10 Evidence-Based Reasons Your Company Needs Language Training

In case you did not already realize, language is the cornerstone of a functional society. Nowhere is language more important today than in the world of business. Roughly 87% of executives have said that their companies rely on a selection of critical languages. Being able to communicate any needs or information clearly across any boundary is the only way for a business to succeed, especially in today’s global market. If you have not already done so, investing in language training for employees will have a massive impact on the success of your business, as well as the work lives of your employees. There are several ways to incorporate language training for companies in an efficient manner, and one of the easiest ways is by using an online language training business such as Preply Business. Companies like Preply that offer language training for your company can be majorly beneficial tools for your business. You can customize and tailor the program to your company’s needs, and you can be sure that the top-rate tutors will get your team ready for anything.

Whether it be teaching your employees a new language for an out-of-country assignment or teaching your non-native English speakers better English language skills to help them function more easily in the workplace, language training for business should be a key component of your company’s training regimen. International communication and mobility across global markets are crucial to a company’s success. Today, we will be going over 10 evidence-based reasons that your company needs language training.

Foreign Language Training

If your company operates globally, then chances are that your employees will be spending time communicating with people of a different language and culture. A survey was done recently revealed that about 43% of internationally based employees were not given the opportunity for language training before being sent out into the world, which is a travesty that could negatively impact your company’s business dealings. Having a language training system for employees in place before they take on that responsibility is a great idea, as it will help them build and create solid working relationships across the globe by learning the flow of the language, the respect of the culture, and the language itself.

Avoid cultural miscommunications. When an employee learns a new language, they will also be learning about the culture that goes along with it. Having your employees understand the cultural aspects of the country they will be working in is a smart way to ensure that they create a good relationship with the business’s clients in that part of the world. Avoiding cultural faux pas and insensitivity is very important to a good interaction with clients. The other key thing to remember about culture is that they may have very different management styles or views based on their culture, so your employees need to be aware of this before they go and know how to flex their methods in order to accommodate these differences.

Global Networking and Deal-making. When your employees learn a new language, it opens the doors wide open for a whole new world of networks for both them and the company. They will be able to effectively communicate with the people they need to connect with in their language, which builds respect as they can see that your company is putting in the time and effort to understand them. When it comes to making deals, having someone who speaks the language of the people in that region is going to, as we mentioned, build that trust between your company and these potential clients. Knowing the nuances of the language in a specific region will help with things like ad campaigns, negotiations, and even just daily interactions. So many parts of business hinge on clear communication, so take the time to give your employees that advantage.

Increase your client base. With your company reaching across the globe, you will obviously have more people to attract to interact with your business. Having employees that can speak the language of a region can speed up a company’s entry into that market by around 75%. The more your employees can show a level of respect for these potential clients by learning their cultures and speaking their languages, the more people will want to work with your company. Clients tend to be more comfortable when they are able to speak and be understood in their own language, and that will translate to more of a willingness to build a strong working relationship. The better the relationships, the better for your business.

Obviously, there are more company-benefitting reasons for foreign language training for companies. If your business operates globally, you need to be sure that you are properly equipping your employees with all the languages necessary to do their best work in the global market so that your business can thrive, and your revenue will continue to grow.

English Language Training

When it comes to English language training for employees, you should be giving your employees the knowledge necessary to do their jobs to the fullest while maintaining the company’s reputation. English is spoken by over 1 billion people around the world, so just imagine how many people can be reached when your employees can communicate clearly and effectively in English. Companies today are hiring for all over the world, and those employees both in foreign offices and remote need to be able to communicate in the lingua franca of business, English, in order to do their job well.

Save time and money. Imagine that you have an employee who only speaks English at a basic level. They are trying to talk with a vendor, coworker, or client and they just cannot seem to get their point or their needs across due to the language barrier. Think of the time wasted on this interaction and how much could have gotten accomplished in that same amount of time had you provided English language training to your employees. It has been estimated that employees with better language skills save approximately 3 or so hours each week without those miscommunications! Think also of the potential business revenue lost if they say the wrong thing to a client. This could happen easily if the employee does not understand the cultural implications of certain words or phrases. While it is an investment up front to provide language training for business, the ROI is well worth the cost in the long run.

