As a bilingual or multilingual individual, you can create a strong online presence that provides valuable content and helps you connect with potential employers or clients. Building a compelling profile that showcases your language skills takes a little bit of effort, but the rewards are worth it. If you have determined what you want to achieve, defined your goals, and are open to exploring a plethora of new opportunities, showcasing your language proficiency can help you boost your exposure.

Selecting the Appropriate Social Media Channels

As a bilingual or multilingual entrepreneur looking to attract prospective clients or a bilingual job seeker revealing your capabilities and expertise to potential employers, your first step is to identify the social media platforms that are most significant to your target audience or relevant to your field of interest.  “Being on social media is a necessity in this day and age. In fact, in 2019 there are now 3.2 billion people on social media globally, so social media is a key tool for reaching your intended audience on whichever platforms they prefer,” (Riserbato).

Website

Establish a robust online presence by creating a professional website dedicated to your product, service, or areas of expertise. Ensure that your website features a creative design and an appealing biography. Strategically highlight your bilingual and multilingual abilities and experience throughout the webpage as well. U.S. Census data shows that 66 million people across the nation prefer to speak languages other than English at home. “Having created an amazing multilingual website, you want to ensure it’s findable. People tend to search online using their own language. Indeed, Google reports more online searches are being carried out using local languages than ever before,” (Day).

Content Creation

Build a solid online presence to enhance your credibility and make a lasting impact. Regularly share valuable content and address trending topics through posts, blogs, and videos in the languages you command. This will keep you active and engaged with others within a wider audience compared to your monolingual counterparts. Additionally, look for networking opportunities, join organizations pertinent to your field or in relevant communities, and contribute to industry discussions using all the languages you command.

Establishing Credibility

Participate in interviews or any activity that increases your reach and leads to collaboration. It is crucial to analyze the effectiveness of your efforts by monitoring your levels of engagement using resources or tools available to trace the feedback regarding your content. Remember to take quick action if questions or comments arise as part of your online presence. Building trust and establishing yourself as a leader in your field takes time, so invest in securing the support of colleagues or industry experts who can display their endorsements on your social media and add value to your profile. As for building credibility, it is vital to maintain consistency in the quality of your content and in the accuracy of the language or languages across all communications, publications, and online activities. Strategically plan a multilingual approach to expand visibility of the value of your linguistic skills on social media.

A survey conducted for ACTFL states that most U.S. employers are aware of the essential role of foreign language for economic competitiveness, so take heed of the benefits of optimizing your online exposure in multiple languages. By showcasing your language proficiency, you can let your colleagues and prospective employers or clients know that your language skills can be an asset to them. If you haven’t certified your language proficiency yet, Language Testing International (LTI) can provide you with a universally recognized language credential in speaking, reading, writing, and listening areas. Their remotely and secured proctored assessments can be taken at anytime, anywhere.

Sources:

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Lead with Languages Campaign commissioned Ipsos Public Affairs, with the support of Pearson LLC and Language Testing International. (2019). “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers.” https://www.actfl.org/uploads/files/general/MakingLanguagesOurBusiness_FullReport.pdf

Day, Jessica. “How to Increase Your Global Reach: 7 Multilingual Website Best Practices to Follow.” LILT. April 12,2022. https://labs.lilt.com/7-multilingual-website-best-practices-to-follow

Riserbato, Rebecca. “16 Effective Ways to Build Your Online Presence”. HubSpot. December 30, 2022. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/online-presence

U.S. Census: https://data.census.gov/table?tid=ACSDP1Y2021.DP02

Madeline Martínez is a Multicultural Navigator Specialist at URBANDER, a Woman and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) specializing in transforming businesses to advance humanity. URBANDER’s role is to serve as an extension of Marketing, Diversity, Human Resources, Procurement, Community Relations, and Social Responsibility teams, providing innovative approaches in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach and IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability). Madeline holds a both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and is an experienced copywriter and content developer dedicated to amplifying the voices of URBANDER’s clients. From blogs and articles to social media posts and interviews, Madeline is a skilled writer across diverse topics integrating her marketing, business and academic acumen. Though her earlier work as a Publications Officer at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico, and her most recent performance as a Spanish Interpreter, Substitute Teacher, and Instructional Assistant for English-language learning elementary school students, Madeline has impacted countless families as they have navigated migrating to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries. As a bilingual professional, Madeline is also proficient in translating written documents from English to Spanish, and vice versa. She has received LTI issued ACTFL Language Proficiency Certificates in Spanish as follows: Advanced Writing, Advanced Listening, Advanced Reading and Superior Speaking. During her downtime, Madeline loves spending time with her family, and enjoys dancing, movies, photography, and coffee. She considers herself a continuous learner. “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers”- Helen Keller

    Recommended Posts

    Why Bilingualism Is So Important in the Airline Industry
    Why Bilingualism Is So Important in the Airline Industry
    The Critical Role of Bilingual Law Enforcement Employees
    The Critical Role of Bilingual Law Enforcement Employees
    Leveraging Your Foreign Language Proficiency Skills to Build Your Client Base