As more and more companies expand their business overseas, communication and intra-personal skills are gaining ground. Hence, the demand to learn a foreign language is on the rise and this has opened several job opportunities in organisations that are doing business with countries like Europe, Japan and China, says Rekha Mathur
The impact of globalisation, expanding overseas trade, travel and networking has increased the demand for learning of foreign languages in India. Information Technology (IT), Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) and outsourcing have brought a lot of job opportunities to the youth of India. This coveted sector has opened up immense potential for language communicators, interpreters, translators, analysts etc in many foreign languages, European as well as Eastern.
Scores of students pass with a degree but the one who gets the choicest job or the highest pay package depends up on his add-on skills besides their expertise in core competencies. Knowing a foreign language of the country where a corporate may be manufacturing or has its business markets provide a competitive edge to the job aspirant in the critical technical area, human resource management, public relations, marketing and communication network.
A growing number of corporates, especially IT, pharma and consumer goods multi-nationals prefer engineers and MBAs with working knowledge of European languages like German, French and Spanish. In joint ventures and collaborations foreign language expert professionals, managers and executives, posted at foreign locales, are a great asset to the organisation as they are able to understand the local psyche, communicate with the local workers as well as build a rapport with the native clients. They are able to coordinate various business processes within departments as well as provide support in business development, legal and accounting processes in the target country.
India’s look East policy has now acquired substantive economic and strategic weight. The East has become an economically vibrant region and every corporate is scrambling to establish business relations with Japan or China. This has led to a rising demand for Japanese and Mandarin Chinese proficient professionals. Being a particularly difficult language to learn employment prospects for Chinese literates are on the rise as there is a great dearth of talent and it is difficult to get qualified translators, teachers, interpreters, customer service executives, tourist guides etc.
Hi-tech machines imported for industries, hospitals etc require technical experts who know the language for its proper installation and functioning. When exporting products, it is preferable to send the accompanying literature in the language of the target country so that it can be easily understood by the people.The outcome of internationalisation is that companies are expanding into global markets or relocating
their business ventures. Knowledge of the language of the region where the company is expanding will give a great fillip to one’s career and can make one important to the success of the business. Effective communication in the local language is a vital tool for relationship building and customer service that will lead to the financial success of the company. Some employers are willing to offer additional compensation to employees who know a language that is important for their business.
Hiring a professional who is proficient in the local language is also financially beneficial to the organisation. If a company has an office in Japan and the job applicant knows Japanese, as an add-on skill, the company offers placement to that candidate as they don’t have to spend on training the candidate in Japanese language. Communication skills, intra-personal as well as interpersonal, in the native language demand environmental sensitivity and action. They are the biggest asset for everyday transaction.
They are required to communicate with other employees in conversation, dialogue and giving feedback; cooperating with team members; facilitating and contributing in meetings; delegating, instructing, coaching, encouraging and motivating other employees;telephonic and written communication; group discussions,problem solving and resolving conflicts in the organisation; in making presentations and conducting interviews etc.
Research shows that bi-linguists have better cognitive skills, are more confident and smarter so they are successful as an employee or as an entrepreneur. International organisations like NATO, UN, WHO, etc also require language experts to effectively function in various parts of the world. Many educational institutions and universities are offering courses in foreign languages. Collaborations with foreign universities and student exchange programmes provide students the desired opportunities to live and speak the local foreign language like natives of the country.
With the Make in India campaign gaining momentum it is expected to attract many global companies to set up their manufacturing units in India. This will surely bring in an increased requirement for professionals who know foreign languages to bridge the cultural divide as well as directly related to the world of work. In this backdrop, knowing the language of that country will provide Indians a global edge and will definitely enhance employability of Indians planning to work abroad in future.
(The writer is an eEducationist with ITM University,Gurgaon)