To truly reach a customer, you need to think the way your target market demographic thinks. A great businessperson will go out of his or her way to understand what matters to the consumer. Most people don’t go the extra mile to speak the business languages of their customers around the world. However, if you are the person who takes advantage of the opportunity, you can reap major benefits.If you are in upper management, being able to speak to and negotiate with other companies in their native language gives you an advantage. Mainly because they cannot speak amongst themselves without you understanding! Knowing multiple languages also increases the ways you can say the things you want to say, and the ways you can connect with the people you are trying to reach.Other ways that learning business languages both saves and makes you money include:

• making travel easier in the many areas you may frequent as a businessperson in a global economy
• connecting you to a whole host of web presences that haven’t been translated into your native language
• giving you insight into the way negotiation and business are conducted in that language. This allows you to modify your style to suit cultural differences.

Rype makes it simple, intuitive, and clear to learn a new language quickly, so if you are looking to up your earning potential, one of the following might be the right language for you.

7 Best Business Languages for Earning More Money

1. Global English

Clearly, you know some English if you are reading this article. Already know differences like British and American spellings? Aim even higher and learn a technical lexicon within English, like legal terms, economic concepts, or a scientific field. All of these sets of words in English can help you get technical writing jobs, transcription jobs, and even interpretation and translation jobs.

2. Mandarin Chinese

Everyone will tell you that Mandarin is the key to the enormous market in China and that is absolutely true. With commerce at an all-time high in China, you are likely to discover that business powerhouses will want you on their teams if you can manage Mandarin Chinese.Learning it as a second language is an impressive and ambitious goal in itself. You'll resonate well with employers who are looking for risk-takers and challenge-seekers. Mandarin is far from the only language of commerce in Asia, but it's by far the dominant language.

3. Spanish

Spanish opens up your earning potential in Spain and almost all of Latin America, even though Latin America also includes a large variety of local languages as well. Look into certifications of your level (in Spain, the DELE exam is the standard) so that you will stand out as more adept than people who are claiming fluency because of one 6th grade introductory class. Knowing how to speak Spanish, in both it's conversational and business/formal varieties will make you stand apart from beginner and intermediate speakers.

4. German

Germany is one of the most populous and industrialized areas in Europe. Learning German will give you access to German companies, investors, and networks. Moreover, it allows you to see how German politics influence the European Union as a whole. While knowing English can do quite a bit for you in Europe, very few people there speak only one language. Knowing German in addition to English or another language will show business partners just how serious you are about being a part of the European market.

5. Portuguese

Important in Brazil and in Portugal, Portuguese is a great business language because it sets you apart from the many Spanish language speakers that are out there already. If you choose Portuguese, it should be fairly simple to learn, because it is listed as one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn, according to the State Department of the United States.

6. Arabic

Arabic is spoken or written in many parts of the world and is a highly valued language in many circles. Fair warning: part of what makes Arabic so valuable is that it is classified as a very difficult language to learn. But with language coaching and a goal, you are likely to succeed.When you do succeed, you are rewarded with a fluency that many English speakers don’t have. Some government programs even pay people to learn this language for the benefit of a more globalized the United States.

7. The Language of wherever YOU want to make money

This really ought to be our number 1. Say you want to live in, Croatia to sell your product there, Croatian is your language.We can recommend general business languages that give you access to millions of speakers. But in reality, you will probably only be interacting with dozens or hundreds of people interpersonally in the new language. The tactical advantage doesn’t come in learning all languages, but where you want to do business.For instance, in the Friendster episode of the Podcast Startup, we learn that Friendster had an okay rollout in the United States. Then a very successful following in the Phillippines. If your product takes off in a place that doesn’t speak your native tongue, focus your attention there.Another way your very-specific language skill can help you is if you choose to work remotely. Since the cost of living and production are low, it also keeps your business overhead low. But only if you know the local language well enough to make your way through the society with ease (and preferably, no need for a translator!).

The Bottom Line

What is important to realize when choosing one of these business languages to learn is that much of how you make money with languages learned is in how your interactions reduce costs. No costs for interpreters, a translated website, and being an “easy mark” for negotiating prices. Certainly, some business languages can also open up your earning potential in very particular ways. But the world of business is deeply relational and networked. Increasing your language skills in any of these 7 directions is likely to increase your total value to companies or to your own start-up business in a very holistic way.