Employers often value bilingual employees for several compelling reasons. Firstly, being bilingual allows employees to effectively communicate with a broader range of clients and customers. In an increasingly globalized world, businesses are expanding their reach and catering to diverse markets. Having employees who can communicate fluently in multiple languages enables companies to engage with and serve a wider customer base, ultimately boosting sales and enhancing customer satisfaction. Secondly, bilingual employees possess valuable cultural insights and sensitivity. Language and culture are closely intertwined, and being fluent in another language indicates a deeper understanding of the associated cultural norms, customs, and business practices. This cultural competence allows bilingual employees to navigate cross-cultural situations more effectively, build stronger relationships with international partners, and adapt to different work environments with ease. Furthermore, bilingual employees are often seen as more adaptable and flexible. Learning a second language requires cognitive skills such as problem-solving, multitasking, and memory retention. These skills transfer into the workplace, enabling bilingual employees to quickly adapt to new challenges and contribute effectively in dynamic work settings. Bilingualism also enhances teamwork and collaboration within a company. A diverse workforce with employees who speak different languages can bridge communication gaps and foster greater understanding and cooperation among team members. Bilingual employees can act as cultural mediators, facilitating communication and building stronger relationships between colleagues from different linguistic backgrounds. Lastly, bilingual employees bring a unique perspective and creativity to problem-solving. Research suggests that bilingual individuals have enhanced cognitive abilities, including better analytical thinking, improved decision-making, and increased creativity. These skills can be valuable assets for employers seeking innovative solutions and fresh approaches to business challenges. In summary, bilingual employees offer numerous advantages to employers, including expanded communication capabilities, cultural competence, adaptability, enhanced teamwork, and cognitive benefits. As businesses continue to operate in a globalized world, the ability to communicate and engage with diverse populations becomes increasingly crucial, making bilingual employees highly sought after in the job market.
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I recently read an article which I received from our accountant, More than Tax which I found very interesting and can apply to businesses wanting to upskill their employees in areas that complement their position. Languages can be an important addition to your staff skillset and not only improve cross cultural tolerance, customer relations but also improve your B2B interactions. The Skills and Training Boost gives an employer a 120% tax deduction for external training courses provided to employees. The aim of this boost is to help SMEs grow their workforce, including taking on less-skilled employees and upskilling them using external training to develop their skills and enhance their productivity. Sole traders, partners in a partnership, independent contractors and other non-employees do not qualify for the boost as they are not employees. Similarly, associates such as spouses or partners, or trustees of a trust, don’t qualify. As always, there are a few rules:
Not all courses provided by training companies will qualify for the boost; only those charged by registered training providers within their registration. Typically, this is vocational training to learn a trade or courses that count towards a qualification rather than professional development.
As VLLC is a Registered Training Organisation with ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) we are able to offer this training in learning Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Korean, Russian and Arabic. Contact VLLC to start your staff training within the relevant time frame (29th March 2022 - 30th June 2024). This article was originally published in the 'Your Knowledge' newsletter. Note: The material and contents provided in this publication are informative in nature only. It is not intended to be advice and you should not act specifically on the basis of this information alone. If expert assistance is required, professional advice should be obtained. ‘ I feel pretty stupid that I don’t know any foreign languages’ Bill Gates. It might seem a hard notion to grasp that the Microsoft founder and prolific philanthropist regrets not learning a second language. Gates, 62, should now have plenty of time to pursue that passion. In 2008 he retired from his day-to-day role at Microsoft and only in 2014 handed over his role as chairman of the company. We think learning a language is imperative to gaining recognition in the overseas workplace and mastering a local language is a step in the right direction at developing deeper business relationships and winning the hearts and minds of target markets. Here are the top 7 languages to boost your employment potential 1. Spanish Of all the languages in the world, Spanish is the language our online translation agency works with the most, reflecting an enormous market the world over. Aside from the huge potential of almost all of South and Central America with emerging economic powerhouses such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela -- not to mention the significant market in Spain itself -- learning Spanish is worth it if only to reach the Hispanic speaking community in the U.S., whose purchasing power is already more than a trillion dollars and growing. As opposed to its spoken dialects, Spanish written forms are more uniform than other languages which makes them simpler to learn. As a Romance language, with the same letters and roots as English, you’ll probably twist your tongue a lot less than when learning Chinese. 2. French French is a very important language to learn for those who are looking to succeed in the world of business. Many people do not know is that French was considered the international lingua franca – a common language with which people all around the world can converse – for quite some time, until the rise of the British and American empires brought English into prominence. There are still many companies and individuals around the world that prefer to do business in French, and many African and Mediterranean countries that were once French colonies or territories. Because of this, French is spoken widely throughout the world, with about 335 million total speakers. 