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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