Languages and Careers

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Languages and Careers 10 questions you always wanted to ask

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1 What is the jobs market for people with language skills?

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Latest research 75% of employers want language skills ‘conversational ability that builds rapport’ Main demand is still for European languages: 50% want French, 49% German 41% Spanish. Interest also in Mandarin/Cantonese.

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All these companies have advertised posts with languages in the last few months

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Vacancies include Jobs where languages are integral Jobs where languages are an added bonus Jobs where languages are an indicator of general ability and outlook

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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’

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But, some home truths UK employers are not all language-aware, but they are becoming more so They can recruit internationally They don’t just want language skills They want the right mix of skills for their company

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2 Is English ‘the international language of business’?

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‘The economic importance of other languages is growing’ David Graddol, British Council

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‘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’ David Graddol, English Next, 2006

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Language needs of European companies (ELAN survey 2006)

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3 What are the opportunities for specialist linguists?

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4 Which other careers do language skills enhance?

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‘I can’t think of a single career area where language skills are not an advantage’ Rachel Usher, Independent Schools Careers Organisation

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Business, Administration and Finance Take a look at the business pages of a national newspaper. How many references can you find to other countries? Which countries are mentioned most? What is their connection to UK business? Which languages would be most useful if you were involved in the activities being described?

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Travel and Tourism ‘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

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Engineering ‘Employees with language skills are definitely more marketable and have more worth in the labour market’ Bob Shankley, HR Director, BMW

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Construction ‘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)

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5 What jobs do language graduates do?

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Destinations of language graduates

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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

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Law ‘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, studied English and Spanish Law at University of Kent

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Types of job with languages

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6 What opportunities are there for non-graduates?

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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

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Hair and Beauty Which company’s slogan is: ‘Parce que je le vaux’

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‘Our company offers international career opportunities for which we need talented, multilingual individuals’ Alexander Snelling, L’Oréal UK Ltd

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‘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

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Manufacturing What does ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ mean? Audi’s Head Office is in Germany but it makes cars in 6 countries. Do you know which they are? Go to www.languageswork.org.uk to find the answers

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Find a manufactured product with a label. Where was the product made? What company made it, and where is it located? Do the instructions for use come in different languages? How many languages? Can you recognise which languages they are? What does all this tell you about the company, its production process and its markets?

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7 Do you have to want to work abroad?

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‘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

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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.

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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

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8 Which languages are the most useful?

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Which languages?

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9 What opportunities are there for speakers of community languages?

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Health, Society and Development Shazia has a GNVQ in Health and Social Care. Find out, on the Languages Work website, which languages she uses in her work. How do they help her and her patients?

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10 Where can I find out more?

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www.languageswork.org.uk

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Keeping in touch www.languageswork.org.uk