As students graduate and move into the real world they might find that English is not the only language spoken in their day-to-day lives. This holds true especially in the world of business, giving an advantage to those who are multilingual or even those who have a basic knowledge of different languages.
It may make the difference between getting the job or not,\ said Irene Geller, UW-Madison associate professor of liberal studies and the arts. ""[The job market] is so competitive right now.""
Learning a foreign language may be a daunting task to some, but it can prove useful in the end. The UW-Madison Language Institute website said learning another language can help people stand out when applying to jobs and professional schools. It is also correlated with higher scores on standardized tests, including the GRE and LSAT.
Furthermore, the Language Institute said knowing another language makes someone more competitive when applying for government, non-profit and private-sector jobs that will often pay higher salaries to applicants with expertise in other languages. The foreign language program at UW-Eau Claire fact sheet even states that starting salaries for students graduating with proficiency in foreign languages are at least 20 percent higher than those who only know English.
Since foreign language skills can be important in conducting international business, language trends sometimes emerge depending on world events and business climates. Susan Huber Miller, director at the UW-Madison Center for International Business Education and Research, said business students may want to look into learning Chinese in the future.
""It's a market that has really opened up,"" Miller said of China.
Miller also said that Spanish remains a language in which students are interested. It proves an important language to know in business due to the proximity of Mexico and Latin America to the United States when it comes to trade. A large Spanish speaking population in the United States also lends to the language's importance and popularity.
UW-Madison junior Carissa Ubersox has taken Spanish classes since her junior year of high school. Ubersox, who plans to major in nursing, thinks her knowledge of Spanish will help her in a future job.
""It will allow me to communicate with a growing part of the population,"" Ubersox said. ""I hope it will help me provide quality care for everyone.""
Miller also pointed out that there has been an increased interest in learning Arabic. She said it might prove useful in government jobs in the future. This is especially important given the increase in the number of firms based in the Middle East.
As for French, Geller said it is one of the major European languages. However, French can even be useful in the U.S. when companies deal with Canada, a country where both English and French are spoken.
According to Geller, it is best to learn a foreign language early on when it can be easily learned during childhood speech development. However, she said a language can be learned at any time and it is never too late to try. This means that students taking classes in college can still greatly benefit from the knowledge they receive of a language.
""It's never too late to start a language,"" Geller said.
As graduation approaches, the foreign languages that students have learned and come to appreciate may finally be put into practical use as jobs are acquired, making all those workbooks and quizzes worth the time.
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