Andre CassuleFEED and Detailed Engineering, Project management| DEALLuanda, Luanda, Angola
I think that speaking several languages in Project Management is very important to facilitate communication with stakeholders and greater possibility of expansion of the company or business.
It do not simply depends on the environment that your project is getting executed. Saving Changes...
Andre CassuleFEED and Detailed Engineering, Project management| DEALLuanda, Luanda, Angola
There is greater interaction with people (stakeholders) of other nationalities and greater probability of business expansion. Saving Changes...
Speaking more than one language can definitely help, but so can translators. This is a fact of business, not just project management. I work at a global company, and we have a mix of multilingual people, but still need translators at times.
Not to sound cynical, but one of the advantages to speaking another language is that you can understand the side conversations and know if what they are telling you in your language is what they really mean (been there!).
I found it interesting, when working on a project to set up an office and data center in Mexico, that there were a lot of English technical words that did not have a Spanish analog. We'd be talking about the data center and at least 30% of the technical terms were in English, even though the conversation was in Spanish. I've had similar experiences with other languages. Saving Changes...
Tim PodestaDirector of PM/PMO| Former BP- now IndependentPenn, Bucks, United Kingdom
Speaking other language(s), even if it is only conversational, is helpful in building rapport with team members and stakeholders and it is worth the effort to try to learn. Clearly technical competence in the working language(s) is necessary as well. My own experience was working in France in French with English as the corporate Global working language. My French improved hugely as result. Saving Changes...
Being available to communicate with stakeholders is key.
Talking about languages as a geographical definition, based on my experience, and be available to lead a business meeting with C management, or review an agenda with line-workers in a manufacturing plan in French, Spanish or English is more productive than using a language where they don't feel confident.
Same if we talk about business, is not the same manage a meeting with HR team than with the production manager.
A project manager should be adaptative in the conversations, then more languages (tecnical, financial or cultural) as better. Saving Changes...
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