Learning a Second Language: An Expensive Endeavor
More and more Americans are interested in boosting their career through learning a second language. But speaking a foreign language doesn’t come easily – or cheaply.
A recent article from MarketWatch reminds us that learning a foreign language represents a considerable investment, both in terms of time and money. Knowing several languages may help your career prospects, yet you should definitely think long and hard before embarking on the expensive and time-consuming endeavor of learning a new tongue.
While it is true that payoff can be substantial if you speak a sought-after language such as Chinese or Arabic, the expense of language classes can represent a barrier. "Unless your company funds your instruction, picking up a language could be financially daunting, explains Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch reporter, in a September 16, 2007 article entitled "Tongue tied." "A 10-week group class for two to four students costs about $1,500 for Berlitz, an international provider of language instruction."
Time is another issue. Ten weeks is just enough to master the basics of a language; it takes years to become fluent.
The message for companies is clear: don't expect your employees to be "picking up" Chinese, Arabic or Korean anytime soon. You may well need the services of a qualified language translation agency to help you do business in the global market. Language Translation Inc. provides translation, interpretation and localization services in more than 40 languages. "We speak your language, and theirs."
Betty Carlson
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See Also
- Language Translation, Inc.
Language Translation Inc., a San Diego-based company has been serving the U.S. and countries abroad for over 17 years with professional document translation, certified conference interpreting, and software / website localization services.