Tag: languages
Advantage #5: More fun at work; more learning for everyone.
I believe that when bilingual people from different countries work together, they might connect more to each other than the average company personnel. They could have many things in common, like knowledge of more cultures, different values, music, beliefs, foods, dance, and other diverse cultural identities.
When I lived and worked in New York City, I recall being in the subway and hearing two people speaking, and asking myself “what language is that?” After living there for a while, I would challenge myself, and was able to tell when people were speaking Greek, Japanese, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Korean, Russian, and so on. It all fascinated me.
At the advertising agency I worked for, there were people from Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and many other Latin American countries. I loved to learn more about their respective dishes, native cultures, dances, music, about their families, and to hear about their individual American dream stories. All of the employees were bilingual, and it appeared that we had an International day each day at work.
When a company has bilingual employees in the US, those employees have usually moved here from other countries. Consequently, they have their own ‘American dream story’ and have worked hard to ‘make it’ in America. A company can have an International Day, and can have employees bring homemade dishes from their respective countries. Companies can have more fun events at work and enjoy the teamwork that builds and develops from having a pleasant work environment for everyone. To learn more about having a diverse work environment, click here.
In summary, globalization is changing the world – and we all need to get a better worldwide picture in our respective companies. Globalization not only goes for the economics, but it also goes for our communication with each other. Bilingual employees will become essential to get a better worldwide picture.
April 21, 2010
Advantage #4: Traveling overseas can be easier because the company has their own ‘tour guides’ who speak the native language and can communicate with local residents.
Picture this. Your company is expanding into Brazil and you have to hire a General Manager, who will be in charge of your expansion…but you do not speak Portuguese. You have to conduct focus groups as well, to see about the feasibility of bringing various products into Brazil but you are concerned about communicating with the local residents, and describing your products well enough to the target market. Can you imagine the position you will be in?
When a company has bilingual personnel, the bilingual employees can travel with management, and the company’s representatives can have their own local connection to the market.
As I indicated in ‘Advantage #3’, the bilingual employee can understand the market better and can provide a better cultural identity with the local residents. Picture the Brazil example I provided above, but now add a couple of dynamic sales people to the trip with you and a product engineer who speaks Portuguese. The trip would be easier because there will be true contact, accurate positioning of the products, and communication of the bilingual employees with the Brazilian market and with the future customers.
Language is a critical aspect of connecting with a culture. Bilingual employees provide that connection.
April 14, 2010
Advantage #3: Companies can successfully expand into other countries with established and proven bilingual personnel.
If the company has an experienced bilingual staff, who is familiar with the products and services, and who have proven themselves in their field; the company has a bigger winning potential and can better penetrate and reach new markets.
Bilingual employees can assist the company with the knowledge of the new location, what the culture likes, dislikes, and with the knowledge of their purchasing habits. For instance, if I was advising a client and they were reaching the Hispanic market, I could tell them that the Latino population is brand oriented and loyal to the products and services they like. If the particular company wanted to translate their company material into Spanish, I would tell them to use ‘neutral’ Spanish, which can be understood in the various Latin American markets. I know the Hispanic market well, and can illustrate the Hispanic culture to a company.
Each language is inter-related to a specific culture, and the bilingual employee can help the company understand the specific market. Consequently, the company can get a better cultural identity and a better connection to the market, through their bilingual employees.
April 7, 2010
Advantage #2: A more culturally diverse group.
It has been my experience that people who are bilingual are more inclined to want to learn more about other cultures, they take more risks with people who they don’t know yet, and they can handle unfamiliar circumstances a bit easier. Have you noticed this as a manager? Bilingual folks are usually fascinated by other cultures and languages therefore they enjoy the challenges that lie ahead. I can include myself in this group since I love to learn about other cultures, global trends and global markets.
In addition, bilingual folks usually connect to their local community to a larger degree and like to get more involved with the organizations within the area. So, if a company hires bilingual employees, they might get the benefit of having local representation at an event. You can read my personal story of “What motivated me to become Bilingual”. You can also read the two blogs I wrote about “Mr. Brown: My First Friend in the US – part 1 and 2”.
April 2, 2010
When companies want to sell their products and or services to people in other countries, or want to target a different demographic whose language is different than their own, they hire bilingual staff to get the work done. The bilingual employees are able to communicate and connect with the new perspective customers. The bilingual staff starts with the face of the company; the bilingual receptionist. It can also include managers, sales, accounting personnel, customer service and others. There are many advantages to having a bilingual staff, and I plan to condense the advantages to the ‘Top 5’.
Advantage #1: Better internal and external communication with employees, vendors and customers of the company.
Below is a true example that illustrates the importance of having a bilingual staff.
