5 Reasons Why Language Proficiency Is Essential for Working Abroad
Nowadays, globalization and high connectivity have brought people together from around the world. People work and travel all over the world and there’s little that can actually stop them from doing so. Generally, people explore employment opportunities outside their country of origin due to various reasons. Some try to avoid oversaturated markets, others seek better financial conditions, while some simply want to see the world and make money in the process.
Needless to say, working abroad is always a good opportunity to improve your quality of life. However, there are some requirements for working abroad. Aside from certain skills employers may require of you, language proficiency is an absolute must. Language proficiency is the single most important factor you’ll need. The main reason is that you cannot communicate with people around you if you cannot speak a common language. These days, the English language stands as an international language that’s spoken by many. But, English is only considered so in the Western world, whereas in Asia and their neighbouring countries Mandarin is considered a common ground due to the 1.1 billion speakers.
That being said, here are more reasons why language proficiency is essential for working abroad.
Language barriers
One of the major obstacles in business communication, or any other communication for that matter, is language barriers. Two people who speak different languages cannot possibly understand each other. Sure, today there’s technology that can help with translation and apparently ensure seamless communication between two parties, but it’s not a long-term solution, especially if you’ll be working abroad.
In order to truly fit into a different environment, you’ll simply need language proficiency. That way, you can communicate with your employers, co-workers and customers efficiently. In addition, you will avoid any misunderstandings or inconveniences due to the lack of understanding and communication.
Higher employment rate
Learning an additional language or being proficient in your native tongue is always considered a quality skill. Employers who are looking to hire employees from abroad will always check what language or languages they speak. No matter how much work experience you have or how skilled you are, it won’t help you much with finding a job if you lack language proficiency. What’s more, employers might discard your CV straight away if you don’t meet their language requirements.
In order to remedy that, you must hone your language skills before you apply. That doesn’t mean you’ll need a high-end language degree from a college or some top-of-the-line school. However, you will need some level of expertise. Nowadays, you can attend various courses offline and online, such as PTE coaching, for example. That way, you can at least learn the basics of the language you’ll need for working abroad.
Better decision making
Finding a job abroad means you’ll have certain responsibilities. There are always some things that are expected of you and it’s important not to let your employers down. However, if you’re not proficient enough in the language that you need, you’ll have difficulties at doing your job. Not only will you perform at much slower rates but you’ll also end up confused most of the times.
These delays hurt your productivity and not to mention the wasted time required to redo your mistakes. No employer will tolerate this behaviour for a long time. On the other hand, language proficiency allows you to perform as it’s expected of you and make decisions based on your knowledge instead of your instincts. You’ll be able to handle work-related tasks efficiently and identify any problems before they get out of hand.
Establish relationships
Understanding a language and being proficient allows you to connect with people easily. When you land a job abroad, you want to establish connections with various people right away, rather than isolate yourself from everyone. That way, you can form rapports and engage with people that might help you out in the future.
For instance, your colleague can help you solve a problem if you run into any difficulties. What’s more, engaging with people who are native speakers will help you comprehend the language easily, as well as become more fluent. Moreover, you can bridge cultural gaps through communication and mutual understanding, which will help you fit in seamlessly.
Open new doors
Language proficiency isn’t just required for you to find a job abroad but to help you advance in your career as well. Employees with the basic knowledge of a certain language cannot be responsible for more demanding tasks, can they? For instance, imagine you had to work at customer support without language proficiency. Not only would the customers fail to understand you but you’d fail to understand them, too. This would create additional problems for both you and your employer, so unless you’re fluent in a language, they will hardly think about promoting you.
Language proficiency can help you advance in ranks and it will open new doors for you to explore. Bilingual people are always highly sought after by various companies around the world. The more proficient you are, the more opportunities you’ll have, and you’ll automatically become a valuable asset to any employer no matter where you decide to work.
Working abroad can be an excellent opportunity not just to find good employment but also to see the world and gain new experiences. However, if you cannot communicate with people efficiently, then you cannot understand their intentions, let alone find employment abroad. That’s why you should always focus on language proficiency before you decide to seek employment abroad.