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Why learning Italian is a smart career move
It doesn't matter what career path you're on – a second language is always beneficial.
Time and time again, employers are singing from the same hymn sheet. Job candidates who boast bilingualism on their CV are far more likely to be successful in their application than those with only one language. If you're considering a new language, consider Italian – the language of culture, poetry, and the Renaissance.
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Boasting a second language immediately puts you ahead of the pack in any career opportunity. With the world's economy still struggling to get back on its feet from a global recession, job markets everywhere remain wildly overcrowded, with most positions competed for among dozens or even hundreds of candidates. Competition is fierce.
At the final stages of an application process, it's very likely that most candidates are equally competent and could do the job just as well as one another. In these cases, elements like a second language can be the decisive factor.
There's a number of reasons why employers value languages so highly. For a start, they are a crucial tool in an increasingly globalised world. Travel and communication has made the world smaller, and with it, businesses have adapted.
Most major companies have multiple international offices, and hope to trade with companies and clients around the world. A second language breaks down cultural barriers and makes international commerce easy. A bilingual employee is a huge asset in this brave new world.
But more generally, a second language is a significant sign of an individual's initiative and devotion to a project. Learning a language is no mean feat, and it is demonstrative evidence of setting a goal and seeing it through to its end – a massively important skill in business.
Why Italian?
Italian is one of the world's most beautiful languages. It's the language of poets, artists, playwrights, musicians, and more. It's a Classical Romance language, derived from Latin, from which it still bears some similar traits, and formed the centrepiece of the Renaissance era, during which some of the world's greatest polymaths lived and worked. It is widely recognised for its lyrical beauty and flourishes, such as the work of Austrian composer Mozart.
Today, it is one of the world's global languages, spoken by nearly 100 million people around the world, with pockets of speakers on every continent but most centred, naturally on Italy. In Europe, it is spoken fluently by most of the population. As well as Italy, it is also an official language of the European Union, Switzerland, San Marino, Croatia and Slovenia, making it hugely useful for travel as well as business.
Learn the right way - at language school
Whether learning for business, travel or simply pleasure, be sure that you do it right, under the watchful eye of a trained professional. Language schools such as UIC London offer a wide range of courses – visit www.uiclondon.com or click here to see the range of Italian courses on offer.