There is no doubt that the Internet is making the world and the PR profession a smaller place. Small businesses can now compete on a global market compared to some years ago where location laid constraints on dealings.
New opportunities have been created thanks to the Internet and in my very humble opinion, it has given the small man a much larger voice. Take a look at English Cut for an example.
Before the Internet, Thomas Mahon could never have provided his services on the global scale as he does now. He may have generated a few sales through word of mouth among the wealthy jet-set type, but in terms of his current business model, there is no comparison.
Look at the huge auction site, eBay. A phenomenal amount of sales and transactions take place every day on each individual country site. This is the little man making money in the global market. Sellers are not only trading in their own country, but are making sales throughout the world.
So what has this got to do with language I hear you ask. Well, if the predictions are correct and in 10 years time the Internet owns a large part of the pie for all business deals, will geographical location matter as much? I don’t think so.
What will matter are the skills you possess to complete a successful job and one of these skills playing a more predominant role in the future of PR will be the language you can speak.
Obviously, I am from the UK and speak English, but to be honest, I’m a little embarrassed. Well, you see, I don’t speak any other language – just the one.
As a typical English speaking chap, I’ve never felt the need to learn another language. Purely from the fact that each country I’ve visited, the natives tend to speak English. Call me arrogant and ignorant – I know I deserve it.
Although, since working in Greece and Cyprus, I have picked up a little of the Greek language, but nothing worth boasting about. The ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘thank you’ ‘how are you’ and of course the swear words. Learning a foreign language has always been up at the top on my ‘To Do’ list. In fact I tried to learn Spanish as one of my optional modules this year, but alas, I couldn’t.
On my drive to uni this morning, I listened to yesterday’s For Immediate Release podcast and heard Shel Holtz sarcastically saying he doesn’t speak another language because he’s from the US. Although he was joking, his comment rang bells!
So my question is this:
In future, will speaking a foreign language be a necessity rather than a bonus? Of course, it is already a great advantage and skill to have, but are we going to see it classed as importantly as qualifications or experience?
I keep hearing how the Chinese market is growing and how it will create new opportunities and avenues for business. Along with Internet adaptation, will being competent in a foreign language be another skill PR practitioners and students have to become accustomed to?
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Stephen is a communications consultant based out of the UK. You can connect with him on Twitter or check out his LinkedIn profile. | Email Stephen
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Piaras Kelly
I would say that it’s an advantage, but not a nessecity.
It’s very handy for things like media trips because it makes organising the logistics much easier.
However, English is the common denominator. I regularly sit in on conference calls with various nationalities and everyone speaks English.
Ireland throws up a spanner in the works somewhat. We’ve been very obsessed about learning foreigh languages because we’re at the forefront of the EU and we’re seperated from the mainland. However, despite scoring an A in French I can hardly string two sentences together now because I simply don’t need it.
At the same time we’ve let our natural language, irish, go into neglect and I’ve had far more use for it rather than French or German, despite the fact that there is a much smaller audience for it.
Serge Cornelus
You’re arrogant and ignorant. Sorry: but didn’t you mention we could call you that?
No, seriously: learning another language usually comes from a necessity. Belgians have always needed to learn new languages: either we were conquered by Austrians, French or Spaniards (not to forget the Germans in a more recent period of history), or we were so (economically) small that we had no choice than to look abroad.
Globalisation is a recent thing, but there has always been a global language: Latin in medieval times, French in diplomatic circles for a long time, and now English. That is just an economic fact. And don’t worry too much about learning Chinese (even though this seems to be the new hype and there is of course a growing economic force emerging there): the Chinese acquire English a lot better and faster than we’ll ever learn Chinese, probably…
So be glad you are a native English speaker; let us foreigners make the effort!
And if you insist on learning a new langauge: pick one out of sincere interest (for whatever reason, a touristic one for all I care). HAVING to learn a language is by far not so great a motivation than WANTING to learn it…
Lucie
I think it’s interesting that you mention the Chinese mkt,especially since earlier this year it became far easier for Chinese citizens to visit the UK.
http://www.bitoa.co.uk/press.php?action=showstory&newsid=43
Also,don’t forget, London’s mayor Ken Livingstone has set up a PR/marketing office in mainland China specifically to focus efforts on boosting outbound tourism to the UK….so it is definitely being taken seriously.
With this in mind,though,I’m surprised some of the big London tour operators/hotel co’s haven’t started marketing their activities with a ‘nod’ to this mkt yet.Ie,coach tour co’s etc still seem very much geared towards Americans or continental Europeans. I know that if I was going to set up a website,let’s say,focusing on tourism in London,I would definitely want at least a ‘dummies guide – taster-intro’ in Chinese and would want to think about marketing aggresively .This includes press releases too.
It’s easy to get translations done ;it’s more a case of taking the initiative (i think) and proactively tapping into this mkt.