Bilingual employees offer immeasurable benefits to your business. Employees who are able to speak more than one language enhance the workplace for co-workers and clients, as these individuals are often skilled multitaskers with impressive communication skills. Companies looking to reach a broader market or even hone their business globalization efforts should hire employees with diverse language skills, as these workers can not only assist with picking the best localization services to adapt business systems and marketing, but they can also make the workplace much more productive for others in the company. Bilingual employees offer a wealth of benefits that extend beyond mere language acquisition. Consider the following next time you are assessing the skills of potential bilingual workers. 1. He or she can help you reach international consumers Bilingual employees can be a valuable resource, whether they speak the language of the region you're targeting or not. Those who have grown up speaking two or more languages understand how complicated communication between two cultures can be, including knowing which areas require sensitivity and which call for being stern. 2. Localization becomes a breeze The same can be said about how well your website and social networks are localized to individual regions. Using localization services allows you to translate long form content or website pages in a different language, all while keeping regional preferences and buying behaviors in mind. Your bilingual staff member can act as the liaison for your company, assessing how well the localization process went and if there are any additional site features that should be adapted for specific regions. 3. You have a multilingual proofreader on staff Unless you have hired a bilingual staff member specifically to write and translate content across several languages, he or she likely will not have the time to create all new website copy while also performing the responsibilities of his or her position. However, after investing in professional translation services to accurately adapt your content, you may be able to set aside time for your bilingual employee to review the company's work. This individual can view the copy through the eyes of a local, spotting grammatical or factual errors that may impede a global consumer from trusting your brand. 4. Bilingual employees are better multitaskers Comprehending the intricacies of two separate languages requires a significant amount of brainpower and as a result, many bilingual individuals are excellent multitaskers. According to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, people who speak more than one language have a much easier time switching between two tasks than those who only speak one. 5. These workers have excellent communication and listening skills Northwestern University conducted a study that yielded similar results, discovering the cognitive benefits of bilingual individuals extended beyond multitasking. Researchers found that people who spoke several languages could process information more quickly and efficiently than those who only knew one. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-hire-binlingual-employee-today-tess-adams *The materials available on this web site are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this Web site or any of the e-mail links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client or any type of business relationship between TA Management & Consulting and the user or browser. The opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the firm.