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Learn Languages - Give Your Career a Boost

Very few English speakers decide to learn languages, but one great way to improve your career prospects is to acquire some new skills and a foreign language is a skill which will enrich every aspect of your life. In fact, whether you choose to learn for eduction, business, travel or pleasure, language study will help keep your brain active, widen your horizons and open up the way for new friendships.

So, what sort of careers use foreign languages? This has changed dramatically in recent years, with the development of technology and the growth of international business

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Fifty years ago, linguists tended to opt for careers in translating, interpreting, teaching or as bilingual secretaries, but now a degree in languages on their own is quite rare. Most colleges offer a language in combination with another subject such as business studies.
And many employers are looking for specialists in their own field, for example banking or chemicals, who have a knowledge of languages as well.

And with the increased opportunity to work abroad, for example in the European Union, the possibilities have increased - you can move to another country and carry on your current career in a different language. Or if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you could consider setting up a business in another country.

Of course, this is not as straightforward as it might seem. Working abroad requires a high level of fluency and the ability to write well in the foreign language. And despite EU legislation, it isn't always easy to "translate" your present job into its counterpart abroad.

Living abroad can also be challenging, as this means mastering a whole new system of taxes, education, health care and social customs in the new language.

Which language should you learn?

This will depend very much on your career plans. If the company you work for does business with France or Italy, then those languages would be the ideal choice if you plan to stay with them.

If you want to work for a big international company, Spanish and Chinese are the most important world languages in addition to English.

Studying a language is something you can fit into your existing schedule by attending a class, learning online (e-learning) or by spending time in Spain, China, France or wherever your language of choice is spoken.

There are many different approaches to language learning and you might want to try out a few before deciding which works best for you. If yu are a predominantly visual learner, you'll do well with videos and illustrated textbooks, whilst audio learners will do better with mp3s and radio broadcasts.

However, since you need to learn the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking to become proficient in any language, you should choose a variety of different methods.

A very good choice is to take a course online, learn language pronunciation from native speakers, while using interactive technques for grammar and vocabulary learning.