Is it important to know more than one language in working life?

One of the main characteristics that differentiate one worker from another is the knowledge and mastery of a foreign language. In an increasingly globalized world and with a greater movement of people looking for work outside their country, knowing a foreign language gives us a differentiating element against our competitors that can make us get that job we want.

Knowledge of a foreign language not only opens doors to work outside our comfort zone. It also helps us to find a better job in our country, either in our current company or in another one, due to the strong demand for workers with language skills.


From my personal perspective, I consider that it is always favorable to acquire more knowledge that can support job growth.

๐Ÿ’†โ€โ™‚ Mindset
๐Ÿค˜ Personal Growth
16
CuriousFox
WR Officer
4
๐ŸฆŠ
It could be helpful especially depending where you live. For some reason all of the Spanish I took in high school and college - eh - couldn't retain it. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ
SADNES5
Politicker
2
down voters are marketing spies
Moi aussi.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
I lost all of my Spanish when waved to the side of the road by a very large and intimidating officer in Mexico.ย  ย 
hocktony
Big Shot
2
smileNdial
Working with ent prospects around the world (and knowing a few languages, only mastery of 2 including English) there is a HUGE difference between โ€œknowing a languageโ€ and โ€œmastery of a languageโ€.
Ultimately you want to seamlessly talk to your prospect in their language and the value comes not from understanding each other but from building rapport that you grasp their cultural intricacies (and are on their side).
For this reason, the answer is a hard fucking no. Unless you have a native mastery of their language, then youโ€™re just gonna fumble through a few sentences and revert back to English which will cause more harm than good in my opinion (getting their hopes up that you can speak their language, then disappointing them).
But if a JD calls for a certain language, you better know it in and out if you want a shot at that job!
FattySnacks
Politicker
1
Senior Account Executive
I wouldnโ€™t say itโ€™s important but could def be favorable. However, this is a forum I would guess largely American. So I doubt many of the folks here are bilingual, myself included haha
Diablo
Politicker
1
Sr. AE
It's always good to know additional languages. It might or might not be in your job description but ove all it always helps.
goose
Politicker
1
Sales Executive
no
Upper_Class_SaaS
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Meh... I dont think so. Unless you want to move to a different country and sell in that market
Brandonite
Good Citizen
1
Account Executive
I think itโ€™s an advantage you might have on another candidate if youโ€™re applying to a job. But by experience, it all comes down to English.
SalesGal
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I think it depends where you live. My country is officially bilingual and will often require candidates also be bilingual.ย 
Clashingsoulsspell
Politicker
1
ISR
Working with ent prospects around the world (and knowing a few languages, only mastery of 2 including English) there is a HUGE difference between โ€œknowing a languageโ€ and โ€œmastery of a languageโ€.
MaximumRaizer
Politicker
1
Sales Manager
Meh... I dont think so. Unless you want to move to a different country and sell in that market
MR.StretchISR
Politicker
0
ISR
It could be helpful especially depending where you live. For some reason all of the Spanish I took in high school and college - eh - couldn't retain it.
Mr.Floaty
Politicker
0
BDR
No one size fits all. They would need almost everything but at different times.
Cyberjarre
Politicker
0
BDR
I think it is a mixture of Hands on and Continuous Improvement reviews.
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