A company in the US is expanding overseas to Latin America and India. They will need to have all of their HR policies, procedures and company benefits translated into Spanish and Hindi, as well as, their web site, services and products brochures. In addition, they will need to interview and hire personnel overseas to work with local suppliers and vendors in the newly established locations. Can they make all of these new additions and adjustments without bilingual personnel? With so much to do, the company decided that it was necessary to have a bilingual staff. Not only would it help strengthen their knowledge of the language, but also help them to communicate more effectively with the international markets.
Check back later this week for more advantages of having a bilingual staff. You can also click here to learn more about the ‘Five Emerging Industries for Bilingual Careers’.
March 23, 2010
If you have visited a company that conducts business worldwide, you might have heard their bilingual receptionist switching from English to Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese or any other language, depending on where their calls are from. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing what I call the languages switch many times, and it is still impressive when I hear it.
Many organizations have locations all over the world, and those firms must hire bilingual personnel, including bilingual receptionists. Consequently, it is an advantage to be a bilingual receptionist. It can make the job candidate for that position, or the current employee, more attractive to the company. A bilingual receptionist can communicate with more people and can connect with a broader and more diverse customer base. In other words, a bilingual receptionist is more valuable to a company these days.
A story that comes to mind is when I visited a company located in the US, which had offices in Costa Rica and Chile. The General Manager told me that for over twenty years they had a bilingual receptionist who was moving to be closer to her ailing parents, so the company inevitably was losing her. He went on to say that because their international offices called often, he needed a receptionist who could communicate with the Spanish and English speaking callers. Therefore, he would not consider hiring a receptionist unless he or she was bilingual. Not only did they have a hard time replacing her skills and gracious personality, but it also proved that having a bilingual receptionist was a vital position in their organization.
After looking for months, they found the right person, who exceeded their expectations by not only speaking English and Spanish, but Portuguese and French too. They are currently expanding into various markets worldwide, and calls are coming from many countries. According to the manager, their new receptionist has proven to be an excellent asset to the company.
As the target markets for companies continue to evolve, being bilingual is in higher demand and more important than ever. Click here to learn more about the Advantages of Being Bilingual and the Five Stages people go through to become Bilingual.
March 12, 2010
Q: My organization is looking for a bilingual customer service representative to help our Spanish speaking customers worldwide. Can a person who speaks Spanish communicate with all other Spanish speaking people, regardless of their country of origin? Thanks. Yours truly, Susan
A: This is a great question because I’ve heard it many times, and the answer is YES. While both people will be able to communicate with each other, there may be certain words that are spoken differently in their respected countries. If this occurs, they will be able to discuss the differences to help ensure that they understand one another clearly. It’s great that your company is expanding their bilingual staff. You may be interested in reading more about how bilingual employees are an advantage to your business.
January 28, 2010
Q: English is not my first language, but I consider myself fully bilingual. I worry that the people interviewing me for bilingual customer service jobs doubt my qualifications because of my thick accent. What can I do to ensure that an interviewer is focused on my qualifications and not my accent? Valdemar
A: I faced the same predicament when I first looked for a job in the U.S. I still have an accent because I spoke only Spanish until I was 21. I suggest interviewing in person as opposed to over the phone so that you have a better chance of making an impression with your credentials, your personality, and your willingness to work hard. If you are concerned about your accent during the interview, mention it directly. You can say something like ‘You might have noticed that I have an accent (the person might smile at your comment) but I want you to know that I am fully bilingual and would love the opportunity to prove to you that I can provide quality customer service in both languages’. Ask the interviewer if they have any particular questions about your qualifications for the job. In other words, don’t leave the interviewer with any doubts because of your accent.
You may also want to read some of my previous posts about interviewing, as well as this post about the stages of becoming bilingual. Good luck.
January 26, 2010
After attending college for several months and taking the English course, it was time to spread my wings. The faculty at the college felt like our group had learned enough English and was ready for the real world in the United States. One of the things I realized was that I had to say good bye to many new friends. I was headed to Syracuse University and most of my new friends were staying near New York City, and continuing with their plans there. I also realized that my bus ride was coming to an end, because I was headed to upstate New York.
Saying good bye to Mr. Brown that morning was not going to be easy. It was the last day of my English course. He knew today was the last day I would be on his bus. So did I. We had discussed it a few times in the last several weeks.
Mr. Brown got to the bus stop a little earlier than usual this morning. Only two of us were waiting for him. I had already explained to the other passenger that today was my last day in school. I had seen her before and Mr. Brown had ‘made me’ talk to her, as well as to other bus passengers. I explained to the lady that this morning, I had to say good bye to my friend, Mr. Brown.
As he reached the bus stop, he opened the door and smiled at me and said, “Good morning, Mylene”. He was not quite himself this morning, I thought, because he didn’t quite give me his warm smile. I said, “Good morning” back to him, and entered the bus. We had to wait a few minutes for other passengers, since he was a little early. We started to talk about the last few months. He sounded kind of depressed and didn’t want to talk that much this morning. I tried to cheer him up by getting my camera out. Of course, I wanted a picture of ‘my first friend in the USA’!
