多语言市场研究和战略研究公司

成功讲多种语言

The Importance of Multilingualism in Business

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”     – Ludwig Wittgenstein

As our society becomes increasingly globalized, the incentive for people to know and speak more than one language will not only seem advantageous, it will also become de rigueur. While it is presently normal for persons in the United States to speak only English, the limitations of that reality will become more evident as the planet continues to diversify and cross-pollinate.

It seems almost humorous at this juncture that, in the past, people believed that babies indoctrinated with more than one language were at risk of not only being less intelligent, but also of becoming schizophrenic. Of course, that theory has since been debunked. To be fair, present-day conjecture that multi-lingualism can create nurseries filled with budding geniuses is a bit far-fetched, as well. 

有一件事似乎是肯定的。懂多种语言的人在工作中变得越来越重要。“对于企业来说，员工的语言技能——无论是他们正在拓展的新市场使用的语言，还是全球通用语言英语——都同样重要。经济学人智库的一项研究……  nearly 90 percent of managers said that better cross-border communication would improve the bottom line, while another study noted that 79 percent of companies that had invested in the English skills of their workers had seen an increase in sales.”

As long as most of us can remember, Americans have believed that English is the so-called international language of business. Thusly, most people felt that they didn’t really need to make the effort required to learn another language. It is now becoming increasingly evident that this mindset is not only antiquated, it is costing the country a lot of money. “美国经济发展委员会（CED）建议 美国企业每年因语言或文化误解而损失超过1400亿美元。”

良好商业语言

很多企业领导者开始意识到多语言的重要性，他们认为，拥有一支由会说多种语言的人组成的工作团队对企业利润大有裨益。他们的想法完全正确。首先，多语言员工队伍实际上可以吸引新业务，尤其是当公司在国外开展业务时。在为来自世界各地的客户提供服务时，多语言对于谈判、保持竞争力和客户服务越来越重要。

“根据美国劳工统计局的数据，2010 年至 2020 年期间，对口译员和笔译员的需求预计将增加 42%。这仅表明使用不同语言的企业或组织之间的互动日益增多。自然，已经能够履行笔译员或口译员职责的企业高管将更受青睐。这也意味着更高的薪酬。”

显然，拥有多元化客户群和从事国际业务的公司将从拥有多语言员工中受益。但是，那些会说其他语言的员工也能获得额外报酬吗？ 一些数字计算人员 经济学家 已经确定，掌握多种语言的工人一生可以额外赚取 $67,000 美元。这还只是低收入；根据对高收入的估计， 双语人士可额外赚取 $128,000 由于他们的语言能力。4

讲多种语言的美国公民 – 18%

讲多种语言的欧洲公民 - 56%

（来源：Forbes.com）

为什么多语言员工更优秀

So, what is it exactly about multi-lingualism that makes people better employees? Certainly, it’s impressive. We all admire the person who can converse in more languages than one, but does it really make a difference in the workplace? “Evidence is growing that proves cognitive benefits for bilinguals. They can end up with improved attention, intelligence, and better verbal and spatial abilities. Likely as a result of structural changes in the networks and connections of the brain, this would suggest they have an increased capacity to process information.”

证据还表明，会说多种语言的人对其他文化更敏感，而且往往比只会说一种语言的同事更开放。不难看出这些属性在边界不再具有意义、多样性越来越重要的世界里为何如此重要，在跨文化世界中导航所需的文化意识也越来越重要。

“We have been raising more capital from abroad and need employees who can communicate with our foreign investors. I would encourage anyone to learn a second language to advance their career opportunities.”

— Arvind Chary，Atlas Real Estate Partners 执行负责人

双语能力与大脑

“大脑就像任何肌肉一样，需要锻炼，事实证明，精通两种或两种以上的语言是保持大脑健康和预防痴呆症等退行性疾病的最佳方法之一。事实上， 双语人士 近五年后出现明显的阿尔茨海默病症状 比只会说一种语言的人更能理解。”

事实证明，学习一门语言可以刺激大脑，就像锻炼可以增强身体其他部位的肌肉一样。那些会说多种语言的人实际上会以独特的方式想象问题的解决方案。因此，通过组建由多语种员工组成的团队，由此产生的认知多样性为企业开辟了解决问题和概念化的全新和创造性方法。

“双语人士的大脑中，与词汇习得有关的那部分灰质更多。当一个人学习第二语言时，大脑中词汇习得部分实际上正在得到锻炼。”

— Cathy Price – 神经影像研究员 – 伦敦大学学院

As individuals continue to learn a language, the brain actually becomes stronger and is more stimulated. The resultant increase in gray matter causes the brain to operate with increased efficiency and speed. “Language learning is described as a kind of re-wiring of the brain which can form new neurons and connections among the intellectual network. So adding another language to your skill set is simply smart.”

