What Is Multilingualism?

Multilingualism is the ability of an individual speaker or a community of speakers to communicate effectively in three or more languages, as compare with monolingualism, the ability to use only one language. A person who can speak multiple languages is known as a polyglot or a multilingual. The original language a person grows up speaking is known as their first language or mother tongue. Someone who is raised speaking two first languages or mother tongues is called a simultaneous bilingual. If they learn a second language later, they are called a sequential bilingual.

Do you know in the world MULTILINGUALISM is very popular? Take a look around the world and you'll find that more than half of the population speaks at least two languages, with some estimates putting the figure at 60 to 75 percent (BBC). Many countries have more than one official national language, so the more you know, the more you'll understand what's going on around you. When you realize the benefits of knowing how to say "hello" in more ways than one, you'll understand that the work you put in is well worth what you'll get out.

Benefits of Multilingualism

Here are some important things you should know about being multilingual.

· It's better for your brain. Being multilingual actually changes your brain structure, and this can help you in multiple ways. It improves your memory, helps you process information better, and helps with multitasking skills. But the biggest brain benefit is that speaking multiple languages can actually delay the effects of dementia by "" (BBC).

· It opens up your travel opportunities. Take a trip overseas and you'll likely need a tour guide to get you from place to place. This might hinder you from going to a place you've only dreamed about going. But, if you could speak the native tongue, you could ask just about anyone where to go, what to do, and how to get there.

· It expands your employment opportunities. Businesses today due to the diversity in today's population. Some companies are globally operated, and hiring a person who knows many languages can give them an edge when it comes to direct sales. Social workers and school teachers, who are multilingual can make a world of difference to those who are new to the country.

Tips for Multilingualism

I will show you some tips for multilingualism. If you want to learn or experience multilingualism, I think they are necessary for you

Design your templates for international needs: It is common for a small team of senior stakeholders in marketing to make unilateral decisions about a design for a website. The tricky part comes when you try to leverage a single user experience to meet the needs of multiple markets and languages. When translating from English into other Roman-alphabet languages (French, Spanish, German, etc.), the total character volume tends to expand by 20% to 40%. This expansion can wreak havoc on a range of template components, such as text overlays on images, navigational elements, and the visual balance of negative space with content. Other design elements that require attention include offers, photos/imagery, and color palettes.

Create globally minded content: You have identified and involved the proper stakeholders. The team has agreed on templates designed for international; but what about the content? Simply localizing content is not enough to give readers the appearance that it was written for them in their languages.

Think strategically about your review and approval process: Once global and local stakeholders are aligned around the design for your templates and content is written with global a global audience in mind, what is your process for translation? Who has the authority to request translations? After translation is completed, who reviews and approves the translated text? Spend some time answering these questions and factoring them into your translation process.

Build common ground: Respecting and adapting to local needs is key. It is important to select the most important stakeholders both locally and regionally and engage them early in the process to build consensus. Some common topics requiring consensus include which products or services are offered in a market, the imagery and design used on the website, the style and tone of the language used on the site, preferences for common terminology, and the workflow for translation, review, and approval for various content types.

There is no conclusion. There is no end point. Continually educate yourself. Engage and learn from your peers at user events. Spend time leveraging the knowledge your vendor partners have from their experience. Investing a small amount of your time could save you significant money and headaches down the line—and ultimately lead to a better experience for your global customers.