The Albi research team shares five amazing facts about your multilingual colleagues and their role in community building.
How people who know multiple languages can be a great asset to your team? They play an important specific role in team communication. Such an employee can act as a bonding agent and help to resolve conflicts and misunderstandings. Especially when you are entering global markets.
The academic research shows that multilingual people have superior communication skills and are able to:
- focus better on concrete issues and goals;
- resolve conflicts more easily, clarify details and important issues;
- adapt to different cultural backgrounds of team members;
- create a more harmonious and friendly team atmosphere;
- contribute to an enhanced employee experience;
And it's also five reasons why you should start learning a new language to prove your management skills.
Read an essay by Gennadii Andreev
Multilinguals’ utility. Why Multilanguage employees are your advantage?
Today in the world there are around 7 thousands languages. Of course, no one linguist (even he or she is very gifted) can study all of them. And we have no reason to do this. However, knowledge of several languages can be useful for a company and its employees and managers.
There are several kinds of speakers of other languages. First ones are bilingual and trilingual ones; these people speak two or three languages as native (since their early years). Usually to become bi-/trilinguals is possible when they learn languages before 7 years old. If someone studies other languages after this age, he or she will be a polyglot. As a result, his or her language competence can be excellent, however not native. But it is not the cause of regret. As Kato Lomb, a Hungarian author of the last century, wrote: “We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly” [1].
First of all, we should emphasize the importance of a multilingual background for communication with colleagues and clients. Obviously, knowledge of foreign languages makes it easier and more effective to communicate with colleagues, partners and clients from other countries,
which contributes to business development and the building of partnerships. But we have to remember the fact that a person, who studies other languages, begins to speak better his or her native languages. Communication and negotiation skills in mother tongue become better, if a person is polyglot.
Secondly, knowledge of other languages makes it easier to resolve conflicts, clarify details and clarify important issues. In addition, it helps prevent misunderstandings and improves the overall quality of communication. These solutions will be possible also because of one essential feature of languages’ studies: non-standard ways. Philology and Linguistics help us to seek and find creative methods.
As linguist and pedagogue Jim Cummins emphasizes “to be effective, a focus on language must be linked to extensive input in the target language (e.g. through reading) and extensive opportunities for written and oral use of the language” [2]. That means a person, who learns language, can concentrate on concrete issues and targets.
Thirdly, polyglot employees can work on international projects. Companies are increasingly collaborating with organizations and businesses from different countries, so knowledge of languages can be an important advantage. In addition, working on international projects requires the ability to work in an intercultural environment, where it is important to take into account differences in the mentality, customs and preferences of people from different countries. Therefore, the ability to adapt to different cultural backgrounds will also be an important skill. To successfully work on international projects, it is also important to have good communication skills, the ability to work in a team and negotiate with partners from different countries.
Fourthly, polyglots in a company help its team diversity. Employees who speak multiple languages can be more valuable to a company as they are able to work successfully in a multinational and multicultural environment. The ability to communicate in different languages allows you to better understand the needs and cultural characteristics of different clients and partners, which contributes to more effective interaction and cooperation. Such employees may also assist in translating documents, conducting negotiations in other languages, and developing new markets. In addition, multilingual employees can be more tolerant and open to cultural diversity, which helps create a more harmonious and friendly atmosphere in the team. In general, companies benefit from having multilingual workers, as they contribute to its development and success in the global market.
Fifthly, increased competitiveness. Knowledge of languages can increase the competitiveness of co-workers and a company as a whole in the labor market. It will be a sign of a high level of qualification, and it will mean that employees are well educated.
In conclusion, we mention that knowledge of languages can be an advantage for a company and its employees, opening up new opportunities for development and successful work in an international environment.
