There are many languages you can choose to have translated at your conference. To save on costs, you’ll need to choose which are most important based on the languages your attendees speak. Knowing what the most useful languages are can help you in making many types of business decisions, such as where to hold a conference and which country to find partnerships in. Five of the most useful languages are Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, Japanese and German.
1. Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese is one of the most important languages in business. China has significant buying power and one of the world’s largest economies. When you look into conference translation services in Asian countries, Chinese is usually an easy one to find translators for. Relationships tend to be important in business among Asian cultures, so it’s beneficial for you to learn the language if you want to build partnerships in that country.
2. Arabic
Over 20 countries have Arabic as their official language. It’s a beneficial language to know if you’re interested in doing business in any of these countries. Arabic is one of the official languages of the U.N. and can open up work opportunities in science, architecture, engineering and business. There are different dialects, so make sure you hire the right Arabic translator for your conferences and business meetings.
3. French
French is commonly used for diplomacy and international nonprofits. It’s also helpful in business as France has a large economy. 29 countries speak French as their official language. There are 289 million French speakers in the world, and only 76 million of them are native speakers. This language is also an official language of the U.N. If you want to learn the English language more in-depth, then knowledge of French is helpful. A lot of English words have French roots.
4. Japanese
Japan is considered a business hub in the world, and it has one of the biggest economies. Many innovative, successful brands have come from Japan, such as Toyota, Sony and Canon. Some of Japan’s business methods — Kaizen, the 5S and muda — have been adopted across the world. Japanese is a good language to learn if you want to be at the front line of technological innovations as well.
5. German
If you are in a forward-thinking field, then German is a good language choice. Germany has played a role in academia and innovation throughout history. It’s also the EU’s most widely spoken native language. Germany has a strong economy, so you can find business opportunities through learning the language as well.
Being aware of what the most useful languages are can help steer you in the right direction when you want to open your business to a foreign market. Each language comes with its unique benefits based on which countries speak it and the state of their economies.