Why Mastering the Language of Business is Essential (And How Online Language Marketplaces Can Help)

Real Estate Investment View
Jun 30
5 min read

Updated: Jul 8

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Your ability to communicate professionally and clearly isn’t just a nice skill to have—it’s a must. When it comes to international business, skilled communication is a competitive advantage. As more companies expand across borders and work with globally distributed teams, professionals are expected to speak the language of business with cultural awareness, clarity, and precision. Whether you’re negotiating with overseas suppliers, pitching to foreign investors, or collaborating with multilingual colleagues, mastering professional communication is vital for success.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how online language marketplaces like Preply, Lingoda, and iTalki make it easier than ever to build language skills for business in a practical and globally focused way.

Key Takeaways:

Business Language Fluency is a Competitive Edge: In today’s global economy, clear and culturally aware communication is crucial. Professionals who master the language of business are better equipped to negotiate, collaborate, and lead across borders.
Online Language Marketplaces Offer Real-World Learning: Platforms like Preply, iTalki, and Lingoda provide personalized and flexible language lessons tailored to real-world business tasks—making them more efficient than conventional language courses.
Multilingual Skills Support Career and Business Growth: Learning additional languages helps professionals access new markets, build trust with clients, and improve cross-cultural understanding—benefits that apply across roles like HR, sales, and remote teams.
Industry-Specific Training Boosts Relevance and Retention: Online marketplaces let learners focus on industry-specific scenarios, such as legal terms in real estate, financial vocabulary in Mandarin, or technical updates in German, helping them apply skills directly to their everyday work.

The Value of Learning a Second Language in Business—and Why Online Marketplaces Make It Possible

In an economy that’s increasingly connected, being bilingual or multilingual is more than a resume booster—it’s a highly sought-after and needed skill. Businesses that serve diverse communities or operate internationally increasingly rely on bilingual talent to build trust, bridge communication gaps, and unlock new growth.

Why It Matters:

Stronger Client Relationships: Speaking a client’s native language builds faster rapport and also shows respect.
Broader Market Access: Language fluency opens up customer segments and regions that competitors can’t access.
Better Cultural Understanding: Language learning improves empathy and reduces cross-cultural miscommunication.
Career Flexibility: Multilingual professionals are often more competitive in global job markets.

Why Online Language Marketplaces Are the Best Path Forward

Traditional language courses can be time-consuming and hard to customize for real-world business needs. Online language marketplaces like Preply, iTalki, and Lingoda offer faster, more flexible ways to build second-language communication skills that fit their specific industries and career goals.

With these online language marketplaces, you can:

Choose native-speaking tutors who specialize in business communication
Focus on industry-specific tasks and terminology and tasks (e.g., negotiations, sales calls, contract reviews)
Learn on your own time with mobile access and on-demand scheduling
Enroll in corporate learning plans for teams and departments

How Preply Make Language Learning More Accessible

Gone are the days of outdated training programs and rigid in-person classes. Preply is changing the way professionals build trust in business with bilingual and multilingual language skills.

Here’s how the platform works:

1-on-1 Tutoring

Choose from thousands of tutors who specialize in business language, client communication, negotiation, and more. (English, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, French, etc.)

Flexible Scheduling

Learn a second, third, or fourth language on your own time, at your own pace.

Personalized Lessons

Practice writing emails, pitching meetings, or role-playing real-world business situations.

Preply For Business

Perfect for teams, Preply provides analytics dashboards, group learning plans, and centralized billing.

Who Benefits from Business Language Learning?

International business training isn’t just for executives. It benefits professionals at every level, across every department. For companies hiring across borders or expanding globally, this kind of upskilling improves internal cohesion and external client interactions.

Here’s who can benefit:

Customer Service and Sales: Negotiate deals, handle inquiries, and build long-term relationships
HR & L&D: Train teams to work effectively across borders
Remote Workers: Communicate clearly across time zones and cultures
International Employees: Build confidence in English-speaking environments

Real-World Examples by Language and Industry

Different industries rely on language skills in various ways. Learning a second or third language can help professionals communicate more effectively with teams, clients, and partners across different cultures.

Online marketplaces make it possible to focus on the specific terms and situations that matter most in your field. The examples below show how certain languages are useful in real-world business contexts—and how platforms like Preply help professionals build those skills.

Spanish in Construction and Real Estate

Use Case: Project managers and real estate agents who serve Spanish-speaking investors, buyers, or workers. The benefits of learning Spanish in the real estate field includes building better rapport with clients, communicating on-site instructions clearly, and avoiding scheduling or legal errors.

How Online Learning Helps: Practice legal disclosures, property walk-throughs, and price negotiations in Spanish with a native-speaking tutor.

Mandarin in International Business and Finance

Use Case: Supply chain managers, investment professionals, or executives working with Chinese markets. Commuting fluently with partners in mainland China can help you better understand financial documents and navigate cultural nuances.

How Online Learning Helps: Work on cross-cultural negotiations technique, financial vocabulary, and formal greetings.

German in Engineering and Tech

Use Case: developers, engineers, and tech consultants collaborating with German R&D teams or manufacturers. By learning to speak German, you can improve B2B communication, stand out in EU-based job markets, and enhance collaboration.

How Online Learning Helps: Focus on team meetings, technical documentation, and project updates in German.

What to Look for in a Language Marketplace for Business Needs

When choosing an online language platform for yourself or your team, it’s essential to keep a few fundamental factors in mind. These elements will help make sure your language training is relevant, practical, and delivers results.

Factors to look for include:

Tutor Experience in Business Settings: Prioritize tutors with a background in corporate communication
Lesson Customization: Look for flexibility to practice real-world business tasks
Team Features: Platforms like Preply offer custom onboarding, business dashboards, and usage reports
Positive Reviews: Choose tutors with strong student feedback and proven results

Conclusion

Mastering the language of business with a second, third, or fourth language will be one of the most valuable skills in any professional’s toolkit now and in the future. Whether you're leading a team call, preparing for a job interview, or pitching to international clients, strong communication will set you apart.

Thanks to platforms like Preply and other online marketplaces, developing these skills has never been more convenient or budget-friendly!