THE POWER OF LANGUAGE SKILLS

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate across cultures is more valuable than ever.

Being bilingual or multilingual isn’t just helpful when travelling or interacting with people from different countries, but a powerful addition to your skillset for entering the workplace. Across many industries, demand is growing for people who can communicate in different languages. So, investing time in learning languages can open doors to diverse and exciting career opportunities, both in the UK and internationally.

Languages for different careers

Choosing which language to learn can depend on your career aspirations. Across the world, certain languages are consistently in high demand. Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Arabic, and Japanese are frequently sought after by employers. Your future career goals might influence what language you decide to study:

• Chinese: China’s global economic presence means it’s a great advantage to speak Mandarin if you want to pursue a career in international trade, finance, and business. 
• Spanish: a versatile language invaluable for careers spanning education, healthcare, social services, and communications, particularly across the Americas and parts of Europe. 
• French: a key language in diplomacy and international relations, especially as it’s one of the official languages of the EU. 
• German: frequently linked to the engineering, automotive, technology, and renewable energy sectors due to Germany’s strength in these areas.
• Arabic: opens doors in journalism, translation, intelligence, finance, and government affairs, especially concerning the Middle East and North Africa. 

Jobs which require language skills

Language skills can enhance your career prospects, from entry-level positions to senior executive roles. For those starting out (junior roles), there are plenty of opportunities for multilingual customer service representatives in international companies, entry-level translators or interpreters helping bridge communication gaps, and social media managers crafting content for diverse global audiences. 

As professionals gain experience (mid-level roles), language skills can lead to positions such as marketing managers designing campaigns for international markets or tour operators and travel consultants at home and abroad. 

Language proficiency is essential at a senior level for diplomats and foreign service officers representing their country abroad and for international business executives or consultants navigating complex cross-border negotiations and partnerships. 

Importantly, language skills can also prove valuable tools in roles such as human resources (managing diverse workforces), law (international cases), and healthcare (treating patients from different backgrounds). So, speaking a language can even make you stand out for jobs where using a different language isn’t the primary job function.

Languages for international careers

One of the most exciting benefits of mastering another language is the opportunity it gives for international careers and experiences. Fluency can be your passport to working abroad or collaborating closely with international organisations. Many professions can involve travel or relocation opportunities for those with language skills, such as international journalists reporting stories from abroad, foreign aid workers, roles in development agencies like the UN, or individuals teaching languages overseas. Multinational corporations also frequently seek employees willing to relocate, using their language abilities to manage operations or build relationships in foreign markets. 

How to learn a language

There are many different ways to learn a language. Schools often provide the opportunity to study languages for GCSEs or A-levels, and many universities offer language courses. If you’re not in formal education and are looking for something flexible, there are plenty of personal development routes. Consider adult education evening classes at your local college, or use the vast amount of online study material. 

Combined with this, immersive experiences such as summer language camps, dedicated study-abroad programmes, or simply travelling extensively in a country where the language is spoken can help develop your skills. But this shouldn’t undermine simple, consistent habits that can be carried out at home: you can search out opportunities to practice your conversation skills with native speakers online or find some in your local area through Facebook groups. You could also try using language learning apps every day to build vocabulary, and watch films or listen to music in your target language.

The ability to communicate in more than one language is a valuable asset in today’s global landscape and can unlock a world of exciting and rewarding career possibilities.

• The University of Liverpool offers open learning evening language courses for anyone over 16. 
• If you use Liverpool Libraries, you can use your library card number to log into Transparent Language Online, where you can choose a language to learn online, free of charge
• The Open University offers several free short online beginner’s language courses