Press Release: Expert advises businesses of the importance of language skills

A language expert has warned business leaders they will be throwing money away if they underestimate the value of language skills.

Isabella Moore, Managing Director of Leamington-based language services Comtec Translations and a former director of CiLT - the National Centre for Languages, believes that now is the ideal time for companies to develop and implement their use of foreign languages.

Moore, who is also a former president of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The UK economy has always been dependant on foreign trade and the majority of our business is done with non-English speaking countries.

“For that reason businesses which place a high value on language skills are more likely to increase their turnover than those who do not.

“With the pound at its lowest value for some time, it presents an ideal opportunity for companies to attract business from abroad – and the best way to sell to a foreign customer is to deal with them in their language.”

A study of 1,000 businesses by the British Chambers of Commerce showed companies who communicated only in English saw business decline by £50,000 per year while those who adapt their products, services and literature to meet foreign market needs saw increases in turnover of about £290,000 a year.

“The numbers show that the long term financial benefits of training staff in language skills and adapting products, services and literature for international trade far outweigh any short term costs,” said Moore.

Trade figures show that Britain exports more than it imports from countries where English is the primary language, but in nations where a foreign language is dominant we don’t do so well.

For example, the value of UK exports to Holland and Belgium, where English is commonly spoken, was about £16 billion and £12 billion respectively in recent years. But exports to Spain and Italy, where English is less commonly spoken, saw export figures of only £10 million and £9 million respectively.

“In these difficult economic times it is important that language skills give a competitive edge which is very important when you are selling to a market.

“Companies need language skills to develop relationships with customers and there are many businesses which already have access to these skills but need to be more aware of them.

“We would recommend companies carrying out language audits to log the skills they have.

“With the West Midlands having such a diverse population, there are many language skills lying dormant within companies which could assist companies in making that crucial first contact.

“Expert language companies like us can then be used for contract negotiations, website localisation or translation of marketing and technical material, where a very high level of specialist language knowledge is required,” she added.

For more information about Comtec Translations go to www.comtectranslations.com

ENDS

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