Knowing more than one language can increase a person’s marketability and enhance their quality of life.

On Friday, April 17, a presentation called “Communicating for Success: Leveraging Language to Launch Your Career” welcomed a panel of five business professionals who attributed part of their career success to their knowledge of multiple languages.

Anne Goff, a Sacramento State French professor, led the panel discussion including speakers Andrew Bondar, Boryana Arsova, Tanya Altmann, Clarissa Laguardia and Carolyn Yohn.

Goff began the discussion by explaining the importance of languages in modern workplaces.

“Businesses are becoming increasingly international,” Goff said.

She discussed how beneficial it can be to begin learning another language but also spoke about how some tools are not as useful as others.

“Google [translate] is not there yet,” Goff said. “If you’re using it for your homework, your teacher knows.”

Arsova is an attorney with Martensen Wright PC and a native of Bulgaria. She said knowing multiple languages at a conversational level can be a useful skill in many companies.

“We use a lot of different languages in our office and we use them everyday,” Arvosa said.

She also mentioned that many of the people her company interacts with seem more comfortable and friendly being addressed in their native language.

“There’s no quicker way to connect with someone than to know their language,” Goff said.

All of the speakers wholeheartedly agreed that learning another language benefitted their lives and careers in a positive way.

Bondar is a financial adviser, CEO of Bondar & Associates, and is fluent in Russian and English.

“As a business owner, 20 percent of my clients speak the language I speak,” Bondar said. “I’m really happy with the fact that I learned a foreign language.”

Altmann said knowing different languages is especially useful in her work as a nurse.

“Knowing various languages…is just invaluable in healthcare,” Altmann said.

She talked about how crucial it is to be able to communicate regardless of language barriers, especially in emergency situations where someone’s life and health can be affected.

“If you’re getting an informed consent, you want to make sure they understand,” Altmann said.

Laguardia is a certified translator, entrepreneur, medical interpreter and is fluent in Spanish.

“Speaking Spanish has opened a lot of doors for me,” Laguardia said. “You end up working with people from all over the world and you have to be prepared, not only for the language but for the culture.”

Yohn works full-time as a translator, which includes providing translation assistance to people and translating legal and academic texts.

“I can tell you, I don’t have any lack of work in what I do,” Yohn said.

The discussion focused on the idea that there are many companies that seek out employees who have foreign language skills and many job descriptions specifically list various languages as a requirement for the job.

Being fluent in additional languages is not only a marketable skill, but can be personally fulfilling.

“It’s very important for personal growth, to know what it feels like on the other side of the equation,” Yohn said.

She described a situation where there are two sides, one being the person who is comfortable in their surroundings and the other who is not. Yohn detailed the feelings of being lost in a culture where even if someone is intelligent, that may be hard to convey because of language barriers.

“As a Spanish speaker, I often get confused as a Mexican,” Laguardia said. “For me, as a Salvadoran, I speak more the academic proper [Spanish].”

Laguardia thinks learning a language is a process that never ends, but the benefits associated with knowing another language makes the effort worthwhile.

“As an interpreter, we never stop learning new words,” Laguardia said. “I know that when I’m done and I graduate, I will be hirable material.”

Laguardia and the other panelists believe the opportunities are everywhere for those who can speak more than one language. This concept is one many students at Sac State want to hear, especially those studying the languages.

Roberta Ward is the president of the Foreign Languages Alumni Chapter at Sac State and thinks students can learn from this presentation.

“There are a lot of foreign language majors here at Sac State and they want to know what they can do with their degree,” Ward said. “People need to know there is so much to do besides teaching.”

Karina Ramos is a French major who attended the presentation because she wanted to learn and hear professionals speak about how they utilize their language skills.

“I thought it was pretty good; it is very humbling,” Ramos said. “You’ve got to immerse- be like a child learning.”

Ramos traveled and studied abroad twice. Her first trip was from 2012-13 when she studied in the southern part of France, and she spent last summer in Paris.

“My mom was the one who introduced me to speaking French,” Ramos said. “I want to be global too. The world is getting smaller and smaller.”

However, many people do not have the opportunity to study abroad for financial or family reasons. Financial aid and study abroad programs can be utilized, but not everyone qualifies and some people have commitments they cannot abandon.

“Not everyone can afford to take a year off,” Arsova said.

Arsova suggested alternatives to traveling abroad to acquire new language skills including watching foreign movies, socializing with people of different languages and cultures, and engaging with local events.

“It’s never too late to choose a language and just start learning,” Arsova said.