Speaking a foreign language can help you in paid employment as well as in business. I have had the unique priviledge of experiencing the amazing benefits derivable from being able to speak a foreign language, on both sides of the fence.
Below I outline 3 powerful rewards you can expect to reap repeatedly, from being able to speak a foreign language:
1. Unsolicited Support/Assistance – Often When You Least Expect It
There’s nothing quite as exciting and fulfilling as having obstacles that most others are unable to surmount literally get removed from your path by total strangers.
And that, simply because they discovered you can communicate in their language!
Be it in your country or abroad, there will be times when what you seek may seen impossible to get.
Then suddenly you hear the person in charge answer a phone call, or speak to a colleague in a foreign language that YOU, unlike others present, can understand.
Suddenly you realize there’s a chance you can connect with her (or him) on a different level.
And things go beautifully from then on.
The others, lacking similar abilities, are left wondering how you pulled that off!
This has happened to me, more times than I can count.
Out here in Benin Republic, my ability to communicate in French has endeared me to many who meet me.
For instance, finding rented accommodation like I did, at a quarter of the going rate happened not because I’m an expert french speaker(far from it!), but because (as many tell me) they appreciate the work I’ve done (and continue to do) to improve myself.
It apparently inspires those keen to learn english to keep at it.
Indeed, the relentless manner in which many have approached me to teach them to speak english like I speak french, is what made me create my Quick & Dirty Guide To English Language for French Speakers…and to French language for English speakers!
2. Greater Opportunities for Friendship & Learning
While acting as Production Manager for a 5 week period in 2001, I initiated a series of trials to see if brewhouse output could be improved by increasing the quantity of “grist” (milled maize and sorghum) loaded into the old model mash filters used in the brewery.
Now this was not something that could be done arbitrarily.
Certain loading capacity calculations needed to be done to ensure the best possible results were obtained.
The problem I faced in implementing my idea was however that I could not find anyone who could give me reliable details of the formula for estimating loading capacity for the kind of grist we used.
The manufacturer – Meura, a Belgian company – originally built the plant to handle malted barley based grist(as you may know, French is spoken in Belgium).
But luckily for me, I remembered that a technical representative of the company had flown in few months before I got nominated to act as Production Manager.
At the time, I was his host in my office as Training & Techniaal Development Manager(TTDM), and while chatting he’d discovered I could speak, read and write French.
From then on, our relationship stopped being formal. By the time he left I’d learnt a lot about the filters and how they worked.
And that was why when my surprise nomination to act as Production Manager came up, I readily explored ways to use what I’d learned to improve the filters’ performance.
Realizing that I did not have enough information to competently modify the loading of the filter, I decided to write to my friend.
Starting my email in French (first paragraph) with pleasantries, I made my request known.
24 hours later, a reply arrived from a colleague of his, who explained my friend was away on leave.
But he went on to supply the exact filter loading formulas for our grist type, which they had derived based on extensive trials.
It was just what I – and any Production Manager – needed!
Little wonder that the substantive Production Manager (upon his resumption from leave) and other managers in the technical function, requested copies of that formula as soon as I announced that I had it, in a post secondment report I published after successfully completing my acting assignment!
As you can imagine, the above may probably never have happened if my French speaking skill had not enabled me get closer to the Meura rep.
3. A Foreign Language Gives You a Uniquely Powerful Competitive Edge
Again I say this from experience. Personal experience.
Living and working in a society where a very great majority of people do not speak French or any other foreign language confers a unique advantage on those who can.
And if you can also read and write in that language, your chances get even better.
In a past article, I shared the story of how I got massive career boosting recognition at senior management level while attending an international workshop in Hotel Aqua Palace, Douala Cameroon.
The short conversation I had with the expatriate Managing Director of Guinness Cameroon, in the hotel bar, took place while other delegates from Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, etc looked on.
After that event, many positive things immediately began happening to me: Click here to read that article to learn more.
Final Words
Think about all I’ve said above, and you’ll see I’m right.
Why not get started on the path to learning a foreign language today?
If you’d like to learn english or french, my new workbook guide (with audio) can help you: Quick & Dirty Guide To English Language for French Speakers
…and to French language for English speakers! – Click to download free guide workbook and audio file
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