The real value of investing in learning a language today must surely be business.  Finding a way to give you the edge rather than your competition is the goal of every business today. Language creates more than just one step better and affords improved long term and sustainable relationships just because communication is improved.  For this reason, people looking for a better paid job with more prospects become valuable resources to any company if they have invested in learning a language. ​

We found this great site Gengo.com that has made conducting international business easier than ever. This interactive guide provides information for over a dozen countries on cultural norms for the workplace including how to approach a manager with a problem, how to socialize with your colleagues outside of work, and how to impress a client. Best of all, you can compare how your culture stacks up with the country you plan visit including the work/life balance, the dress code and more.

For example, if you are headed to Japan, karaoke is the best way to get to know your colleagues. Say yes to every karaoke invitation, and be prepared to use this casual atmosphere as a way to discuss things off the record. Need to impress your client? Pick a high-quality whiskey over a flower.  Check out this smart guide to business cultures before your next trip. It is also valuable to learn the language before you go! Make the most of the self isolation and contact us for more information on a language course you can do from the comfort of your own home. 

Being bilingual opens the door to a totally new future! Not only does it make travelling a cultural delight,  but it opens the world to new friendships, new business avenues and many other benefits. “The world map looks smaller than ever before” Max Azria. We are becoming more interconnected with our international counterparts. Advancements in technology are seeing the world become smaller, and countries more dependent on each other. For those reasons, it has become vital in commerce, to improve communication with people from different countries and cultures.
 I recently read an article on Linkedin by John White, MBA, who writes the following: ​

​Reference: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140522204700-68335342-benefits-of-being-bilingual-in-business 

If you would like to learn more about the Chinese language and culture, contact VLLC.

I have been working with Vocational Language Learning Centre (VLLC) for 28 years and have been CEO since 2013. VLLC  was created because there was a need within Australia for a language learning program that, was not only fast and effective, but also directly related to the vocational needs of the individual and specific organisations. We believe that there is no point learning a language, if that language is not a usable skill.

We have been delivering tailored language courses to enterprises and individuals for many reasons over the years. We have assisted clients in securing new markets within their businesses, developing existing ones, and allowing other professional individuals to communicate throughout the world. 

Since its inception, VLLC has successfully taught languages to a range of students from many walks of life and for many reasons and to be able to communicate in their chosen fields.  Amongst these clientele are some of the larger Australian and overseas companies such as Mitsubishi, International College of Hotel Management, CSIRO and BHP, some government organisations such as Austrade, Australian Defence Force and the Australian Federal Police and some Volunteering organisations such as Red Cross and World Vision.  Students from these companies have been able to enrich their careers by being able to communicate with various cultures and communities.

I was looking on the about money website and it had a great article about how to reflect on the end of a year and plan for the following year and decide how you want your business to develop.
Do you want increased success in the coming year or the chance to enjoy the success you have already achieved?

​The top 10 resolutions are designed to help you strike a better work life balance, so that you can fully enjoy the New Year.

1) Learn how to delegate and do more of it. There are so many things to do when you're running a small business, it's easy to delude ourselves that we need to do all of them. Then we wonder why we're so tired and frazzled and have no time to do anything else!

2) Promote your business regularly and consistently. Too often the task of promoting a small business slips to the bottom of the to-do list in the press of urgent tasks. If you want to attract new customers, you have to make promotion a priority. Make a New Year's resolution to hire a marketing expert, or take the time to create a marketing plan on your own and follow through. 

4) Learn something new. What you choose to learn may be directly related to your business or completely unrelated. Learning something new will add to your skills and add a new dimension of interest to your life - another important part of achieving a healthy work-life balance. Depending on how you choose to learn, you may meet new and interesting people, who may become customers, colleagues, or friends. How will you find the time to learn something new? By delegating, remember? Considering learning a language so that you can expand your business into new horizons?

5) Join a new business organisation or networking group. There's nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas, refining old ones, and making contacts. Whether it's a group specifically designed for networking or an organization dedicated to a particular type of business, in person or over the 'Net, making the effort to be a part of a group will revitalize you and your business. 

