The English language is spoken across the world everyday. It is extremely useful while travelling as it’s used in most countries as the common language between a tourist (English speaking or otherwise) and the locals. But why is it so important in the business world?
It’s easy to see just how important English is around the world. Many international businesses conduct meetings in English, universities teach courses in English and, around the world, tourists and travellers use English as a common language.
Here are the four best reasons why English is so important to climb the corporate ladder!
This may be an obvious one, but it has to be mentioned! Whether you are doing research on a new career or looking into B2B prospects, English can help you understand a company as a website’s language is normally predominantly in English. Even with Google translate, knowing how a company presents itself can only be done if you can really understand the English language. You may think that you know the language, but there is always more to learn! Some examples include their sense of humour and overall vibe of the company.
You could also take these learnt behaviours of the company and use them in your pitches. This will prove to be an amazing skill to help you be the best you! Imagine you’re a Spanish employee looking to talk with a Swedish company about a product you sell, while the manager might not be able to answer your question in Spanish, it’s likely they will be able to answer your question in English.
Many universities and schools run English classes – and not just in English speaking schools! If you speak good academic English, there will be lots of opportunities for you to be accepted into an amazing university. Did someone say Oxford?
Many scholarly literature and research papers are written in English. This has become more prominent within the last century, even papers that have been written by researchers where English is not their native language. Upskilling is so important in any industry, no matter how far in your field you are, never stop learning!
As the world becomes more integrated, travel becomes more affordable and communication systems such as Skype and Zoom are easily accessible, the majority of businesses are international. English is the official language of 53 countries and is used as a lingua franca (a mutually known language) by people from all around the world. This means that whether you’re working in Beijing, or travelling in Brazil, studying English can help you have a conversation with like minded professionals all over the world.
Now the world is getting smaller, business communications are so important. Whether you’re a business owner, student or employee, English is incredibly important in the business world. English is considered to be one of the most important business languages due to being the de facto language of the United States and the official language of the UK, Canada, India and South Africa.
We’ve left the best reason for last! No matter what industry you are looking to get into or get promoted in, being bilingual improves your chances of landing that dream job. Other than what English can do for you with progression, just being able to say that you are bilingual shows intelligence, initiative and a love for learning. It will make you stand out from the crowd and prove you are an asset to the company.
So, why choose English as your second language? As mentioned before, English is the business language of the world and most businesses use this language as a mutual language, even if neither company is from an English speaking country. Even if the company that you are gunning for does not have it as a requirement, always make sure they know you know the language as this will mean you will be an asset and are sure to be hired! You would be surprised where it comes in handy – from tourism to tech companies, the possibilities are endless.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog! If you take one thing from this write up, it’s that the most important reason why English remains to be the language of business to this day is because historically, Great Britain and the United States experienced massive economic growth in the last two centuries. Both countries rose to economic power, and where there is trade, there is opportunity.
