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Translation Blog

Our language translators are always in the know about the latest industry movement and insights. By reading our translation blog, you can be too! Discover the latest blog articles from our language experts on topics such as translation services, language facts, business, marketing, culture, and anything in the language translation industry.

A man with headphones smiling, taking notes and using laptop. Concept of language skills and development.
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How to Improve Your Language Skills for Your Career in 2022?

If you want to boost your career in 2022, you need to improve your language skills. Language development is essential for communication in global or culturally diverse workplaces. Whether you’re working with clients or colleagues with a different primary language, or simply trying to write proposals and reports to suppliers and business partners overseas, strong language skills will give you an edge over the competition.

As language specialists, we know all the tips and tricks you can implement to improve your language level and thus career success. And we will share them all with you in this article. Keep reading to discover more about what language skills are and our top tips for becoming a pro.

 

What are Language Skills?

Language skills are abilities that allow people to communicate with others in a precise and proficient way that makes their message simple to understand. Speaking is the language skill that most people think of initially. However, other communication skills play a vital role in language development. Therefore, language skills are an umbrella term encompassing speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

Language skills are important in many walks of life, but they are crucial in a professional setting. For example, if you are a doctor, you need to be able to read medical journals and understand medical terminology at a certain language level. If you are a teacher, you need to be able to speak in front of a class and explain complex concepts. And if you are working in a multicultural or global work environment, you need to be able to communicate with members of the team in your secondary language.

 

Introduction to the Four Language Skills

Reading, listening, speaking, and writing are the essential language skills. Below we delve deeper into each of the four language skills and how you can improve your abilities within each.

 

1. Reading

Reading is the ability to understand written text. This is an important language skill in all areas of business, from reading simple emails to understanding complex technical documents and reports. To improve your language level, you can read text out loud and have discussions with co-workers about the written document can help improve understanding and language development. Additionally, you can read books or articles to broaden your knowledge.

 

2. Listening

Listening is the ability to understand a spoken language. It is an important language skill in work and social settings. With stronger listening skills, you will be able to understand what is being said around you and react accordingly. You may even find that your language level increases when you listen more! Paying close attention to non-verbal cues and linking these with words and phrases can help improve understanding. It also helps to maintain eye contact with the speaker where possible, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you need more clarification to improve language development.

 

3. Speaking

Speaking fluently and confidently is a very important language skill when it comes to social interactions and business meetings. By sharing your ideas verbally, you will be able to improve your language level. The best way to improve speaking is through practice. Additionally, phone calls are particularly challenging for most but often occur in a professional setting. Have mock phone conversations with friends and family to improve language development.

 

4. Writing

Writing is the ability to produce a written language using a computer or pen and paper. One of the reasons you may want to improve your writing skills is to help you convey more complicated ideas. Additionally, writing is a useful language skill when creating reports and other texts that can help you in your career. A diary of useful sentences or words you commonly use but struggle to remember can help improve your language level.

 

Other Ways to Improve Your Language Level

If you want to improve your language level, it’s important to practice them regularly. You can find plenty of resources online or in your local library to help with language development. You can also join a language class or practice with a friend or colleague. The more you practice, the better you will become at using the language skills you have learned.

Another way to improve your language development is to use them regularly in authentic contexts. If you can find a job where you can use your language skills all the time, this will help to improve your language level. Ultimately, any practice you can fit in is beneficial. Additionally, don’t be scared of making mistakes – learning from your errors is the best way to ensure you don’t keep falling into the same pitfalls. Furthermore, you can effectively improve your language skills during your holidays. Your holidays will increase your chances of communicating with more people who speak the language.

 

Closing Thoughts

As we’ve discussed, language development is important for your career success. But what should you work on first? The four key language skills to improve in terms of importance are reading, listening, writing, and speaking fluently. If this sounds daunting or too complicated – don’t worry! You can take baby steps by focusing on just one skill at a time and gradually adding more as you become more comfortable with each area to slowly improve your language level.

In summary, if you want to improve your language skills for your career in 2022, there are two important things that you should do: practice regularly in authentic contexts. After all, practice makes perfect!

Best wishes for 2022!

The word “welcome” written in different languages on small coloured scraps.
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What happens when Languages go Extinct?

A lot is lost during the homogenisation of languages. When a foreign language goes extinct, we risk losing cultural traditions, unique expressions, and nuanced meanings that cannot be expressed in other ways. Moreover, all language is used to communicate information, and we risk losing this essential information as languages go extinct.

According to recent studies, the extinction of languages is a real threat. Around 3,500 languages will effectively die out in the coming years as the most remote areas of the world adopt modernisation. This article looks at what happens when we lose languages in more detail and the current rates of foreign language extinction.

 

Why are Languages Endangered?

As the world economy expands and communications speed up, our need for clear communication has increased dramatically. Where throughout history, the use of a foreign language was restricted by geography, this is no longer the case. Today, our need to communicate between all language types has outweighed the benefits of diverse expression.

The current dominant languages are ArabicEnglishSpanish, and Mandarin. These four languages have the most native speakers globally. They are also four of the six official languages of the United Nations, used for global communications. As more people learn and communicate using these prominent languages, minor languages risk becoming extinct.

 

How Quickly will Languages Go Extinct?

The most extreme predictions, 90% of all language groups currently spoken will be in danger by the end of the century, if not completely extinct. This means that we could lose a foreign language every month, and the number of spoken languages will rapidly and dramatically decrease.

The International Congress of Linguists recognises this rapid deterioration of linguistic diversity as a crisis. The United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations are making these facts known through world language recognition programmes and compilations of endangered languages.

 

How Can we Stop Languages from Disappearing?

Documenting the world’s languages is the only way to ensure that all language is preserved in the future. Unfortunately, this is a gigantic task! Linguists are scrambling to complete the documentation of every foreign language before it’s too late. In fact, the sheer volume of work and the short time frame make this an onerous undertaking.

One researcher, David Harrison, has worked on preserving many endangered languages in Siberia and Mongolia and illustrated the growing issue through his works. However, he believes there is no record for over 85% of all languages. According to his research, 3,500 languages are only spoken by 0.1% of the global population and will be the first we lose.

 

What if Your Native Language Goes Extinct?

All language is at risk of dying out. If enough people choose to speak dominant world languages, it is easy to see how a minor foreign language can become endangered in only one generation. However, it is these minor languages spoken by 0.1% of the population that will be the first to go—the significant languages in the world should be well-preserved in the future.

Nevertheless, you may have questions: Does teaching your children and grandchildren the language you inherited make sense? Or do you encourage them to study English or another primary language? If learning and communicating in major world languages, your native tongue may be lost. However, speaking dominant languages is essential in the global economy of today.

 

Renaissance Translations’ Professional Translation Services

The extinction of languages is a real and growing problem. Linguists are working hard to preserve every minor foreign language currently in use. However, documenting all language is a big task, and there is no guarantee that linguists can tackle it in time. Just think: Saving the scrapbooks and letters from an older relative might not even make sense in the future!

At Renaissance Translations, we take our role in sustaining linguistic diversity very seriously. If you assign us to work on a unique combination of languages or a project that could save critical information, we’ll give extra attention to this project. Let us preserve your cultural heritage by translating and protecting your family heirlooms, and contact us today.



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