Personal development - learning other languages.

I think that a good aspect of personal development, which has relevance for international sales, is the learning of other languages.

I learnt French and Latin in school - ok, I know I will not be selling anything by speaking Latin, but it does give you a good basis for learning the European languages that derive from it.

Additionally - I learnt Japanese in Japan, and can speak it at a basic sort of level.

I've also studied Swedish, Spanish, Dutch and Arabic - but I'm not sure whether I can really speak any of these.

What languages do you speak, or have you studied?

I only speak one language, English. When I was a child we were taught Russian and Spanish but that was a long time ago.

I actually think that in this environment of global trading that another language can be very beneficial to business.

Years ago, I had a go at learning Mandarin, just as a hobby.
Everybody laughed.

Then I started trading on eBay by buying in Chinese products. It sure helped my negotiations even though I just knew the basics.
I had the edge on my competitors when it came to securing a good deal.

I can't see how it would help learn another language unless you had a use for it.

Ah, well that is precisely my point.

If you only do things in life that you think will be useful to you at the time, then you aren't opening yourself up to opportunity in the future

Nothing is ever wasted, something always crops up sooner or later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dolly

Ah, well that is precisely my point.

If you only do things in life that you think will be useful to you at the time, then you aren't opening yourself up to opportunity in the future

Nothing is ever wasted, something always crops up sooner or later.

In that case I'm going to take those Polka dance classes after all.

Personal development - learning other languages.

Self Improvement - Personal Development Forum