Culture is fascinating! Did you know that learning a foreign language can open a previously closed door to the culture and behavior of a people? Certainly we all agree that speaking one another’s language, even at a novice level, is an ideal starting point for effective communication. But studying the structure, word base, script and history of the language can also teach us something about the values and possibly inherent abilities of the people. For example, the educated Japanese person must memorize anywhere from 2000-3000 kanji in order to read a newspaper. The mere process of learning all of these characters and combining them appropriately speaks to the Asian ability to think in a more holistic manner than the average U.S. English speaker. The use of the Chinese "ideograms" can also demonstrate ancient values still alive today. For example, the Chinese characters which combine to form the concept "good" are really made up of the characters: mother and child. Family is important in any culture, but strong bonds are expressed in this pairing. The French say good-bye to someone on a casual basis by using Au revoir, which literally translates to "until we see each other again" whereas the French Adieu means that we will never see each other again, that is "until God". Yes, the French do have a word for it. What about India where there are 17 official languages and over 800 different dialects!? How might the listening abilities of a people from such a culture be affected? There are many business people speaking English as a second language, ask them about their language and learn about their culture. Global LT’s Cultural Training Programs - Importance of language