How Can Bilingual Professionals Use Their Skills To Get Ahead at Work?

In Brief: (1) Understand what it means to be bilingual, both personally and professionally. (2) Assess the benefits of being bilingual, including opening up international markets, cultural awareness, and increased productivity. (3) Use your language skills to better leverage job offers, compensation and promotion opportunities.?

By Mariah Flores

It is estimated that about 66 million people speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.?

There’s a high likelihood that you’re a part of this snapshot figure, as a bilingual (or multilingual) professional.? Or perhaps you acquired another language later in life, finally achieving bilingual proficiency. Regardless, having those foreign language skills plays a significant role in certain industries, like tourism, translation, government, public administration, education and healthcare. It’s a wonderful attribute that’s becoming highly valued by employers across the country.

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) reported high demand for foreign language skills in both domestic and international markets. The national organization specifically highlights that “U.S. employers are almost twice as likely to deploy their foreign language capacity domestically than internationally, with 97% using these skills to some extent domestically, but only 54 percent doing so overseas.”?

Knowing a second language can help you stand out in both the workplace and job market, as employers seek out quick-learning and culturally competent talent. So as a bilingual professional, how can you harness your language and communication skills to get ahead at work? Two bilingual working professionals share their insights, including what it means to be bilingual and how you, too, can use it to your advantage.

What it means to be bilingual

Being bilingual and having the ability to work in another language can be both awkward and challenging, but has huge benefits (we’ll cover these shortly), according to the BBC. Past research has also shown that people who can speak another language are likely to be more analytical, which is a great skill to have when competing in this new talent market. But what does it mean to be bilingual, in a professional context??

“You know two languages well enough to communicate your thoughts. You understand instructions and can write, read, speak, and comprehend information.

Language learning is a life-long process because language evolves. We don’t know the vocabulary for everything in our native language, and we acquire new words. The same happens with a second language. For example, the HR (human resources) jargon and vocabulary in Portuguese and English are completely different. We add new words all the time, such as DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), and the translation and meaning aren’t always the same. We adapt words to meet the needs of another country or within a local culture.”

— Ana Goehner, aPHR is a bilingual career strategist, helping achievers set boundaries, manage self-care, and find/thrive in healthy work environments. She has native or bilingual proficiency in Portuguese and English, along with elementary proficiency in Italian.

No matter your level of fluency, languages constantly evolve and translations will need adjusting, along with your understanding of the language you’re working with or in. And as a bilingual employee, you should expect to always be learning, leaning into the aforementioned adaptability.

“For me, it means to be a lifelong student, because I am a non-native speaker. And I do not share many of the identities as the folks I use my Spanish-speaking language capacities alongside. So I'm constantly learning from them about their language and the way that language fits in with their different cultures, because Spanish has so many different flavors based on where you come from. So I'm always learning.”

— Audrey Schield, ACSW is a bilingual psychotherapist at Children's Health Council. She has full professional proficiency in Spanish, with English being her native language.?

Benefits of being bilingual

No matter if you're a native speaker of a language, have professional proficiency, or are interested in learning a new language, it’s good to understand the benefits of being bilingual and speaking another language — in the workplace. With companies looking to expand their global reach, being bilingual not only benefits you, but also your employer.

Matt Hulett, former president of language at Rosetta Stone Inc., wrote for Forbes about how the power of language can change your career (and business), with the benefits including:?

1. Learning other languages potentially helps international business relationships
2. Speaking another language can inspire creativity and better communication
3. Being bilingual could encourage productivity and multitasking

And for Schield, speaking another language is about connecting with others, especially as a mental health professional. She’s able to be a better advocate for folks “who have voices silenced, and also be someone who can appreciate and see so much more, as [she] can allow other communities and cultures to live … without being washed away.”?

“You acquire cultural awareness. You want to learn more about the language and culture behind it. You view the world with openness and seek positive change. How you communicate in another culture or setting may differ from your native country. You understand how hard it is to acquire a new language and feel empathy for those speaking with an accent.

It’s fun to switch from one language to another all the time. It keeps your brain healthy.”?

— Ana Goehner, aPHR

Leverage your language to meet the growing skills demand

It’s incredibly important to meet the growing needs of the job market and employers, which are looking for talent with diverse skill sets.?

Being bilingual already gives you an advantage, so harness it to the best of your ability. “It is so important to meet the growing demand for diverse skills. [Also], I would just say it is so important to be able to meet people where they're at,” advises Schield.?

To harness your language skills, market this unique ability (and hard skill) to connect as something that benefits your employer. As mentioned, bilingual professionals have access to a level of cultural awareness that monolingual individuals don’t always possess. If your company or desired industry has potential to grow globally or works with a global client, talk to your manager or the hiring manager expressing your ability to connect, empathize and ultimately communicate with a diverse group of people.?

And that doesn’t mean being the go-to person for translation services, interpretation or culture expert. If it’s not in your job description or doesn’t come with a promotion, learn to say no and set boundaries. You deserve to be fairly compensated and recognized for your work, not taken advantage of.?

Additionally, you can highlight your language skills from the start, adding your bilingual skills to your professional presence, like your resume or LinkedIn profile.

“I recommend adding your language skills to your resume and LinkedIn profile, especially if you are learning the language or want to use it on the job. Type the language name on the job search bar on LinkedIn and set alerts. LinkedIn provides options: Elementary, Limited, Professional, Full, or Native/Bilingual proficiency.

If you want to use two languages in the workplace, find roles that ask for language skills as a requirement or preference. If a second language is a preference, you can add the language proficiency and a note about your skills.

[For example] ‘Spanish – professional proficiency (currently learning Spanish for 1 hour daily. Able to speak, write, and comprehend basic instructions).’

If language fluency is a requirement, and the job description says you need to communicate efficiently in two languages, assess your skills before applying for the job.

Many roles prefer bilingual professionals based on employee population, location, product, and market. I’ve seen job titles for many positions, including recruiter, administrative assistant, HR assistant, consultant, client services, operations, supervisor, manager, etc.

Sometimes, you don’t need to be bilingual to apply for a job, but you may need to know how to communicate professionally. You can learn the language for your specific needs. For example, you learn HR terms in Spanish to interview candidates but don’t [need to] know Spanish words to discuss sports.”

— Ana Goehner, aPHR

Explore more

• Benefits of Being Bilingual in the Workplace by Tim Wegner for OptiLingo
• Being Bilingual Makes You Better at Non-Linguistic Tasks by Harvard Business Review
• How to showcase your bilingual skills to get a job (or a promotion) by Daniel Spielberger for Fast Company

Meet the experts

Ana Goehner, aPHR is a bilingual career strategist, helping achievers set boundaries, manage self-care, and find/thrive in healthy work environments. She has native or bilingual proficiency in Portuguese and English, along with elementary proficiency in Italian.

Audrey Schield, ACSW is a bilingual psychotherapist at Children's Health Council. She has full professional proficiency in Spanish, with English being her native language.?

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