American Sign Language, or even simple gestures are processed by deaf people in the part of the brain that is used for spoken language, according to a recent international research study headed up by a neuroscientist from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Aaron Newman, Associate Professor with the […]
Continue readingCreate a Positive Customer Experience in Any Language
As the American population continues to diversify and businesses expand operations around the world, multilingual employees provide a valuable resource. Their words often generate a customer’s first impression of your company and determine his or her willingness to engage in the future. Determining that your multilingual employees are proficient will ensure that they will provide excellent […]
Continue readingUsing Languages in National Security
The largest employer for language professionals in this country is the U.S. Department of Defense—a fact that might surprise many people. In fact, national security is a fast-growing and exciting career area for those with strong foreign language skills, offering a wide variety of opportunities that stretch beyond translation and interpretation. The Federal Bureau of […]
Continue readingThe Digital Language Divide
The internet, much like space, is infinite. This opens people up to a limitless way to communicate and thus, language plays an important role in how information is displayed and translated. The first language used on the internet was almost certainly English. By the mid-1990s it was estimated that English made up nearly 80% of online content. However […]
Continue readingHow Can HR Ensure All Employees Have the Right Level of Business English Skills?
Developing and implementing a language assessment strategy is an effective way for HR to measure the language ability of new appointments and existing staff. When assessing the business English skills for new employees, the first thing to consider is how much English language they need to know in order to carry out their roles effectively. […]
Continue readingMatchmaker, Matchmaker, Find Me a Job
It’s no coincidence that Sanjeev Agrawal, the co-founder and chief executive of Collegefeed, compares finding a job with dating. Finding The One (or at least The One That’s Good Enough) in both jobs and love is difficult under the best of circumstances, and it’s even harder if you don’t know where or how to start your […]
Continue readingAre We Really Monolingual?
Americans are often told that in today’s globalized world, we are at a competitive disadvantage because of our lazy monolingualism. “For too long, Americans have relied on other countries to speak our language,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said at the Foreign Language Summit in 2010. “But we won’t be able to do that in […]
Continue readingPress 1 for English, Press 2 for Your Language
In its recent survey on global consumer preferences on the web, “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy,” Common Sense Advisory found that three-quarters of 3,002 respondents in 10 non-English-speaking countries are more likely to buy a product if the post-sales support is in their language. That customer care may be delivered through FAQs or chat at the […]
Continue readingBeing Bilingual Can Open More Doors for Job-Seekers
A recent report from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects the employment of US translators and interpreters to increase 22 percent between 2008 and 2018. As domestic jobs begin to outsource and branch internationally due to the affects of globalization, employers are seeking the means to break the language barrier. “When you turn on […]
Continue readingSpeak to Global Customers in Their Own Language
Do you struggle to reach customers beyond your own country’s borders? If targeting clients in other countries seems daunting, there is one simple step you can start with: Translate something. You have to speak the language of your customers. And that isn’t just an overused metaphor. It refers to actual languages — like Spanish, French, […]
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