3. Chinese There are dozens of different languages and dialects spoken in China, and while Mandarin is by far the most widely spoken -- in fact, it’s the most prevalent language in the world with 1.1 billion native speakers -- other Chinese dialects are spoken by hundreds of millions of people. Wu, for example, used in the financial hub of Shanghai, is spoken by more than 80 million people -- that’s a potential market the size of Germany! Depending on what area of China you're targeting and the fact that written dialects in the country are basically uniform, learning Wu, Jin, Min or Yue will certainly be worth the effort. 4. Russian Russia has a market nearly 150 million strong, seemingly endless natural resources and a burgeoning IT sector. Plus, the language is also spoken to varying degrees in post-Soviet states (for almost 300 million speakers in all) -- many important emerging economies themselves -- making it number nine on our most-translated list. Knowing Russian will go a long way toward winning the trust of local business leaders. And you can read Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky in the original. 5. Arabic Hundreds of millions of people around the world speak Arabic -- the fifth most-spoken language in the world -- so it comes as no surprise that Arabic is number 10 on our list. The Arab world, with a growing online culture, doesn’t have its own Amazon or Alibaba, making it a market with huge potential, not to mention the deep petro-economies of the region. Executives who speak their language are going to have a leg up in this cross-continental market. The drawback? With dozens of distinct varieties of spoken Arabic, choosing the right one will be a daunting process. 6. German German is the second most-translated language at our agency, reflecting the country’s status as Europe’s largest economy and one of strongest economies in the world. Enough said. Learning a foreign language may be a major investment of time and energy, but speaking even a rudimentary level of a country’s native tongue goes a long way to breaking down walls. 7. Japanese Long at the forefront of the world’s technology, Japan is the hub of the robotics that is poised to upend the way we think about business, and even society, in the coming decades. If companies are looking to break into this up-and-coming scene, knowing how to speak Japanese would be very useful. According to Wikipedia, “Japan employs over a quarter of a million industrial robot workers. In the next 15 years, Japan estimates that number to jump to over one million and they expect revenue for robotics to be near $70 billion by 2025.” Robotics or anything else, revenue of that size might be something to consider being a part of. References: http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/28/technology/bill-gates-regret/
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244233 http://www.therichest.com/business/salary/the-eight-best-languages-to-learn-for-business/8/ http://www.k-international.com/blog/learn-a-language/ Is your language course claimable as a self-education expense? Do you need to learn a language to help you do your job better? Self-education expenses are deductible when the course you undertake leads to a formal qualification. To claim a deduction for self-education expenses, you must have met one of the following conditions when you incurred the expense:
The information contained in this article may not necessarily relate to you and you would need to confirm your eligibility with your own accountant. Below is a Self expenses tool kit to see what you can an can't claim:
https://www.ato.gov.au/uploadedFiles/Content/IAI/Downloads/Toolkits/TaxTimeToolkit_Selfeducationexpenses.pdf Check out the following links for more info from the ATO: https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/deductions-you-can-claim/education-training-and-seminars/self-education-expenses/ You can't use body language over the telephone.... if you don't have the word, there is no communication. Between friends it may not matter, but when your business is on the line, you have to learn the language. English speaking Australians sometimes become complacent and have the attitude of "let the rest of the world learn English as a common language, we're OK!" French is the official language of diplomacy and the Olympics, but English is more important in academic and business dealings, along with a choice of Asian languages, but which one? A past student of ours, Darren, decided on Japanese.... "languages are interesting", he says. "I have Japanese friends, so it took off from there. The course will be most useful for future employment in the area of tourism, hopefully in Japan." Once he had decided to learn Japanese, Darren did some research and spoke to a variety of language schools who taught Japanese. He chose VLLC because it offered an individualised, fast track method, particularly geared toward using the language within the vocational arena. He has also really enjoyed the course. Students have to be excited about what they are going to do with their language. When you learn with a specific goal in mind it helps you to retain the language more easily and it also allows us to gear all your tutorials to your requirements, VLLC gets you thinking and communicating in your new language from day one rather than focusing on grammar, because that always involves English. The course can also be completed completely online! A whole new language can be learned through pictures and mimicking the native speaking instructors (tutor). Script and correct sentence construction will follow naturally from the conversation and from specialised writing classes. VLLC has many corporate clients whose executives and tourism staff can quickly learn the language of overseas clients and business partners. It can also be instrumental in getting unemployed people back to work, or giving them an edge for career change. The big advantage of individual tuition is that VLLC can tailor a course to suit an individual's vocation.
Once people are serious about learning a language, they can look upon it as part of their professional training. The students motivation is a vital factor. Language learning is no longer intimidating but can open doors to new adventures. Asia is a diverse and vast continent with many different languages and cultures. If you speak an Asian language, you have a valuable skill that can help you in the job market. Here are some employment opportunities where you can use an Asian language:
In conclusion, if you're fluent in an Asian language, there are many employment opportunities available to you. Being bilingual or multilingual is a valuable skill that can help you stand out in the job market. Consider exploring these employment opportunities to find the one that is best suited to your skills and interests.
