19 Apr Give Your Career a Boost in 2017 with these 6 Languages

The ongoing competition and ever changing market trends have led many firms to conduct internal and external communication training for the workplace, to support productivity as well as profitability. However, a large number miss out on the importance of fluency in a foreign language for the same reasons.

According to a research conducted by Forbes, an estimated 65% of businesses are regularly subject to breakdowns in workplace communication. Consequently, learning a foreign language prevents communication glitches, especially in a multicultural workforce. Therefore, being bilingual or multilingual considerably increases growth opportunities, especially in client-facing roles. Multilingualism is also essential for internal communication, with individuals from different nationalities and linguistic backgrounds as well as with mobile employees in other branches around the world.

Here are the top 6 languages that will make you a favorable candidate with employers across the world in 2017:

1. Mandarin Chinese

Spoken by over 800 million people across the world, Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Apart from being one of the biggest exporters of various consumer products, it is also a large target customer market for businesses from other nations. Hence, a growing number of employers are keen on hiring candidates fluent in Mandarin Chinese to build strong cliental relations and add value to their business.

2. Spanish

Fluency in the Spanish language has been estimated to increase the income of an employee by approximately 1.7%. The second most spoken language in the United States and the official language of 20+ countries, an employee proficient in Spanish is in high demand around the world.

3. Japanese

Despite being the official language of just one country, Japanese still comes in the 15 most spoken languages globally. Being one of the most powerful economies in the world, Japan offers multiple employment opportunities to individuals fluent in the native language. Furthermore, as organizations in the United States have close ties with the Japanese market, job prospects for those proficient in Japanese are ample in the US.

4. German

Germany has the largest economy in the European Union and, according to the World Economic Forum, the fourth largest in the world, valued at $3.3 trillion. Moreover, it is also the second largest exporter in the world. Home to large corporations such as Allianz Worldwide and Volkswagen (among many others!), Germany offers varied job opportunities to fluent German speakers, within the country as well as abroad.

5. Russian

One of the 6 official languages of the United Nations, Russian is widely spoken in many countries across Europe. Russia, ranked among the Top 10 Countries for Entrepreneurship, is a hot spot for investors and emerging businesses, thus creating a demand for Russian-speaking employees Furthermore, as Russia is a current geopolitical leader with membership of UNESCO, BRICS, the United Nations, the European Council, G20 and the World Trade Organization, Russian is a commonly used diplomatic language, highlighting the importance of the language for inter-nation relations.

6. Arabic

Not only is Arabic the native language of over 300 million people, it is also spoken fluently by over 100 million individuals internationally. According to the World Economic Forum (2016), the Middle East has given local market access to numerous international companies over the last 2 years, thus increasing the demand for proficient Arabic employees in the labor market. Additionally, knowledge of the Arabic language also enables employees to expand their horizons to the North African job market due to the consistency in local language.

Shift the gears of your career today and boost forward to success! Start learning a new language now.