Mr. Brown was so nice to me for all of these months. He didn’t really want me to take his picture but I did it anyway. About four other people entered the bus and we drove off. I said to myself: “My last ride with Mr. Brown has just begun”. I sat near the front, as I recall, but neither one of us said much. The only person that knew what was going on was the other lady, whom I had told before. The rest of the people didn’t know why Mr. Brown and I were so quiet this morning. We reached the college. As I walked by him, when I was leaving the bus, I gave him a hug and thanked him for being so nice to me. He said to me then, “You are going to be somebody, Mylene, because of your enthusiasm and your desire to succeed. You will see. One day you will be. Mark my words”. That’s how much Mr. Brown believed in me.
At this point, I thanked him again and we hugged each other. When I got out of the bus, I had a lump in my throat. I watched the bus ‘leave me’. “Adiós, Mr. Brown. And thanks for being a good friend.”
Our lives in America were about to go on. A ‘chapter’ of our lives was ending and a new chapter was about to begin.
***
(Part 1 of this story is here.)
September 15, 2009
Once I made the decision to move to the States, there was no turning back. My airplane, headed for New York, reached twenty five thousand feet altitude and I had just said good bye to my family and friends. At this point, I could no longer see the blue ocean that surrounds the island of Puerto Rico, or the palm trees, the tall buildings, or any roads in San Juan. What worried me the most though was leaving my loved ones behind. I was not going to be able to see them every day anymore… my parents, my friends, or my neighbors. I only knew about five people in the entire state of New York; and in the whole USA, for that matter. How was I going to make it? I did not know.
I guess the flight attendant could see the emotion in my face, and she smiled at me several times throughout the trip. I smiled back at her through my tears. It seemed like I had gone through about twenty tissues so far. But I kept encouraging myself because I was determined to learn English and to become bilingual.
As soon as I arrived in New York City, I looked for and enrolled in an intensive English course. On the day of my first class, after walking ten blocks and having to wait for the bus, I wanted to sit down. Well, I was out of luck this particular morning because the available seats were all in the very front of the bus, where I thought, handicapped and older people sat. The bus driver looked at me and offered me a seat in one of the front seats. He gestured for me to sit. So, I did. I smiled at him in return and he looked at me several times from his rear view mirror, to see how his ‘new passenger’ was doing. I think that he knew this ‘bus routine’ was all new to me. He was about fifty-five years old and a true gentleman. He had a very warm smile. Unbeknownst to him, he made me feel at ease with my first bus ride in New York City.
When I reached my college, I smiled at the bus driver when I was getting out of the bus, and he smiled back. The next morning, he was my bus driver again. This time, I noticed his name tag. His name was ‘Mr. Brown’. He remembered me from the day before, and smiled really big this time. The bus was kind of empty the second day. It turned out that the day before there was a mechanical problem with another bus and Mr. Brown had ‘inherited’ a lot of other passengers from the other bus. But they were not there this particular day. Today there was ‘Mr. Brown’ and about ten other passengers. There was a lot more room on the bus. But I sat in the front again anyway.
Mr. Brown looked at me and asked me, “What’s your name?” I understood that, and answered, “Mylene”. By my face, I guess he realized that I was afraid to speak English back to him. He then asked me, “Learning English?” I understood that too. I answered, “Yes, sir”. He smiled and kept driving the rest of the way. Every day, afterwards, I looked forward to seeing Mr. Brown.
As time went by, he kept asking me different things, about what I was learning in my classes, and about new words I had learned recently. I particularly remember when I was learning the alphabet; how I would practice with him and how he would ‘correct’ my English. I also remember when I was learning the names of different fruits. I would practice my pronunciation with him and he would be happy and proud for me. We also practiced ‘telling time’, as I was learning how to read my watch. He would always ask me, “What time is it, Mylene?” and I would look at my watch and respond. For months we did this. He enjoyed it as much as I did. I would pay for a seat on the bus, but I would never sit. I would just stand up near Mr. Brown, near a pole, in front of the bus, for the duration of the bus ride, about half an hour each and every morning.
Mr. Brown gave me so much courage to continue to learn and to do well. He would give me such big smiles when I pronounced words and phrases correctly.
By the end of three months, Mr. Brown kept saying that I had to stop talking to him and start talking to the other passengers on the bus. He kept saying that he loved talking to me but that I was ready for the rest of the world now. He was so pleased with my progress. He gave me so much positive reinforcement. More than he will ever know! Without him or me knowing it, he became my first friend in the USA! Mr. Brown, yes, he was my first friend in the United States. And I will never forget what he did for me, when I needed him the most.
Note: Part 2 of ‘My first friend in the US’ is coming. Mr. Brown’s story continues…
You can read about what motivated me to become bilingual here. I’ve written about the five stages you go through to become bilingual here.
September 10, 2009
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