The Costs of Multilingualism

For decades, we’ve heard that multilingualism is a blessing. That we should invest in learning as many languages as possible as per “the more, the merrier.” Multilingualism can indeed be seen as capital that gives access to resources in more than one language and across communities. Yet, a closer look at the research and current labor market trends indicates that the cost of multilingualism may actually be higher than its benefits – with a number of exceptions, of course.

By multilingualism, to begin with, linguists refer to the faculty of communicating in more than two languages, as opposed to monolingualism in one and bilingualism in two languages. The expected degree of fluency to declare someone bi- or multilingual used to be native-like in each of the languages, yet those times are gone. Today, multilingualism basically means someone speaks three or more languages fluently.

The reasons why we become multilingual are manifold. As infants, we acquire the language of our parents and caregivers, because language is our main survival tool. If our caregivers speak different languages, or if we communicate beyond our most immediate community, we need additional languages. Accordingly, multilinguals have access to communities and information in more than one language, which offers them a wider range of opportunities to choose from. That’s why deliberately chosen multilingualism is seen as an investment. And indeed, certain language competences, especially in English, are indispensable nowadays.

Yet, language learning requires an effort and comes at a cost. Learning an additional language is like an investment that should pay off in some way at some point. If multilingualism is meant to enhance a professional career, the question should be whether the additional, i.e. the third, language will actually improve job opportunities.

Let me give you the truth upfront: It won’t.

Today’s workplaces bring speakers of many different languages together. Against common belief, however, the presence of many languages doesn’t necessarily lead to multilingual communication. In most workplaces, translations and multilingual thinking happen in speakers’ minds, while the code of conversation is still the official one.

Usually, the only languages truly needed at work are the local language plus English. In Zurich, for example, German is the local language, and English is often the corporate language. Other languages aren’t used at work and only pop up in informal conversations.

The truth is that we don’t need to be multilingual to function in a multilingual team. Even value systems aren’t necessarily dependent on the heritage language and culture, as value systems are learned in different contexts, i.e. at school, on the internet, or in global expat communities, and they are mainly shaped by personal interests. Accordingly, a person’s heritage language says little about how they think; their attitudes, by contrast, say much more.

What we need is the main team language plus the willingness to understand that people from other cultures may have different value systems and different ways of describing and classifying the world.

The issue isn’t only that most workplaces aren’t as multilingual as expected. On top of that, multilingualism comes at a cost. First of all, the investment may be high because learning a language takes practice, and practice takes time, irrespective of age. Some people travel around the world and spend substantial amounts of money on international language schools. That’s why multilingualism used to be perceived as a privilege of the affluent.

Indeed, I’ve seen many people invest in their language skills with little pay-off career-wise. They learned English, Spanish, French, Chinese, or Arabic in addition to their native language, but on the job, they mainly used English. In other words, their additional language ended up being a hobby to indulge in and grow from personally, or it may be the family language, but it doesn’t really advance their career. Because most employers don’t care about multilingualism. It really is that simple.

Most job profiles don’t require multilingualism. Employers need IT specialists, event managers, logisticians, technicians, cleaning personnel, product managers, executives, recruiters, you name it. Of course, employers need communicative skills, but not multilingualism.

Another limitation of multilingualism is that most multilingual speakers aren’t able to deliver the expected quality in several languages. If they do so in the local language plus English, it’ll do. For all other tasks, they can either use GenAI or – even better – hire a language specialist.

In other words: unless your job profile requires it, multilingualism won’t take you far.

What is rarely mentioned is that multilingualism also may come at a cognitive cost. In general, while the human brain is made to acquire several languages, keeping them separate is hard. Having several «windows to the world» certainly is a personal enrichment, but it often entails that multilingual speakers end up being more confused than monolinguals.

The multilingual mind is so flexible and carries so much linguistic information that it’s more likely to misunderstand messages because it confuses words and meanings. Because it’s rarely competent enough to truly manage all the subtleties of each language at once. And at work, a clear mind is essential to avoid fatigue and burn out.

That confusion can affect all aspects of human communication. It is particularly common in interdisciplinary teams collaborating with IT specialists, where words in the local language are often replaced by English ones. In Switzerland, there’s quite some confusion when German–English near-homophones, like «SAP» and «sub» or «Bild» and «build,» are confused, and it’s usually multilinguals who end up asking for clarification when everybody else has understood. Also, gestures and facial expressions may be misinterpreted, and I’ve seen more than one mistranslated politeness form provoke conflicts.

In a nutshell: a multilingual mind can put a foot in on many levels and need extra efforts.

So, in contrast to the popular view of seeing multilingualism as a blessing, it’s also difficult to navigate multilingualism and excel at work. Instead, it’s tiring, and we’re prone to making mistakes, especially when we’re under pressure.

No.

You may think “well, Danae is multilingual herself and does use multilingualism at work, so why does she now claim otherwise?” I claim otherwise because my aim is to advise, not to compare. Most jobs don’t require multilingualism.

Yes, there are jobs that require multilingualism. I’m a trained linguist, and I chose linguistics because I was predestined to do comparative typological research. Plus, my job as a communication and intercultural leadership consultant developed out of my multilingualism. Other job profiles also require multilingualism, like international sales professionals or hotel personnel, but those aren’t the majority. In most jobs, multilingualism is not needed and often overrated by applicants and education lobbyists.

What is needed is bilingualism with English and a respectful attitude toward speakers of other languages.

When I advise, I do so under consideration of the specific situation, which includes the social environment, the company culture or corporate function, as well as the individual predisposition to learn the language involved.

For a corporate career or a company with a diverse workforce, I’d give the following recommendations:

Two languages are enough, especially if one of them is English. Invest in mastering these two to become as proficient in them as possible, including negotiation and writing skills. This will give you clarity and confidence and won’t wear you out.

If you have a multilingual team, ensure there’s one main language and help people get fluent in it. Pay for in-house language courses, seek to avoid conversations in languages other than the main language, and keep psychological safety high.

Hire a language professional. Let machines help you when machines can help, as GenAI is already doing a great job to alleviate the workload. For crucial documents and important projects, invest in professional translators and language professionals.

And if you choose to learn an additional language: enjoy the process to the max without pressure whatsoever!