The world is becoming more interconnected, and being bilingual or multilingual is an asset in many industries. If you can speak a European language, you have an advantage in the job market. Here are some employment opportunities where you can use a European language:
In conclusion, if you're fluent in a European language, there are plenty of employment opportunities available to you. Being bilingual or multilingual is a valuable skill that can help you stand out in the job market. Consider exploring these employment opportunities to find the one that is best suited to your skills and interests.
Most people are under the impression that you have to move overseas to utilise your language skill. While opportunities definitely are available abroad, a foreign language skill can open doors to a variety of careers right where you are. You gain much more skill from learning a language than just being able to communicate in another language. The practical skills that can benefit you from learning a language can include presentations, comparisons, researching and translating can lead you to a career in a range of areas. Wherever your skill takes you can guarantee that your journey will be enriched by knowing how to speak a foreign language. Possible career paths can include working with a charity or non government organisation such as Red Cross who work with refugees, Aid, asylum seekers or the homeless. This area of expertise can greatly benefit from having a bilingual member on their team. Police or the Defence Force may benefit from bilingual employees as there are many areas of society which house citizens who have not yet mastered the English language and would require your assistance in a time of need. Being a bilingual officer also serves to help forge stronger community links with ethnic communities. Travel and Tourism is an obvious employment sector and opportunities within the travel and tourism industry are numerous. You could find employment in the airline, transport, travel agency, hotel or tour company. You could write travel blogs, give tours, customer service or management roles. In the journalism and media industries there are also opportunities for bilingual speakers. In the multi cultural arena which is Australia, communities with have media in their own languages which therefore requires people to write, film or produce communication and work in their language, The business world also requires bilingual people to communicate in the ever increasing international arena. With the growth in technology it is becoming more common that Australian businesses have strong relationships with their overseas counterparts. Staff with excellent foreign language skills are crucial to these businesses. Michele Colledge CEO VLLC Aust Spanakopita literally translates to "spinach pie". Spanaki meaning spinach and pita translating to pie. Packed full of leafy greens, eggs and cheese, Spanakopita is loaded with goodness and the perfect starter or side dish to a big Greek feast. It can also be eaten cold as a snack! Below is www.taste.com.au version and it tastes really good.
Heat oil in a frypan, then add onion, shallots and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until softened, then add spinach and half the dill. (If using silverbeet, remove leaves, and chop before adding; discard stalks). Cook, stirring, over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander and cool, then combine with cheeses, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 2 1/2-litre baking dish with butter. Lay one sheet of filo on base and sides and brush with butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets. Spread cheese mixture over top. Cover with remaining filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Trim excess pastry with kitchen scissors and tuck edges into sides of dish. Brush top with butter and score in diamond patterns. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Rest for 10 minutes. Warm remaining butter, add remaining dill and, when serving, pour over sliced spanakopita. If you are considering developing a business relationship with Greece there are a few considerations which www.austrade.com.au believe are important. Greece is quite conservative, and visitors should avoid being ostentatious in their dress or behaviour. Conservatism includes strong religious ties and beliefs, especially in rural and other traditional areas, and visitors should never comment on religious matters, or identify themselves as atheist, when dealing with traditional people. That said, most business people in Athens and the other major cities are very modern, and this is much less of an issue in such situations. Discussion of politics is best avoided, especially over sensitive issues such as relations with Turkey, the Cyprus issue, or the politics of the former-Yugoslavia. This is especially true in a business context, as in social situations Greeks may often raise such issues. Greeks tend to respect the elderly and experienced – young business people may experience small problems in being treated with the same seriousness as older people, and respect should always be given to the elderly and people in senior positions. Punctuality is not particularly important for Greeks. They tend to be late for appointments, although they expect their counterparts to be on time for business meetings. Also for this reason, scheduling an appointment is not always necessary, but is courteous. Greeks enjoy socializing with friends and business associates. Dinners are a form of entertainment, which take several hours and are usually followed by drinks. In Greece, gifts are not essential to business relationships and Greeks do not normally expect to exchange gifts on a first meeting. Nevertheless, an occasional gift (mostly at Christmas and Easter) will be very much appreciated. An excellent bottle of liquor or wine, office accessories, fine chocolate, are examples of gifts often offered in business interactions. Gifts are usually nicely wrapped and opened right away. Business Risks Australian companies are advised to spend time investigating the market, obtain professional advice where appropriate and thoroughly investigate the issues in entering the market and establishing business relationships. Australian firms wishing to operate in this country should commit to the highest level of corporate behaviour and familiarise themselves with Australia's law and penalties pertaining to bribery of foreign officials. Bribery of foreign public officials is a crime. Australian individuals and companies can be prosecuted in Australia for bribing foreign officials when overseas. Further information on the regulations governing bribery of foreign public officials is available from the Austrade website. Greece charges a number of taxes and levies that impact on exporters and investors, including income tax, Capital gains tax, Excise consumption taxes, Value added Tax, Inheritance and gift tax, Real estate transfer taxes and taxes on ships and cars.
If you are interested in doing business with Greece and you would like to learn more about the language, the people and its culture, contact VLLC and start your language journey. |
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