A few years ago, linguistics professor Antonella Sorace met with employees of the Frankfurt branch of the European Central Bank to talk about her research on bilingualism, i.e. the knowledge and use of two languages at once. What struck her most about her conversations with the bank’s multinational staff was that the employees were worried about their main family asset: their children. “They doubted that a multilingual environment would be good for their offspring, and were afraid that the children would not learn to read and write well in any language. For me, these conversations were constructive and educational from a scientific point of view,” says Sorace. She is originally from Italy and works at the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

Sorace reassured worried parents by sharing her research findings. Her findings showed that learning a foreign language is not only useful from a practical standpoint. Knowing another language does more than just give a person new opportunities to communicate. It develops the cognitive abilities of the brain. The main conclusion that Sorace would like to address to business representatives is this: “Hire more employees with foreign language skills, as these people have better communication skills, are more sensitive to other cultures, cooperate faster, negotiate well, and find it easier to compromise. Their brains work more efficiently.”

Many international companies realize how important knowledge of foreign languages is for their employees.

At Unilever, according to a spokesperson, 80 of the company's 100 top managers speak two languages. The international Standard Chartered Bank only recruits candidates who speak a foreign language for its graduate training program.

“In the future, companies will value and use the multi-talented skills of polyglots even more,” says Laurence Monnery, co-chief executive at global headhunter Egon Zehnder. “Cultural sensitivity creates better leaders,” he adds. “Do polyglots really make better managers? The answer seems to be a resounding yes,” says Anne Frank, chief executive of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Management.

Less attention is paid to knowledge of foreign languages in companies where the leading language is English. Here it is believed that English is the international language of business, which means there is no need to learn other languages. Scientists believe that this approach is wrong.

However, the problem of low investment in foreign language learning is acute not only in Great Britain but throughout Europe. A report issued by the European Commission in 2006 noted that 11% of small and medium-sized companies in Europe suffered from a lack of knowledge of foreign languages. After unsuccessful negotiations, they were unable to conclude contracts.

Professor Sorace argues that new cognitive abilities are developed only in those who master a second language well. However, if the level of language teaching at the educational institution leaves much to be desired, then the cognitive abilities of students do not develop. Richard Hardy, head of the London branch of the Swiss bank UBS, says that the bank used to post information on its website about the search for employees with knowledge of foreign languages. But the candidates who came for interviews spoke other languages so poorly that the application had to be removed from the site.

International companies have a big advantage over small businesses: they can hire polyglot employees from all over the world and make full use of the knowledge and skills of employees who speak foreign languages. Will Dawkins of headhunting company Spencer Stuart, says that “most advanced companies are looking for senior managers who not only speak several languages, but have already led some projects in another language and are ready to present results of their work.”

Polyglots strive for power