In today’s interconnected global economy, communicating effectively across diverse markets is paramount. Language-related issues can easily attract attention on social platforms, potentially showing an apparent lack of professionalism for your company. Negative feedback publicly shared by employees, customers, or clients about an unsatisfactory experience with your business can quickly spiral into a nightmare impacting your brand’s perception and overall image.

The Importance of Clear and Effective Communication to Market Your Business

Clear and effective communication across all media platforms is not only crucial for legal and compliance reasons, but it is also vital to avoid failing to meet the standards customers have set to see your brand as trustworthy. “For companies entering a bilingual market, the language they choose to approach customers in will play a central role in how they are perceived. Marketers need to strongly consider language when they are positioning a product,” (Ordorica).

Moreover, this is a matter of avoiding losing competitive advantage. “Having foreign language skills is no longer just a benefit for job communication and safety, it’s becoming a necessity to do business,” (Hegeman).

A Lack of Diversity and Language Skills Can Hinder Your Company

Foreign language proficiency is not just a bonus, failure to address the linguistic limitations of your customers can hinder competitiveness not only domestically but also on the international level where comparisons with well-established and more linguistically adept corporations can prove merciless. Furthermore, amplifying the possible negative perceptions is that the business can be portrayed as not such an ideal place to work for people of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

In the current digital age, neglecting language barriers risks undermining your company’s reputation. An untreated issue of inaccurate communication may question the credibility of the company and its capacity to deliver high-quality products or services. Additionally, “Online consumers will avoid unfamiliar or un-translated purchases for fear of making a poorly informed decision,” (Sehl).

As a business leader, you can convey the right messaging to target audiences to mitigate these risks and prevent your customers from feeling neglected because they are being misunderstood. Investing in assessing the language proficiency skills of your bilingual employees is essential as a preventive measure.

Test Your Employee’s Language Skills Today With ACTFL Assessments

Contact Language Testing International (LTI) today, a leader in language proficiency testing for over three decades and across 40 countries. LTI offers comprehensive, reliable, and valid certifications in over 120 languages. Their secure, remotely proctored assessments provide convenience without compromising accuracy. By certifying your workforce’s linguistic proficiency through LTI, you demonstrate a commitment to effective communication and safeguard your business’s image in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural economy.

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

Hegeman, Kim. Foreign Language Skills Gap Can Negatively Impact Business Relationships. OEM Off-Highway. https://www.oemoffhighway.com/market-analysis/industry-news/article/21085843/foreign-language-skills-gap-can-negatively-impact-business-relationships

Katie Sehl. 14 Tips for building a Multilingual Social Media Presence. Hootsuite. January 23, 2019. https://blog.hootsuite.com/multilingual-social-media-presence/

Languages Unlimited. “The Power of Social Media Language: How it shapes the Current Generation. https://www.languagesunlimited.com/the-power-of-social-media-language-how-it-shapes-the-current-generation/

Ordorica, Salvador. How Language And Word Choice Can Affect Your Business. Forbes. Sep.30, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/09/30/how-language-and-word-choice-can-affect-your business/

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

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