England today. Soon you will not need to struggle on holiday and you can impress you friends and family with your newfound language skills.
Deciding which language to learn can be a difficult choice as it is important to choose something that will be beneficial to your lifestyle and travel choices in the future. The most commonly spoken language now is Mandarin with over 200 million speakers signifying China's enormous population. This is a good choice for those working in or looking to work in the world of business and trading as China and Hong Kong are certainly the world's newest commercial and economical super powers. Choosing to learn a language not based on Latin will be a challenge as you will not only be learning new styles of speaking and pronounciation but also they do not use the alphabetical characters we are used to so you will have a challenge visually understanding the written language too. It will require dedication and effort but the benefits of knowing such and intricate language will be endless, especially in the world of business.
Also, Arabic countries have come to the fore as far as business and tourism goes, so knowing how to speak or write in Arabic will help you in many aspects of your working life. Perhaps you are looking to change your job to something based in Dubai but are worried you will not be able to settle in a country that may be vastly different from you own; learning the local language will help you feel accepted and at home in your new country of residence.
European languages are slightly easier to learn as they are based on ancient Latin as is English. You will find many similarities between Spanish, French and Italian making it relatively simple to grasp all three of them provided you are fluent in just one. Spanish would be the popular choice as far as European languages are concerned as it is spoken by nearly 400 million people worldwide from Spain to Mexico and from South America to as far east as the Phillipines. While there are variations in accent, pronunciation and colloquialisms, if you can speak traditional Spanish you will most certainly be able to communicate and be understood in any one of the twenty-one sovereign states that have Spanish as their official language.
Business owners and employees alike can also benefit from being bi-lingual as there are so many English people working abroad and also so many foreigners working in England. For instance, there are many Polish people working in jobs such as contracting or landscaping so if you own a business specialising in these things, it can really help bring you and you workers together if you can at least communicate the basics. Equally if you are looking to work abroad, you will find it much easier to find work if you know the local language, people will be more willing to give you a chance as you have shown dedication to the job by learning how to communicate properly with your employers too. It is useful to any profession. For instance, doctors working in England nowadays may be faced with patients who speak little English which can make it very difficult to diagnose them, it can also be quite dangerous to prescribe medication to someone who does not understand you. Learning basic medical terms in a variety of languages will make both the doctor and patient's life easier.
In today's society it seems selfish not to bother learning a new language, even if it just the basics. Also, if you start teaching yourself something new, there will be so many opportunities to practice your chosen language even locally given the huge diversity of cultures living in England today. Soon you will not need to struggle on holiday and you can impress you friends and family with your newfound language skills.
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One of the main benefits of learning a second or third language is business interpreting, translation and transcription, all of which are growing businesses - click through for interpreting quotes online.
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