As new markets emerge, business schools are realising the need to turn out multilingual graduates
Participating
in exchange programmes is an effective way for you to practise foreign
language skills, which will contribute to your personal and professional
development.
Although English remains the standard language of business, it is not
the only one MBAs must master in an increasingly global business
environment. This is evident from the changing mindset of business
schools abroad, which have realised the importance of not only
traditionally popular languages like French or Spanish but also new ones
like Arabic, Hindi and Mandarin.
Experts from some of the top business schools around the world share their views.
Columbia Business School, USA
Jack McGourty, director of community and global entrepreneurship at
Columbia Business School, says, “No matter what a student’s career path
is, knowing more than one language will enhance a manager’s ability to
navigate complex global business and cultural environments. Graduate
business programmes should offer students alternative vehicles,
integrated with curricular programmes, to increase their proficiency in
languages of choice.” A case in point is the Columbia Business School’s
Chazen Institute that offers courses in Arabic, business English,
Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish at
beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada
Charmaine Courtis, executive director, student services and
international relations, Schulich School of Business, York University,
Canada, says, “The international MBA (IMBA) programme at Schulich
requires students to develop a second language and an expertise in the
region of the world where that language is the business lingo. This is
the only way to establish yourself in a global context.”
Cambridge Business School, UK
At Cambridge Judge Business School in the UK, one of the
electives/projects in the MBA programme requires students to learn
Mandarin. Dr Jochen Runde, director of the MBA, says “This is a
beginners’ course that is offered at the end of the academic year. For
most of the attending students, successful completion of the course is a
requisite for completing their studies. The course focuses on three
language skills: listening, speaking and reading. Due to the complex
nature of the Chinese writing system (characters rather than an
alphabet), writing is not one of the main aims of this course. We are
offering this course as a summer activity option because of the
evergrowing importance of China in the world economy. The aim is to give
our non-Mandarin speaking students an opportunity to develop some of
the language skills they will need to make them more effective in this
arena.”
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada
According to Laura Wood, director of international programmes and
services, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada,
exchange programmes play an important part in learning different
languages and cultures. “With a global student body from 32 countries
speaking 37 languages, Rotman encourages all students to further
internationalise their degree through exchange programmes, study tours, a
module on doing business internationally and consulting projects or
internships. Participation in these programmes provides students with
the opportunity to practise foreign language skills, contributing to
both their personal and professional development as well as the
B-school’s linguistic and cultural diversity,” says Wood.
KPMG India
According to Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner of management
consulting, KPMG India, students should not only address the issue of
learning new languages. “It’s not about language alone. Understanding
the culture and being culturally sensitive is as important as
communication skills. A good manager is required to develop additional
language skills. It is a major differentiator in a competitive global
market. Knowledge of more languages is always welcome.”
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