Foreign Language Skills

One of the many Employability Skills. With the amount of international trade that takes place between UK businesses and those that are based in other countries, the ability to be able to hold a conversation with people that do not have English as a first language can be very beneficial.

Whilst most people will not be fluent in other languages, being able to talk confidently in another language can positively influence non-English speaking customers. A large amount of goodwill can be demonstrated where an effort is made to talk to others in their native language; the gesture of trying is a sign of respect for the other person and their language.

The lack of foreign language skills within UK business has been attributed to having lost a significant amount of business, reduced exports and restricts the potential marketplace for some products and services as the organisation is unable to penetrate the foreign market.