"One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way."
- Frank Smith (renowned for his contributions to linguistics and cognitive psychology)
A language is a vehicle that helps communities across distances to come together and work towards common goals. It acts as a bridge connecting ideas, perspectives, discoveries and innovations across physical boundaries. While a dominant language like English is helpful, promoting multilingualism ensures everyone has a seat at the table in our interconnected world.
Over the past decades, the business landscape has undergone dynamic evolution with multilingualism at its forefront. As the world transforms into a global village, businesses are presented with ample opportunities to reach out to new markets and customer segments. Companies can deal with cultural divides better and can build trust with international audiences, thus unlocking the potential for global growth.
The Power of Language
Effective communication is pivotal for building trust and fostering strong business relations, and this is majorly possible through language training. One can understand and respect linguistic diversity, demonstrate empathy and cultural sensitivity if one is equipped with the intricacies of that particular language. Language barriers can be overcome by using inclusive language while actively listening. People are more likely to work together and have more peaceful interactions when they feel heard and respected in their native language. It is like Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Language training that emphasizes negotiation skills equips professionals to navigate cross-cultural communication. It allows one to grasp underlying meanings and avoid misunderstanding, thereby helping one understand cultural nuances.
Language Training Programs
The rate at which our civilization is making progress is accelerating each moment. People are getting connected more easily than they did a decade ago. With language training programs available at a finger’s tap, the walls separating cultures are slowly collapsing and flowing into a gradual intermingling of sensibilities. As of today, there are a number of programs available for those interested in learning a language, be that in-person, online or in the hybrid mode. Apart from universities offering language courses to be pursued at an academic level, the Ministry of Education (Govt. of India) has taken the initiative to start a free online platform “SWAYAM” which provides a plethora of courses for one to choose from and learn either at a timed pace or self-paced as well. SWAYAM courses, for example, German I, II, III, and TalkTime German: A Beginner's Guide to Communication, are being provided by professors from esteemed institutes such as IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University. On completion, learners have the option to appear for an examination, clearing which, they earn a valuable certificate in the respective course.
IGCC’s Initiatives into Language Training
Since its inception, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce has been pivotal in providing a helping hand to people who are interested in conducting business in India and Germany. Therefore, they have introduced multiple projects to see to its fulfilment.
ProRecognition is one such initiative that has made commendable strides in supporting the migration of skilled professionals to Germany since 2016, which gained even more pace after the Skilled Immigration Act, 2020. The “Hand in Hand for International Talents” program by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) incorporates German language training as a part of the migration of skilled individuals to work in Germany.
Catering to the globalization of business, IGCC launched a German language training programme under DUALpro, the vocational training division of the IGCC. In the Indo-German business scenario, although all business is conducted in English, there are certain situations where knowledge of German is beneficial. For instance, there are cases where documents are not translated into English, or when a delegation from Germany is on a business visit to India or vice versa. The course, ‘Business German’ introduced by the Chamber, focuses on business communication in everyday work life and the intercultural aspects that come along with it. It aims to enable working professionals to have a basic understanding of the language and to use it to communicate with Germans.
“One should not aim at being possible to understand but at being impossible to misunderstand.”
- Marcus Fabius Quintilian (Roman rhetorician and an advocate of effective communication)
Skill Development through Language Learning
Learning a foreign language has cognitive benefits for the learners, helping them enjoy the fruits of their training throughout life. Some of the cognitive benefits include:
- Improved Problem-solving skills
- Enhanced memory
- Confidence boost
- Enhanced adaptability
- Cultural competency and empathy
Beyond Languages
Understanding different communication styles, otherwise known as ‘Intercultural Communication’, is crucial to the business landscape since it promotes an inclusive work environment, in addition to the aforementioned reasons such as effective communication. It boosts innovation, supports ethical business practices, and most importantly mitigates potential risks and conflicts. Moreover, once one has a clear comprehension of the languages in question, the deliverance of the Message with impact in a multicultural setting proves professional presentation skills.
Choosing the Right Training Program for you
Evaluating the language training providers based on individual requirements is as important as it is essential to be clear about the reason why one wants to learn a new language. Customization such as ‘online or offline’, ‘purpose of learning: academic or business’, etc. should be verified to fit business schedules and needs.
Challenges and Solutions
It is vividly known that busy professionals have to work under many time constraints, leaving them packed throughout their entire working hours. Furthermore, maintaining motivation and engagement in language learning is a common challenge amongst the group.
These can be countered by integrating the process of learning into daily work routines. Research on multimedia modes would deliver ample selections from songs, videos, movies, and short write-ups from which to choose according to individual learning processes. People who have a knack for playing musical instruments can pick up simple songs in the language being learnt, which would then be registered in the memory subconsciously since they are incorporating learning into something they enjoy as a hobby. Many famous, old songs are available in translated versions which can be easier for the mind to relate to and understand.
Conclusion
There is a multitude of benefits to learning a new language and zero downsides, be it on an academic, personal or professional level; be it through intensive in-class courses, or through multimedia modes. It could prove itself as an asset in unknown situations. Oiling the left hemisphere of our brain by acquiring a new language would be one of the ways to make us realise how expansive this world is, and at the same time, how simple it is to understand differences and similarities across borders.
Author:
Priyangana Kashyap
MA Literary & Cultural Studies, EFLU, Hyd; German Language Expert