We all know that languages are important in communication, being able to speak at least some our host’s language is always an advantage, whether this is a friend or a taxi driver or a business partner.

The advantage in business however turns not only into an intangible benefit, but also can be evaluated in real money, better results achieved when dealing with foreign colleagues, customers, agents or distributors.

Like productivity and innovation,
language ability is a key
component of a competitive
business environment
Reza Zadeh, Head of Business Competitiveness, Yorkshire Forward

This is true not only for English, but also for other languages.
In fact in Europe you can get by in English only, but this is not true in China or Japan.

It’s only through talking to the
customers and obtaining an
understanding of their
requirements that we can hope to
succeed – and the customers
don’t all speak English
Sales Manager, P&L Systems

Did you know that:

Companies that simply respond to approaches from overseas rather than instigating business development opportunities tend to communicate only in English. These are described as ‘opportunists’ and their business is found to be declining by £50,000 per annum.

Companies that are pro-active in their export approach and adapt their products, services and literature to meet market needs place a high value on language skills. These companies are categorized as ‘enablers’ and their business is increasing on average by £290,000 per annum.
(source: Survey of the British Chamber of Commerce)

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 11:31 pm and is filed under Language Facts. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will appear immediately, but I reserve the right to delete innapropriate comments.