更多大脑益处

学习语言对大脑的好处还体现在对在商业环境中有效工作至关重要的其他功能上。我们习惯于同时使用两种或多种语言。有证据表明，会说多种语言的人更善于过滤无关信息，更善于同时处理多项任务。 例如，“当大脑的监控系统不紧张时，单语者和双语者的大脑反应相似，但当情况需要高监控要求时，双语者的速度更快。  此外，双语者在空间工作记忆任务中的表现也优于只会说一种语言的人。”8

全球化推动对多语言员工的需求

As the world grows increasingly less monocultural and globalization continues unabated, the logic of learning additional languages becomes irrefutable. In business, companies are often interested in securing the services of personnel well-versed in specific languages that directly correlate to their operations. For the multi-lingual employee, this can translate into increased potential for earning and for more and better job opportunities.

近年来，中国成为美国跨文化商业尝试的前沿，懂普通话或其他广泛使用的中国方言的英语人士往往备受推崇和青睐。相反，中国雇主看重能说英语的员工。

“哈尔·约翰逊是光辉国际的高级顾问，曾任全球人力资源主席，他经常为商学院学生和企业高管提供建议，帮助他们在职业生涯中保持领先地位。他经常敦促求职者“尽快学习普通话，如果他们想在竞争中占据优势并加速他们的未来发展。任何有助于或加快他们准备工作的事情都可以成为一大优势！”9      

世界上语言最多的五个国家

1.阿鲁巴

虽然荷兰语是阿鲁巴的官方语言，但西班牙语和英语也是学校的必修课。在街头， 帕皮阿门托语 是一种基于葡萄牙语、英语、荷兰语和西班牙语的克里奥尔语。

2.卢森堡

当地人讲卢森堡语，这是一种德语，德国人听不懂，因为其中夹杂着法语。此外，卢森堡人会讲法语、德语和英语，而这些是学校的必修课。

3.新加坡

英语、马来语、泰米尔语和普通话是官方语言，但在街上很多人讲以英语为中心的 新加坡式英语 语言，以英语为基础，但带有马来语和中文词汇。

4.马来西亚

马来语和英语被广泛使用， 孟加拉语，一种受克里奥尔语影响的英语。印度后裔讲他们的家族语言，而华裔马来人则经常讲多种方言（粤语、客家话、闽南语）。

5.南非

South Africa has eleven languages, which are considered official. English is most common in urban locales, while the Germanic Afrikaans and nine Bantu languages such as Xhosa and Zulu are often spoken. 10

美国在语言方面落后

Despite the benefits of multilingualism in the workplace, not many companies in the US have a high percentage of employees who speak more than one language. While top-level business leaders acknowledge the need for a more diverse language set in the workspace, according to 福布斯网站，三分之二的企业报告称，其员工中只有不到 50% 的人精通一种以上的语言。36% 的企业报告称，只有不到十分之一的员工精通多种语言。

“美国以外的其他国家（例如英国）已经制定了进步的举措，使其劳动力掌握更多的语言，以提高其经济优势。然而，这个问题在美国基本上没有得到解决。”11

以下语言已被英国文化协会确定为“未来的语言”报告认为，根据市场扩张和贸易预测，这些因素将在不久的将来定义国际对话中发挥最重要的作用：

西班牙语、阿拉伯语、法语、普通话、德语、葡萄牙语、意大利语、俄语、土耳其语和日语

工作区语言 礼仪

拥有多语种员工队伍除了有好处之外，还有一系列特殊注意事项。如果没有适当地应用语言礼仪，多语种问题可能会激增。

例如，如果一个企业的员工主要讲英语，那么如果办公室或会议室里有两个或两个以上的人开始用他们不熟悉的语言交谈，那么同一个员工可能会感到一定程度的不适。如果不加以解决，这种情况可能会导致 Susan Warner 所说的 语言不友善环境.

费城咨询公司 Human Resource Trouble Shooters 的总裁兼总法律顾问华纳就这个问题发表了看法。她说：“如果你能说英语，就应该说。听到别人说不同的语言会让人很不舒服。这很不礼貌，而且会增加人们无法理解对方的可能性。”她建议雇主应该提供英语教学。 12

Like Warner, some feel the use of group-familiar languages in the workplace is inappropriate. It can make people feel as if the things are being said in secret, or it can even foster feelings of paranoia, when a worker feels as if they might be being talked about in a language they don’t understand. In most instances, these feelings of exclusion are unwarranted, but the dis-ease these situations may produce can be counter-productive at work. Establishing guidelines of multilingual work etiquette can help alleviate a language-hostile environment.

