Communications of the ACM
Opportunities Abound For Bilingual Workers
Credit: California Subject Matter Project
With the Hispanic and Asian populations in the U.S. expected to triple over the next 50 years, the demand for people who can speak and write in multiple languages is increasing rapidly across a variety of industries and careers. As a result, adding foreign language skills to your resume is one way to boost your value to potential employers. Moreover, bilingual employees typically enjoy higher salaries than those who only speak one language. This is especially true within the technology sector, where there is a growing need for bilingual IT workers to translate and explain technology concepts for non-English-speaking audiences.
Within the tech sector, one area of demand for bilingual workers is providing IT support for a wider audience of foreign-language speakers. A day in the life of a bilingual IT worker may involve working with a foreign client in a tech-support environment; translating help files and user guides for global product releases; or creating software applications tailored to a worldwide market. Employers with specialized jobs in technical writing, customer service, and software development are especially eager to hire individuals who can provide multiple-language support. The benefit of bilingual employees goes deeper than language. According to recruiters, bilingual people use different frames of reference to approach problems, thereby increasing analytical ability.
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