6) Give something back to your community. There are all kinds of worthy organizations that make a difference in your community. Make a New Year's resolution to find a cause that matters to you, and give what you can. Make this the year that you serve on a committee, be a mentor, volunteer, or make regular donations to the groups in your community that try to make the place you live a better place. And those that give get.

8) Set realistic goals. Goal setting is a valuable habit - if the goals lead to success rather than distress. Make a New Year's resolution that the goals you set will be goals that are achievable, rather than unrealistic pipe dreams that are so far out of reach they only lead to frustration.

9) Don't make do; get a new one. Is there a piece of equipment in your office that's interfering with your success or something that you lack that's making your working life harder? Whether it's an old fax machine that's a pain to use, or the need for a new employee to lighten your work load, make a New Year's resolution to stop putting off getting what you need. The irritation of making do just isn't worth it.

10) Drop what's not working for you and move on. All products aren't going to be super sellers, all sales methods aren't going to work for everyone, and all suppliers or contractors aren't going to be ideally suited to your business. If a technique or a product or a business relationship isn't working for you, stop using it. Don't invest a lot of energy into trying to make the unworkable workable. Move on. Something better will turn up.

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is like maintaining a good relationship; you have to keep working on it. But if you apply these New Year's resolutions throughout the year, your success is guaranteed!

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/management/a/bizresolutions.htm

A linguist and Columbia professor, Mr John McWhorter, recently conducted a talkback radio feature relating to learning new languages and the necessity for this. I heard about this both on the radio and in a CCTNews article which I have referenced below.  McWhorter makes the case that English is rapidly consolidating its position as the universal language, and points out how this begs  an important question: if you speak English already, why bother learning another language?  

According to McWhorter, English is on its way to becoming the predominant global language by the end of this century, thanks to its prevalence on the internet, and its use in the world of finance, diplomacy and air traffic control, and even though Mandarin is currently spoken by more people, far more Chinese speakers are learning English than the other way around.   If that were not enough reason to forget about studying a foreign language, he adds that instant translation of live speech is getting better every year.  
These two points lead McWhorter to ask: Why should anyone learn foreign languages if everyone will either be able to speak English, or have access to technology that will automatically translate speech?

McWhorter gives the following reasons as to why you should learn a foreign language:

• If you want to imbibe a culture, you have to control the language the culture is conducted in. Languages are tickets to being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak them, and so if you want to imbibe a culture, you have to control the language the culture is conducted in.
• Bilingualism is healthy. If you speak two languages, dementia is less likely to set in.
• Being bilingual makes you a better multi-tasker.
• Learning languages full of different sounds, and different word order is fun.
  

McWhorter concludes with a reflection on how it has never been easier to teach yourself a language. “You used to have to go to class, go to the laboratory, use records… and books that didn’t work”. In comparison, now we have “modern methods of learning languages would have sounded like science fiction to very sophisticated people”.

We agree with McWhorter, in that the options for language learning now are very vast and accessible. To truly grasp a language though there is a necessity to practice your communication skill so that when it is time to use it in real life, you have the skill and the confidence to do so. At Vocational Lanaguge Learning Centre (VLLC) we teach languages using multisensory techniques so that the language becomes a usable skill, just like your first language.

If your job requires you to chat with clients from different nationalities, studying the language of that country will help to make your work easier. It will create a positive image in the minds of your clients, which they might communicate to your bosses, and may just provide you with the competitive edge in landing that new and elusive contract.

You will no longer require an interpreter to communicate your clients’ requirement to you. This will also save a lot of cost for the organisation for which you are working. The lack of foreign language knowledge puts the English speakers at a disadvantage. In meetings, for example, the people on the other side can discuss things amongst themselves in their own language without the English speakers understanding, and using interpreters slows everything down. In any socialising after the meetings, which may be integral to strengthening relationships, your clients will probably feel more comfortable using their own language rather than English.

Knowledge of foreign languages may also increase your chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips. Upskilling yourself by learning a new language can give you the upper hand in job selection and you may find yourself working in a foreign country, living the dream….