担任管理职务的专业人士和社会工作者最好考虑学习一门有用的外语，以改善现代工作场所的沟通和安全。休·特兰姆 (Hugh Tranum)，时事通讯《多元化管理》和《人力资源事实调查员》的出版商 “注意到特别是在技术和 营销，如今，工人之所以能被雇佣，是因为能流利地说中文、韩语和西班牙语。“工作场所将会出现多种语言，”他说。“事实是：不会说这些语言的人可能不知道正在发生的一切。” 13

“由于英语教育程度有限，在美国出生的西班牙裔外国工人发生工作事故的可能性比美国出生的工人高出 70％。”

— 师范学院记录

对其他文化的敏感性增强

Along with multi-ligualism, those interacting on a global level must have an understanding of the cultures they are encountering. Some forward thinking businesses are incorporating intercultural skills training into their training curriculum in addition to language training. Such training empowers companies by giving them the ability to not only converse and relate on a business level, but to go beyond with the type of personal communication skills that make international clients feel comfortable and welcomed.

为未来商业领袖提供语言培训

当考虑在工作场所进行语言培训时，值得考虑尽早开始为儿童提供多语言教育的努力；还有什么更好的方法可以让他们为即将到来的全球未来做好准备。

“数十项研究表明，在幼儿时期学习两种语言可以提高一系列认知能力，使大脑更善于在任务之间切换、在繁忙的环境中集中注意力以及记忆事物。这些研究表明，学习和使用两种语言显然可以让孩子的大脑变得更好。”14

“我们肩负着重要的责任，为那些想要掌握其他语言的人提供机会，并让他们做好准备，以外交官、外交政策分析员和军事领导人的身份支持美国的经济和战略利益。”

— 阿恩·邓肯 – 前美国教育部长（2009-2015）

儿童最容易学习语言。对他们来说，任何语言都像英语一样容易吸收。在大多数国家，学习另一种语言不仅在学校受到鼓励，而且是一项要求。从长远来看，向儿童介绍语言对他们以后的生活肯定是有利的。此外，在语言培训的同时，阅读和写作技能也会得到显著提高。

孩子们在早期适应不同的语言和文化时会更有自尊心和自信。理所当然的是，同样的训练会提高他们对其他文化的认识，并帮助他们对人生道路上遇到的人与人之间的差异产生更高的敏感度。

Of course, future business-related considerations are worth looking at where children are concerned. “Career prospects are multiplied many times over for people who know more than one language. Helen Riley-Collins, president of Aunt Ann’s In-House Staffing in San Francisco, said more than half her clients request nannies who speak another language. “Families who are involved in international business are thinking ahead,” she said of her clients, many of whom work in high tech, investment banking, or finance. “They want to give their children a head start in business in 20 years.”15

多语言生活的老年益处

在多语言生活的许多已证实的好处中，最有趣和最有希望的好处之一是，能够延缓会说多种语言的人患上阿尔茨海默病的几率。以下是其中一项特别有趣的研究的简要概述：

“Researchers from the University of Ghent in Belgium … studied 134 people who were all undergoing treatment for probable Alzheimer’s. 65 of the participants were bilingual or multilingual, and the rest were monolingual. The final analysis from the researchers showed that both the manifestation and the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s occurred at least 四年后，双语 or multilingual participants.”16

在评论中，有人认为，说多种语言可以延缓认知功能的衰退，就像锻炼可以防止身体肌肉萎缩一样。

“It seems that constantly and actively controlling two languages is like a workout for the brain. It challenges our grey cells and 防止它们退化。”

— 比利时根特大学研究人员

无与伦比的理解深度

SIS International Research is uniquely qualified to grasp the implications and real-life application of multilingualism in the workplace. In addition to our various business locations around the globe, our daily business outreach puts us in contact with professionals and working people from myriad nations and many unique cultures. Our years of experience, both domestic and internationally, give us an unparalleled depth of understanding and sensitivity regarding language and cultures, at home and around the world.

我们的员工来自多个国家和文化，技术娴熟，能够为客户提供多语言能力和广泛国际经验的真正优势。如果您希望弥合世界任何地方的语言、文化和沟通鸿沟，我们随时为您效劳。

在制定本文档时利用了以下资源：

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/04/17/how-learning-an-additional-language-could-influence-your-business/#38e0ec0370c0

2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-useful-multilingualism-business-executives-managers-sean-hopwood

3. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/money-talks-language-learners-earn-more-in-their-careers

4. https://qz.com/927660/people-who-speak-multiple-languages-make-the-best-employees-for-one-big-reason/

5. http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/9-of-the-worlds-most-multilingual-countries

6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/04/17/how-learning-an-additional-language-could-influence-your-business/#38e0ec0370c0

7. http://www.multilingualchildren.org/getting_started/pro_con.html

8. http://www.alzheimers.net/12-11-14-bilingualism-delays-alzheimers/

   
   

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