In business why is it important to know more than one language?

Question

please list any sources for any info. if you can.
does any one have any stats on the topic as well?

Answer 1

Here's an excerpt and link provided
As you rise up your career ladder, it might be wise to learn another language or two.

Multilingual skill are prized by high-level executives in global companies. CEOs who are native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew or Japanese are running U.S. companies today. They also speak English, of course. But your being able to communicate in their mother tongues is a definite career plus.

And when a manager decides whether to promote one of two people with identical technical skills, the better communicator is more likely to get the nod.

At Shell Oil, for example, IT managers are encouraged to study other languages, and the company even pays for approved courses. Although Shell uses English for most of its IT operations, its help desk staff -- housed in three locations around the globe -- must be able to resolve problems for employees speaking everything from Finnish to Farsi.

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The company is also embarking on a major knowledge-management program. Executives there think this work will give them a significant competitive advantage as they create an accessible hierarchy of data, information and knowledge about various lines of business, from drilling to metallurgy.

Yet linguistics remains one of the biggest problems that Shell faces in trying to tap its deep well of corporate knowledge. It's no small task to make a multilingual knowledge base accessible to any expert in any language anywhere on the planet.

In a global corporate environment, speaking the language of both your competition and your colleagues will translate into significant business and career advantages. It's never too late. Even my German friend has begun studying English.

Answer 2

Most business these days crosses national boundaries and involves dealing with people in other countries. Even if the people you are speaking with know English, it is arrogant to assume that everyone will make the efforts to meet your demands and that you shouldn't make any efforts to meet them halfway, so you are in a better position for bargaining and making deals if you can speak more than one language. In addition, as others have crudely pointed out, even within the U.S. these days the workforce is multilingual, and the more you can communicate, the more you can get things done in the workplace.

Answer 3

well, to have business you have to learn how to communicate. isn't that why we go to school and learn how to read and write? in business we want to make it as big as we would hope for and this country isn't full of people that speak only one language. even the Native Americans had multiple languages long before we came and stole their land. business is all about advertising, expressing, and communicating. you can stick to one language but when that deal of a lifetime comes from another country or another business that speak another language, you'll regret it.

Answer 4

1. It's good for a job.

2. Good for travelling.

3. It's interesting...

4. It's fun to learn them (I know 4 languages ^^)

Answer 5

Hi. It is polite to be able to speak at least some of the language your business partner speaks. For instance, Chinese for 'thank you' is pronounced 'share share' (spelled Xie xie).

Answer 6

not sure but nowadays wen doing business, u'll be doing it at a international level hence u need to know more than one lang? o_0

Answer 7

because there are illegal imigrents that don't speak english LOL