Boost your business results. You will find that your business sees a boost in success and revenue when you provide language training for employees. The combination of clients feeling respected, employees, productivity, better options for competition, and more will drive your company to do more and be better.

Easy Globalization. You can avoid the bottleneck that sometimes comes with having a large variety of languages at play in the workplace. With English language training for business, you can make it easy for employees across the world to communicate needs and information with as little confusion as possible. It will also make mergers and acquisitions simpler if everyone is able to work in English regardless of nation or native language, keeping all of the legal documentation in just that one language and making sure everyone is on the same page.

English language training for your business will give you a way to expand your company and boost your employees’ accomplishments. English is the most widely used language in business, so why not invest in making sure that your employees are proficient in general and with industry-specific English terminology?

Employee Benefits

While the company benefits are wonderful and highly worth the time and effort, we have to touch on the myriad of employee benefits in this article. The benefits for your employees will do so much for them, which will always reflect well back on your company. After going through language training, studies have shown that 64% of employees are more engaged in their work, and a whopping 80% are happier in their jobs.

Employee Confidence. When your employees learn a new language of any kind, they will get a big boost in their confidence. Language learning takes time and effort, and this will reflect on the rest of their daily interactions. When they accomplish a new task like language learning for business, they will have the pride and self-confidence to take on new tasks and responsibilities. Learning a new language will also give your employees a better chance at internal promotion and better pay, giving them a reason to stay with the company. When it comes to your non-native English speakers learning better English skills, they will feel more comfortable expressing themselves in the workplace, and they will feel more accepted.

Smarter and more capable employees. Did you know that 71% of employees surveyed after taking a language course feel like their job performance has improved? Studies have also shown that the mental capabilities of employees that study a language aside from their own see a dramatic increase. Language learning gives your working memory a huge boost, and it helps your brain build new connections, making you more mentally flexible. Employees will see better problem-solving and creative thinking skills in the workplace. Mental sharpness sees a boost, along with memory recall, higher productivity, multi-tasking, focus, and so much more have been happily reported by employees.

New pool of potential employees plus employee retention. When your company offers language training, it tends to draw more eyes to you as a viable and worthwhile employer that encourages diversification. Non-native speakers will feel like they are able to apply, knowing that your company will help them develop the language skills that they need to do the job well. A company that shows an interest in the available learning opportunities and upskilling of their current employees will show potential employees that they are respected, which will give your company a boost in their eyes as a good place to work. With a company-wide language learning program, you are more likely to attract open-minded applicants that can bring in fresh, new ideas for your company. They will see that your company is interested in promoting internally by providing language training, which is also a great way to keep current employees.

Employee morale. When you have a company that promotes an environment of learning, it lends a new feeling of camaraderie and unity among the entire workforce. With your employees able to communicate with one another clearly, there will be a more open floor for dialogue and development between different types of people and groups. The employee culture plays a huge role in employee happiness at work, and happier employees are more productive employees. Employees can learn their new languages together, creating new friendships and bonds. If employers are smart, they will get in on the learning themselves, to show solidarity and team effort.

Language learning of any kind has been shown time and time again to be beneficial for individuals as well as companies that provide it for their employees. Your business will gain traction across the world with your employees’ new skills in communication, and your employees will function better in their jobs and be more likely to stick with the company in the long term. We need to face it, language learning for business is no longer a “nice little perk” but a full-on necessity for companies to really take hold and grow in the global market. If you want to truly succeed as a business in today’s world, then investing in a language learning program for your employees is an important first step. With most online language learning companies, like Preply Business, you will be able to pick and choose the perfect setup for your employees and their needs.

We hope this article has shed some light on why your company needs language training. We will see you next time you have a language learning business question!