Language training for foreign workers: rapid integration is in everyone's interest
Challenges and opportunities in a multicultural working environment
The multicultural work environment is a growing and permanent phenomenon worldwide. In Finland, too, companies are trying to attract and recruit talented employees from all corners of the world, because a diverse work community can take advantage of the best aspects of several cultures - and on the other hand, companies face the everyday challenge of finding sufficient labour.
However, when employees come from different cultures and speak different languages, communication barriers can arise and negatively affect team effectiveness and productivity. The language barrier is one of the biggest challenges in multicultural work environments.
Lack of language skills can lead to misunderstandings, loss of information and ineffective cooperation. Effective and targeted language training speeds up integration and engages the worker in his or her new country and the company providing the training.
Rapid integration is in everyone's interest.
Competitive advantage through language training
Targeted training that aims to improve language skills from the outset, but also addresses the culture as a whole, gives your company a range of competitive advantages:
- Effective communication: Language training enables clear and open communication between all team members. When employees understand each other's language, ideas and thoughts can flow freely.
- Teamwork and cooperation: Language skills promote better teamwork and cooperation. Employees feel more comfortable sharing their perspectives and working together towards common goals.
- Cultural sensitivity: Language training also teaches cultural sensitivity and understanding. When employees learn not only language but also cultural practices, they are better able to adapt to a new working environment.
- Job satisfaction: By offering language training, a company shows that it cares about the needs of its employees. Satisfied employees are more likely to be engaged and motivated.
- International business: Language skills allow a company to expand into international markets and interact with customers in different languages.
Our education pathway is usually built up from the following building blocks:
- Assessment of language proficiency levels: At the outset, it is important to assess the language skills of each employee. This will help to design tailor-made training programmes. In practice, this means planning the whole package together with the client company.
- Tailor-made courses: We offer language courses tailored to your profession and your job. For example, if someone works in a restaurant kitchen, the language training will focus on the phrases and vocabulary used in the kitchen.
- Practical exercises: The training always includes a lot of practical exercises. An encouraging atmosphere is important here: you can only learn a language by using it.
- Cultural learning: In addition to language training, we always teach cultural aspects of Finnish culture in general, but also industry-specific aspects.
- The way forward: By the end of our language training, we have given each employee a clear path to continue their development.
The Finnish Interpreting Service as a language training provider
Contact us and we will tailor a training package to suit your business. Our trainers are pedagogical professionals, committed to the general philosophy of the Finnish Interpreting Service: everyone has the right to be understood - that is, training must produce a real capacity for understanding. Training is not provided for the sake of training.