Marketing Languages other than English

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide

Marketing Languages

other than EnglishICEF Berlin 2014

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Marketing languages other than English

An opportunity for you?

WHY?

Let’s look at:

WHICH? HOW?

• Around 75% of the world's population don’t speak a word

of English

• A country’s economic growth depends on export

• The global market is ever more competitive

Some basic facts

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

WHY?

Example: Spanish

• 500 million native speakers

• official language of 20 countries and 1

dependency

Reason 1:

Because it’s widely spoken

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Example: German

• 100 million native speakers

• the most widely spoken native language in

the EU

Reason 1:

Because it’s widely spoken

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Example: French

• official language of 29 countries

• only language other than English spoken

on all five continents

Reason 1:

Because it’s widely spoken

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Example: China

• the world’s second largest and fastest

growing major economy

• Already some international companies

prefer fluency in Mandarin to an MBA

Reason 2:

It’s a strong/growing economy

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Example: Germany

• job opportunities for EU professionals

from southern and eastern Europe

Reason 2:

It’s a strong/growing economy

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Example: Portuguese

• Mozambique is a top-ten growth economy

• Brazil: world’s sixth largest economy &

engine of growth for other Latin America

economies

Reason 2:

It’s a strong/growing economy

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

• Economic growth depends on export:

SMEs as well as large companies need

language skills to compete

• In 2003, international trade between

countries sharing a land border was about

24% of total world trade

Reason 3:

Because of trade links

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

What are the major markets for your country’s exports?

• Italian for fashion & design

German for science & engineering

French for food & luxury goods

• Tourism, hospitality, international

journalism, diplomacy…

• Professional linguist: teaching,

translating, interpreting

Reason 4:

For a specific career

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Official language:

French: UN, EU, NATO, FIFA, WTO,

International Red Cross…

German: European Patent Organisation,

European Space Agency, World

Association of Newspapers, many

European & global sports organisations…

Reason 4:

For a specific career

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• To beat the competition for that perfect

job….

• For better pay – employees with

language skills may earn 10% more

Reason 5:

For a better career

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

90% of participants said language

mattered for their operations and

competitiveness in terms of:

• Customers

• Partners

• Suppliers

The 2011 CELAN SurveyLanguage Needs of European Businesses

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

• 62% especially recruit staff with

existing language skills

• 33% train staff in language skills

• Language skills are most important at

management level

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The 2011 CELAN

SurveyLanguage Needs of

European Businesses

• Meetings

• Presenting the company or products

• Trade fairs

• Marketing communications

• Market intelligence & information

• Management of international relations

• Social interactions with partners &

suppliers© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

How languages are

used in business

The 2011 CELAN

SurveyLanguage Needs of

European Businesses

• Pathways in other languages are

increasing

• French public universities cost €190-400

per year

• University study in Spain costs €700-1200

per year - Latin America is even cheaper

• Cost to non-EU citizens of an Austrian

public university is €350-750 per semester

Reason 6:

For cost-effective study abroad

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• Affluent mature, educated middle class

• People with a love of literature, art,

culture, architecture

• People with a love of language &

communication

Reason 7:

For travel and culture

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Russian learners at Liden & Denz

Yong Cheol Choi, South Korea, can communicate

with his Russian clients in English, but wants to

improve business. He hopes to work in his

company’s offices in Russia, Ukraine or Kazakhstan.

Pierre Billon-Lanfrey, France, works in a hotel in

Biarritz. His boss agreed to the course abroad as

they have many Russian guests.

Nikolaus Graf Vitzthum, Germany, a desk officer at

the German Ministry of Economics, learnt Russian for

3 years to increase job opportunities and is now

economic attaché at the embassy in Moscow.

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

Case studies

Students of Actilingua in Vienna have gone on to the

University of Vienna and Vienna University of Economics,

while others are working for IBM, Mercedes Benz US

International, Hilton Hotels and Harvard University.

A Spanish student of GLS (German + internship) now works

at the architects’ firm in Berlin where the internship took place.

Claudio, an Italian studying English at BBSI, is also learning

Chinese in preparation for the second year of his degree at

Tongji University, one of a growing number of partnered degree

courses.

Case studies

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

This will depend on your market and the

language’s general importance ….

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

WHICH?

Which languages?

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF Latin America 2014

Mandarin

Chinese

960 million (nat.) Economic growth & potential

Fluent Mandarin speakers in hot demand

French 73.8 million (nat.)

338 million (L1&L2)

Language of international relations

Spoken on all 5 continents

German 90 million (nat.)

55 million (L2)

Job opportunities for EU citizens

Important language in science & technology

Italian 64 million (nat.) Fashion, design & car industries

Tourism & culture

Spanish 470 million (nat.) Global language

Growth markets of Latin America

Portuguese 220 million (nat.)

250 million (L1&L2)

Major economy of Brazil

Fast-growing economy of Mozambique

Russian 150 million (nat.)

260 million (L1&L2)

Major European trading nation

The fifth most prevalent language in the world

Language Speakers 2 good reasons…

Japanese 125 million (nat.) World’s third largest economy

Leader in high-tech & automotive industries

• Demand

• Competition

• Cost of entry

Where’s the market opportunity for you?

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

HOW?

• Are you turning down enquiries: track

them – which languages?

• What’s being taught in schools?

(UK: 20% increase in Chinese)

• What are your country’s major trading

partners?

• Market trends: over half a million people

are now learning French in India….

Is there a demand?

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

• Is there a gap in the market?

• If the competition are doing it, are you

missing out?

What’s the competition?

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© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

• Often you can use your existing

market/channels

• You already have the expertise and

systems

What’s the cost of entry?

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• Usually it’s not instead of,

but as well as

• Older average age of client

• Smaller market

• Visa situation

What are the differences

with English?

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

• Programmes exist at all levels and for all

needs

• Professional language schools offer the

same comprehensive support as ESL

schools

What are the similarities

with English?

Quality language schools worldwide

Jan Capper

Executive Director

Jan.capper@ialc.org

133 accredited language schools

22 countries

9 languages

© IALC | Quality language schools worldwide ICEF 2014

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