The ability to meet goals and create productive relationships in the workplace internally and when interacting with customers through means of effective communication is essential to the success of both a business’ employees and management. In our ever-more globalized business world, cross-cultural communication continues to rise in importance. The use of languages is a thread that runs through every multinational enterprise, and the ability to utilize multiple diverse languages allows us to access a plethora of opportunities. Let’s consider the many benefits of maintaining a multilingual staff.
The accuracy of translations from one language to another has always been challenging for any business with an international presence. The mistranslation of important words and phrases can lead to misunderstandings and even great embarrassment! Imagine the chagrin of the entrepreneur who mistakenly labels their hair care products as sextoys thanks to an inadequate knowledge of the target market’s language! At best, it causes confusion. At worst, it could mean a humiliating loss of customers and revenue.
Being fluent in a customer’s native tongue instead of simply relying upon a translator fosters an opportunity to make contextual connections in order to build a deeper understanding of the customer, their business goals, and their corporate messaging. Entrepreneurs are constantly seeking new and better methods to improve the ways in which they communicate with fellow employees and customers. Undertaking a new language in order to improve cross-cultural communication and connections brings many benefits. People tend to relate better to those on staff who can speak to them in their own language, even if it is a second language to them, and are more likely to build better personal relationships with them that can lead to profitable partnerships and further expand connections to foreign customers, greatly increasing a business’ reach.
Thanks to the internet and the ease of international travel in the modern age, market expansion into other countries has become much easier to achieve. The advantages of maintaining a multilingual staff in the global marketplace are manifold and are becoming more compelling now than ever. Having language diversity on your team gives your business a distinct advantage over those who fall behind the new standards of international communication. The ability to speak the language and understand the culture of a target foreign market gives your business the opportunity to create tailored strategies designed to reach these potential customers across cultural and linguistic boundaries and draw them to your services and products naturally in ways that make sense to them on many levels.
Despite the international reach of today’s business world, it’s true that language barriers persist and limit the opportunities for collaboration and growth. These gaps in understanding can be bridged through the implementation of company policies that encourage multilingualism, thus opening more doors around the world for you and your staff. Even the memorization of a few key phrases can go a long way toward building confidence in a foreign customer base, and when your employees can sit down and have a meaningful conversation with prospective clients, it can lead to much greater financial reward and help your business expand across oceans and borders.