Expanding Businesses: How To Deal With Language Barriers
Out of all the skills employers seek in employees, communication skills remain at the top year after year. They are a vital part of what makes a company run smoothly.
With the rise of globalization, many people now have colleagues or work with other businesses in different countries. Although there are plenty of benefits that come with this expansion, one of the biggest challenges is business language barriers. When your employees aren’t able to communicate with one another, work can become frustrating.
Expanding businesses must find ways to assist their employees so they can have effective conversations despite the language differences. To learn about how you can overcome this challenge effectively, keep on reading.
Train Employees to Learn Multiple Languages
Even though English is the top second language for non-native speakers, it’s only the third most spoken language in the world. Teaching your employees common phrases in all the languages spoken within the company will not only create better discussions but a place of mutual respect and understanding.
This training shouldn’t just be a one-time occurrence. Have your employees brush up on their skills a couple of times a year to prevent the company from falling into the problem of only using English in the office.
Furthermore, constantly check in with your employees overseas. You should conduct surveys to see what can be improved to ensure that language barriers aren’t negatively impacting their experience working for your company.
Hire a Phone Interpretation Company for Expanding Businesses
Even with training, there will be times when your employees might not know a word or phrase in their non-native language. Communicating over the phone or through a video conference isn’t always the easiest, either. For these reasons, you should invest in a phone interpretation service.
They’ll be there to make the meeting or discussion runs smoothly and that nothing gets lost in translation. Always do your research before hiring a company to see if they provide the services you’ll need and have interpreters with plenty of experience.
Utilize Translate Features
When sending information back and forth, use the translate feature in your document’s software. By changing the language, you can save the person receiving it a lot of time. To ensure that everything makes sense, you could always have a translator run through it before sending it to your colleague.
As a bonus international business tip, incorporate charts and other visuals into your documents. The human brain processes images faster than words. Therefore, the extra context they provide will make it easier for all parties to understand the information at hand.
Implement These Services Into Your Business Plan
While it will take some time to train your employees to harness these skills and programs, the benefits will be worth it. When expanding businesses can overcome language barriers and effectively communicate, it leads to a more productive environment.
If you found this article helpful, check out the rest of the blog for more business advice or CZ Consultancy’s uuide to MRA Grants in Singapore.
