---
title: Why learning a language is useful for business
description: Learning a language is not just decoration for your CV. It can make you a better decision maker, improve your English and engage your employees.
image: https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine-Why%20learning%20a%20language%20is%20useful%20for%20business.svg
---
[](https://www.turbinehq.com)
Tour
[Overview](https://www.turbinehq.com/turbine-overview) [Purchase orders](https://www.turbinehq.com/purchase-orders) [Time off requests](https://www.turbinehq.com/time-off-requests) [Expenses](https://www.turbinehq.com/expenses) [Employee database](https://www.turbinehq.com/employee-database)
[Integrations](https://www.turbinehq.com/integrations)
[Pricing](https://www.turbinehq.com/pricing)
[Blog](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog)
[Support](https://support.turbinehq.com/)
[Contact](https://www.turbinehq.com/contact)
[Sign in](https://cdn.turbinehq.com/users/sign_in)
[30 days for free](https://cdn.turbinehq.com/companies/new?plan=21)
[Business](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/business) [HR](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/hr) [Communication](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/communication)
# Why learning a language is useful for business
[By Toby Knott](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/author/toby-knott)
Published 11-Sep-2018 08:45:00 Updated September 24 2024
> 'Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to speak French.'
>
>
>
> – P.G. Wodehouse, The Luck of the Bodkins
We English are not known for our mastery of foreign languages.
But over at Turbine’s sister company, [Articulate](https://www.articulatemarketing.com), we love them. Between us we have a dusting of Dutch, an inkling of Italian, a jigger of Japanese, a lick of Latin and more besides.
We’re nowhere near fluency, not even close, but just trying to learn a language is valuable and rewarding in itself.
And it’s easy to start, with free apps like [Duolingo](https://www.duolingo.com/) and [Memrise](https://www.memrise.com/).
[](https://www.turbinehq.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJgWx4y89LJIjW16qSBwoUH3yib0ZyWl6KEt1f1PWQCGuKxhspWnpnj3MbNW1kHJHXOROtFoYjdYizjnf%2FZKzq41tMCALYyXomRFqr%2F4iaEMwX8U9D%2FJ3jF5TSH3FcvDOfV0VGLhlHQS4678RTvbVvODrTqqEjGyZGvyG2YF8jQyQc%2Bdk1ZwMq1Gk%2Fia8k%3D&webInteractiveContentId=179208048973&portalId=2183131)
## French with benefits
Learning a language has the obvious benefits that it can **open up new markets** and **make you more employable** – particularly German, Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic – but that’s only the case when you’re fluent, which is a big investment if your pay packet’s going to [grow by just two percent](https://www.cityam.com/foreign-language-worth-investment/).
But you **[don’t need to be fluent to reap other rewards](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/more-languages-better-brain/381193/)**. Learning a language (even [a dead one](https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/why-we-should-all-learn-to-speak-latin.html)) can:
- Make you a [better decision maker](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001002771300228X).
- Increase your ability to remember sequences and lists.
- Make you more perceptive to your surroundings and better at focussing on important information.
- Make you [more aware of your own language](https://appa.me.uk/uncategorized/the-benefits-of-second-language-learning/) and its structure, sharpening your writing, speaking and editing skills in your native tongue.
- Help you [score better in standardised tests](https://psychology.illinoisstate.edu/404/).
- And help [delay the cognitive decline](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/cookieAbsent) associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Learning a language is also a great [HR t](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/busy-managers-guide-modern-hr)[ool](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/busy-managers-guide-modern-hr). Offering to fund an employee’s language lessons is not only a big draw for potential talent, but also shows that you’re committed to their [personal and professional development](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/busy-managers-guide-modern-hr).
So what are you waiting for? Get learning.
P.S. If you want to learn Japanese (my language of choice), I’d recommend [Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/jp_grammar_guide.pdf). It’s excellent and, best of all, free. The complete guide is a work in progress, but the grammar guide is available in paperpack, PDF, and iOS and Android apps.
[](https://www.turbinehq.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJgWx4y89LJIjW16qSBwoUH3yib0ZyWl6KEt1f1PWQCGuKxhspWnpnj3MbNW1kHJHXOROtFoYjdYizjnf%2FZKzq41tMCALYyXomRFqr%2F4iaEMwX8U9D%2FJ3jF5TSH3FcvDOfV0VGLhlHQS4678RTvbVvODrTqqEjGyZGvyG2YF8jQyQc%2Bdk1ZwMq1Gk%2Fia8k%3D&webInteractiveContentId=179208048973&portalId=2183131)
Share
[](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/learning-a-language-for-business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/learning-a-language-for-business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook)
## Related articles
[small business owners](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/small-business-owners) [small business hiring](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/small-business-hiring) [successful hires](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/successful-hires)
### [How to hire your first employee](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/how-to-hire-your-first-employee)
‘Hire people who are smarter than you are—whose talents surpass yours—and give them opportunities for growth. It's the smart thing to do...
By Simon Collins
[disengaged employees](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/disengaged-employees) [employee engagement](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/employee-engagement) [managing a team](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/managing-a-team)
### [How to kill employee engagement in 7 easy steps](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/kill-employee-engagement)
No manager in the entire world would confess to wanting less employee engagement, especially when we know that:
By Callum Sharp
[Employees](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/employees) [Productivity](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/productivity) [Concentration](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/concentration)
### [5 hobbies that will make you better at your job](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/hobbies-that-improve-your-work)
The American Psychological Association reports that more than 39 percent of the workforce work more than a typical 40-hour week. Believe it...
By Callum Sharp
[](https://www.turbinehq.com)
Follow us
Useful links
- [Blog](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog)
- [Support](https://support.turbinehq.com/)
- [Integrations](https://www.turbinehq.com/integrations)
- [Contact](https://www.turbinehq.com/contact)
Latest posts
- [Holiday Pay Records: What the New Law Means (And How to Get Compliant Fast)](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/holiday-pay-records-what-the-new-law-means-and-how-to-get-compliant-fast)
- [11 essential HR blogs](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/hr-blogs)
- [The best 18 companies who will (probably) hire remote workers in 2020](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/18-companies-hiring-remote-workers-in-2020)
Copyright © Turbine, 2010 - 2026. All rights reserved.
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "Corporation",
"alternateName" : "TurbineHQ",
"contactPoint" : [ {
"@type" : "ContactPoint",
"areaServed" : [ "US", "GB", "CA", "150" ],
"availableLanguage" : "en",
"contactType" : "support",
"email" : "support@articulatemarketing.com",
"telephone" : "+442031417888"
} ],
"description" : "Online purchase orders, time off, expenses and HR records.",
"logo" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine_Logo_-_dark.png",
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/learning-a-language-for-business",
"@type" : "WebPage",
"description" : "Learning a language is not just decoration for your CV. It can make you a better decision maker, improve your English and engage your employees."
},
"name" : "Turbine",
"sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/TurbineHQcom-277247968993159/", "https://twitter.com/turbinehq", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbine-hq/", "https://www.turbinehq.com" ],
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Toby Knott"
},
"dateModified" : "September 24, 2024, 8:41:45 AM",
"datePublished" : "2018-09-11 07:45:00",
"description" : "Learning a language is not just decoration for your CV. It can make you a better decision maker, improve your English and engage your employees.",
"headline" : "Why learning a language is useful for business",
"image" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine-Why%20learning%20a%20language%20is%20useful%20for%20business.svg"
},
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/learning-a-language-for-business",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine_Logo_-_dark.png"
},
"name" : "Turbine"
}
}
```