How Being Multilingual Can Help You Gain A Competitive Edge

How Being Multilingual Can Help You Gain A Competitive Edge-Chispa MagazineNot many people think of the benefits of being multilingual beyond those obvious ones, but being multilingual actually gives you much more benefit than that—it positively affects your brain function, gives you different perspectives, opens up many career and job opportunities and gives you the chance of meeting other cultures.

In the 21st century where the job market is becoming more and crueler and there are more applicants than there are workplaces, knowing more than two languages puts you up on the top of the list, as knowing foreign language is one of the most wanted and universal skills, that will help you at any career field. It is even meaningless to talk about knowing more than your native language today, as that skill is a requirement in almost every international job application. The world is becoming so diverse, so fast, and there is no doubt that the future is multilingual.

If you are thinking about learning a new language or refreshing one that you have previously studied, here are some perks of being multilingual that will maybe help you with a decision.

1. It boosts your competitiveness
Pretty self-explanatory. Knowing more than your native language (and preferably even more) sets you immediately apart from other job candidates, and the reasons are many. First of all, it shows them a discipline and your will for self-improvement, as learning a completely new language is not a joke, and a candidate with such a work ethic can only benefit the employers. It also shows that you are understanding of other cultures which is very important especially if the company is diverse (and let’s be real, today most of them are). Being multilingual provides you with more career opportunities since you can not only work in your field, but you can also opt for the jobs which are foreign language related, depending on how advanced your language skills are, also it gives you an option of working for international companies which is a great opportunity.

2. Increased income
Bilingual employees have a skill from which a company can benefit a lot, and in return, it can show increased revenues, as some companies compensate for it financially. Statistics have shown that knowing a second language can bring you significantly more money, than your non-bilingual colleagues are earning, for the same job position. It is usually between 5 percent and 20 percent more hourly, and it can add up to be a lot of money earned per year.

3.Include your career field in your language certificate
Maybe even more attractive than language certificate is a language certificate within a specific career field. Yes, knowing a language is amazing, but mastering it in your own field is even more amazing and increases your chances of getting hired much more. Think about it when you are preparing for a language exam, and when you are choosing different subjects. Even people with no pre-knowledge of a certain language will take upon a profession-centered exam, as the ever-increasing demand for a popular oet full form exam showed.

4.Traveling
Being able to travel more is always a great opportunity, and knowing more languages can bring you just that. Even though it is not an obligation of a company, it gives you the increased chance for possible business trips or even relocations. Of course, it depends on the company that you are working in and on the nature of your job position, but it most certainly opens it as a possibility, and it is most often the case with more exotic languages that not a lot of people know.

5. Don’t worry about being perfect
Fear of speaking a foreign language if we are not completely sure of its fluency is pretty often. I see people in my surroundings with fairly good knowledge, but who are afraid of speaking in that language or even addressing the knowledge they have. The truth is, knowing another language is valuable as it is, and the least you have to worry about is your pronunciation – in the end, it is not your native language and is it not even expected of you to have such a fluency. Relax, and never underestimate the power your knowledge has.

An ability to have the understanding and to relate to people from different cultures is becoming more valuable as the cultures meet and mix more than ever. It shows broad-mindedness, and the ability to think from different perspectives. Multilingualism is entering every door possible, and a big part of them are career-related ones. Keep that in mind when deciding whether or not you want to take a foreign language exam, or when applying to your next job position.

The strength of a person is in his intelligence and his tongue. -Arabic proverb

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Leila Dorari

Leila Dorari

Leila Dorari is an entrepreneur and a freelance writer from Sydney. Currently, she is spreading the word about how getting out of the comfort zone can improve one's career odds. When taking a break from making new marketing slogans, she is either window shopping or exploring new ways to make her life more meaningful.
Leila Dorari

Latest posts by Leila Dorari (see all)

Leila Dorari

Leila Dorari is an entrepreneur and a freelance writer from Sydney. Currently, she is spreading the word about how getting out of the comfort zone can improve one's career odds. When taking a break from making new marketing slogans, she is either window shopping or exploring new ways to make her life more meaningful.