In April, Peter Hogarth, UKTI's international trade director in the East Midlands, said: "Research shows that businesses that export their goods and services are more competitive than those that don't, which is one of the reasons regional firms should consider exporting to help their business grow."
Music to the ears of Sue Clarke, who set up language consultancy Promolingua this year to, among other things, offer in-company language training. She says: "Slowly but surely the English are realising that it's not conducive to speak slowly and loudly. That they do actually have to speak to their customers or clients in their own language."
Learning a new language like Arabic or Mandarin takes time, admits Clarke—"to negotiate at business level takes several years to learn properly"—but she claims that investing in language skills can dramatically improve a company's business opportunities. "Knowledge is power," she says. "You're opening doors to people that you wouldn't necessarily be able to speak to because they don't speak English. You can build better relationships, build a rapport, and avoid misunderstandings. As a linguist, I think the ability to learn about another culture is very important."
www.cilt.org.uk
Posted 6 June 2008 : Director.co.uk
