For those working in science and technology, the ability to speak two languages is highly sought-after. The industry magazine Chemical and Engineering News quotes employers as well as students with the same message: skills in bilingualism can open doors. From chemical engineering to software engineers to data scientists, those who can add English to their repertoire can leverage their technical expertise globally. IT support professionals have the same need as businesses looking to employ bilingual employees.
The Problem with Monolingual Japanese Staff
One agency for recruiting points out the difficulties, even in Tokyo, in hiring Japanese people who speak English. English language for businesses that conduct business internationally. It’s not just a matter of having a “book understanding” of English but the ability to communicate in English that can make the difference effectively.
Although some IT support positions are in smaller businesses where a single-language worker is enough, Japanese-only employees can still not be part of the IT world, in which English is the primary language. IT support professionals discover that speaking a second language allows them to help workers from various countries, like francophone workers from Africa or Europe, who will always take on English as their primary language.
Software as a Service (SaaS) provider Zendesk writes about IT support worldwide and language difficulties. Zendesk adds that the ability to find an agreement makes a huge difference in the trust maintained by support staff.
Kelvin Kissi– Bilingual Technical Project Manager who works in multinational enterprises requires an understanding of a common language to communicate with each other across the globe. Videoconference-based training allows workers to share knowledge regularly, helping to promote company policies and procedures and letting everyone get up to speed on new technologies. Workers who speak two languages can participate faster and more efficiently.
If a company needs communications across the entire company or industry is needed, bilingual IT support staff can help bridge the gap. They can also be representatives for the company at conferences, trade shows, and training programs. Wherever a variety of people meet to achieve technological goals, the IT support staff in two languages provide the necessary bridge to ensure that everyone’s requirements for technology are satisfied.
The challenge for monolingual English Speakers
When we look at the problem from the other aspect, it is clear that monolingual English people might not be the best IT support the candidate for local Japanese businesses. English is the most widely used language used in technology. However, Japan remains behind its regional counterparts, Korea and China, in terms of English ability to communicate. Most support-seeking customers will require instruction in Japanese.
In many instances, Japanese language fluency alone isn’t enough. IT personnel must have a basic grasp of Japanese business etiquette to impress during service calls with clients who are Japanese. They must know the importance of formality and context in dealing with Japanese clients. In the wrong hands, they could offend their customers without being conscious that they have done it. If they are an English speaker who has a deep acquaintance with Japanese culture and language, they will be aware of the signals used to communicate and possible dangers.
Support staff who are bilingual help companies that are not Japanese to assist customers in the Japanese market. Basic support in tier 1 may be handled by representatives who are Japanese only on a local team, and possibly even the tier 2 issues can be handled locally and scripted; however it is more likely that more complex third-tier issues will require an individual with a deeper understanding of the product, but who isn’t fluent enough in Japanese to be able to communicate in a way that is comfortable for the customer.
