Language is a leading factor in communication. In the year 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted a survey illustrating that of the 291.5 million people aged 5 and over, 60.6 million people spoke a language other than English at home. It is crucial to be equipped with bilingual employees in order to builda more prepared and effective customer service team.
In total there are over 100 languages are spoken in the US. The 2012 U.S. Census report states that Spanish is the most common language among non-native English speakers. According to the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth, within a span of ten years the Hispanic spending power in the U.S. had climbed 118%,to $452 billion dollars, and continues to climb.
Nielsen reports that the Latino buying power in the US will increase from approximately 1 trillion dollars in 2010 to 1.5 trillion by this year, 2015.
Imagine how much your business can benefit when you can offer these increasingly essential bilingual services. Bilingual employees offer immeasurable benefits to your business. Consider the following:
- Excellent communication skills Bilingual employees have been found to conduct exquisite communication and listening skills. Researchers from Northwestern University have found that people that speak several languages can process information more quickly and efficiently than those that only know one language. These cognitive benefits facilitate bilingual employees in distinguishing relevant and irrelevant information. As well as act in a more alert manner, offering a quicker ability to deal with ambiguities and resolve conflicts.
- Better at Multi-tasking Recent studies suggest that bilingual employees have advanced mental skills since they are constantly excising their brains and developing brain power. Dr. Bialystok at York University in Toronto states that jugglingthe comprehension of two languages boosts one of the most important parts of the brain known as the executive control system. This concept has as well been supported by the National Institutes of Health which funded a study which found that people that speak more than one language have an easier time switching between two tasks. Furthermore, switching between tasks indicates anability to multi-task.
- Reach International Arena Bilingual employees can be a valuable member(s) of your staff because they can reach a larger variety of clientele. Employees that speak two languages can usually differentiate regional interests and customers. They provide an open door to not only localizing services but geo-targeting to a larger pool of possible customers.
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