Expanding horizons

with Languages Work*

Raising awareness of the true value

of languages in the workplace

and beyond

What does ‘Vorsprung durch

Technik’ mean?

Audi’s Head Office is in Germany but it makes cars in six countries. Do you know which they are?

Go to www.languageswork.org.uk to find the answers

Manufacturing

• Globalisation – competition, mergers, outsourcing,

• Relies heavily on exports

• Raw materials sourced overseas

• Importance of cultural skills as well as languages

Debunking myths

• UK employers are not interested in language skills

• English is the international language of business

• Languages are only useful for high flyers in international business

• Languages are not a ‘vocational’ subject

• You can only do interpreting/translating or teaching

• You have to want to work abroad

How much do employers value language skills?

• Employers are not all language-aware, but they are becoming more so

• They can recruit internationally

• They don’t just want language skills

• Mismatch between supply and demand

• You are in a better position with a language than without one

‘Employees with language skills are definitely more marketable and have more worth in the labour market’

Bob Shankley, HR Director, BMW

‘It is important that our employees are able to communicate in a variety of different languages to remain competitive in an international market’

Soraya Malik, Operational Training Manager, lastminute.com

‘We need people who have the ability to speak another European language because a big part of our business depends on those kinds of clients’

Mark Perowne, Managing Partner, Kings Sturge (Surveying firm)

‘It is important to have people with language skills to maximise business opportunities and to assist our clients in achieving their goals’

Salim Sonjee, Clarkson, Wright and Jakes (Solicitors and notaries) Orpington

‘English is not enough’

‘While English is a major language, it only accounts for around 30% of world Gross Domestic Product and is likely to account for less in the future. Neglecting other languages means ignoring quite significant potential markets’

Mark Davis, GDP by Language, 2004

‘Monolingual English speakers face a bleak economic future’

‘The competitive advantage of English is ebbing away as English becomes a near universal basic skill’

‘The economic importance of other languages is growing’

David Graddol, English Next, 2006

Language needs of European companies(ELAN survey 2006)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

English

Germ

an

French

Russi an

Span ish

Italian

Chi nese

Arabic

Portu gue se

Pol ish

Rom

an ia n

Ja pan ese

Needed by SMEs in next 3 years

Needed now by large companies

Languages and ‘vocational’ skills

Which company’s slogan is:

‘Parce que je le vaux’

‘I’ve been a hairdresser since I left school and set up as a mobile English-speaking hairdresser in Limousin. I soon got a huge clientele – people like chatting to their hairdresser in their own language. We knew hairdressing and computer skills were in high demand here’

Liz

What do these have in common?

• Motorway linking Northern Ireland and Eire

• Lisbon music conservatory

• Desalination plant in Cyprus

• Gatwick airport

Leisure and Tourism

World Tourism:

English to English 4%

Non-English to Non-English 75%

‘Although the majority of Germans (especially the under 50s) speak English sufficiently well, it is still an advantage to have important signs and information material in German. An increasing number of visitors from the new federal states will appreciate some guidance in German’.

‘The French are reluctant to speak English’

‘Italians’ command of English is generally poor’.

Prepare web, print and/or signs in Spanish. Learn a few important and common Spanish phrases.

Advice on marketing from VisitBritain website

Sara

• Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management

• Went to live in Barcelona for a year, working in a hotel

‘Learning Spanish has opened up international job markets to me’

Retail

• High level of interaction with the public

• Customers more likely to buy if addressed in own language

• Increased multilingualism (tourism, diversity, globalisation)

• E-commerce – new research

• Opportunities for international experience

How are languages used in UK workplaces?

Public services

‘Paramedics often don’t have the time to find an interpreter, like a hospital does. They need information quickly and so it’s great if paramedics speak the language of a family that doesn’t speak good English’

Brian Goodwin, Ambulance Service Association.

Housing

‘It is critical that the faces people see when they come to our reception or when we visit them at home, represent a mix. It's also important that there are a variety of languages spoken by our workforce. Someone might need a repair and if their English isn't good, we can put someone on the phone who can communicate with them. Clearly, all this improves our services.’

Peter McCormack, Director, Dominion Housing Group

Insurance

‘When dealing with Spanish and Latin American risks, background information is often only available in Spanish’

Adam, trainee underwriter with Lloyds of London, degree in Spanish and French

Only for the specialist linguists?

Types of job with languages

• Customer service - 1,637

• IT - 1,130

• Accountancy, banking and finance - 985

• Sales - 896

• Marketing - 352

• Secretarial and administration - 323

• Translating and interpreting - 114

Which languages?• German - 1,340

• French - 938

• Spanish - 507

• Polish - 111

• Russian - 98

• Arabic – 47

• Mandarin – 43

• Lithuanian – 15

• Panjabi – 7

• Urdu – 6

Understanding what employers want

• ‘an international dimension’

• ‘ability to build relationships’

• ‘awareness of cultural differences’

• ‘team-working, oral communication, problem-solving’

• ‘commercial awareness’

• ‘discipline, work ethic, effectiveness’

What is Language Work trying to achieve?

• Increase take-up for languages 14-19 and into HE

• Provide extrinsic motivation for learners

• Increase understanding about the world of work and how languages fit in

• Raise aspirations and broaden horizons

www.languageswork.org.uk

Keeping in touch

www.languageswork.org.uk