The importance of Languages for the jobs of today and tomorrow

Most schools emphasize on students learning at least one foreign language while in high school. But many students do not necessarily take it seriously and end up abandoning the language even before getting ready for their A level exams. It is quite a shame because today’s world is connected in so many ways and speaking only English is not good enough. As a country we need to encourage and push people to learn new languages in order to be competitive in the world. Here are a few industries where speaking another language than Swahili and English could boost your career.

Healthcare:

Tanzania has seen a boom in expats in recent years. Like locals they also need to go to the hospitals, although they are some private clinics, major operations can only be done at the national hospital. It is imperative that the staff know to speak at least English but if they could learn other languages it would be an added plus.

Finance:

Citizens from countries like China, Turkey, Russia, and France to name a few have been investing a lot in Tanzania. As investors they use local branches of their banks here. Many banks have special services that suit such investors. So if you study in that field and also speak one of those languages you have higher chances of getting hired.

Tourism:

The Tourism industry is very large and it is the one place where you are sure to interact with people from all over the world. Again speaking a foreign language here can only work to your advantage.

Journalism:

One can argue that in Tanzania most journalists stick to local stories and do not go abroad. But if you are ambitious and want to work outside of Tanzania, there are opportunities such as BBC Swahili or even Azam who send their reporters across borders to get news. While on these assignments you won’t need a translator if you speak the local language.

Translator/Interpreter:

The more famous job in the world were ones knowledge in languages is the key to success. There are many opportunities in this field and with globalization, it is a growing industry. The more sought out languages as of now in Tanzania: Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, German and French.