Posts

Cactus Corporate Case Study: Lloyds International Spain

Cactus Editor Sarah Watkins talks to Sandy Yunta Mesnier, Recruitment Development Coordinator at Lloyds Bank International Spain, about their corporate language training programme.

Cactus has been providing in-company language training for Lloyds Spain since November 2011. As an English bank located in Spain, tuition has been required in both English and Spanish in 11 locations across Spain, from the bank’s headquarters in Madrid to branches in Marbella, Puerto Banús, Fuengirola, Alicante, Mallorca, Murcia, Pamplona, Valencia and Barcelona. We are now on our fourth set of courses with Lloyds Spain and as such they were the perfect company to tell us how corporate language training has worked for them.

Language training requirements at Lloyds Spain

Sandy starts by explaining to me that language learning has been both a staff benefit and an indispensable requirement for their business. With English customers and English roots, communication between departments and development of the different sectors of the global Lloyds group is dependent on employees being able to speak English. The closed group language lessons have been effective in helping the business grow and succeed.

The minimum language level required for all employees is C1 (advanced level according to the Common European Framework), whilst those in direct contact with clients need to reach C2 (mastery or proficiency). Staff have achieved a solid grammatical base and good written skills, but most importance is placed on reaching fluency in the spoken language and gaining confidence to speak in any situation.

As for what employees think, the feedback has been very positive. Students feel very close to their allocated teachers and motivated by their passion with teaching. Each time they re-initiate a round of training, there are many voluntary requests for language training, over and above those that are required by the business, reflecting the desire as well as the need to continue learning.

The logistics of setting up language training

I asked Sandy whether language training had been a good use of funds for Lloyds Spain and she said that without a doubt, for them it had been.

She was quick to recommend direct contact with Cactus for any language training requirements, citing our efficiency, our ability to find the right teachers and our flexibility in dealing with a company such as theirs undergoing continual change. She also praised the friendliness of all our representatives, highlighting the huge work effort, dedication and professionalism of Ernesto Forner (Head of Corporate Language Training) and his team.

Advice for other companies

I was keen to know whether, with her experience of organising corporate language tuition across such a vast number of locations, Sandy had any advice to offer other companies considering offering the same. She said that Cactus had made it very easy to set up a language training programme across 11 locations, knowing how to adapt to the many different offices, locations and training requirements. For their part, Lloyds has always tried to provide clear and accurate information about each office and the particular staff involved, so collaboration on both sides has facilitated the smooth running of a large scale language training programme.

As for what the future holds, Lloyds Spain now forms part of the Banco Sabadell group, and Sandy tells me that they hope to still receive a solid training programme. Although English language training will not be as crucial as it has been at Lloyds, the banking world will always require a certain level of English language knowledge and, certainly as far as Cactus are concerned, we would happily continue to provide this for more years to come.

Many thanks to Sandy for taking the time to talk to us.

Read further corporate case studies on the Cactus corporate website.

Cactus specialises in organising language courses for individuals and groups, having done so since 1999 for clients all over the globe and for diverse needs and budgets. Our expertise in the field of face-to-face tuition is second-to-none. With an extensive network of approved teachers and a strong in-house academic team, we are able to tailor a language course to suit your specific learning needs, anywhere in the world and whenever is convenient to you.

Language opens the door to new markets: the increase in Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish and Korean

Diversifying into new markets is a smart way for businesses to survive in hard times; having the appropriate language skills is key to tapping into these markets and forming long-term partnerships.

A few years ago we spoke about the increasing importance of Arabic, Russian and Mandarin as languages that were opening the door to valuable, developing markets – markets that were less affected by the latest global recession and which had the ability to maximise the earning potential of traditional western economies. These languages have indeed proved to be key in establishing successful business relationships with Russia, China and the Arab world, investments that will reap long-term reward.

It is now time to turn our head towards new markets that may for the same reason represent a smart business move in the current economic climate.

Brazil: Brazilian Portuguese

A prime contender here is Brazil, home to Brazilian Portuguese, and host country to major worldwide sporting events including next year’s FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. This vast South American country may have experienced a slight decrease in growth over the last year, but with the world’s eyes set on Brazil for a good few years to come and its status as one of the advancing BRICS economies, it is unlikely to lose its place in the spotlight. Brazilian Portuguese is certainly a popular language at Cactus, with students taking evening courses mostly for work reasons – a positive sign of commercial investment in the country and recognition of the need to communicate in the local language rather than relying on our own. With Brazilian Portuguese being spoken by nearly all of Brazil’s 200 million inhabitants, and the language rated as Category 1 difficulty for English speakers to learn (Category 1 being the easiest, Category 3 the most difficult*), that makes a lot of extra people you can do business with, relatively easily.

Turkey: Turkish

Second on our list of markets to watch is Turkey. A rich historical land sitting on the European-Asian divide, it is Turkey’s imminent accession to the EU that promises a significant leap in business potential. As has been witnessed with other member states, the country can expect increased overseas investment and access to economic development aid, both of which should drive economic growth.

It’s fair to say, however, that Turkey has been enjoying something of a transformation even before their EU membership comes into effect. Slowly appearing amongst Istanbul’s extravagant Ottoman mosques and exotic bazaars are ultra-modern shopping malls, fashionable bars and sleek art galleries, all frequented by a young and culturally diverse crowd who have money and time to spend it; in turn, this makes Istanbul an attractive city break for foreigners, bringing in additional foreign currency.

Turkish is a language with over 63 million native speakers and is generally classified as a language of Category 2* difficulty for English speakers. For a country such as Turkey with strong cultural traditions and deeply rooted beliefs, the ability to communicate on a personal level through knowledge of Turkish gives anyone considering doing business here a distinct advantage.

South Korea: Korean

Finally, our look at emerging markets turns to Asia. While China’s growth shows signs of slowing, its trading partner South Korea last month (July 2013) boasted its fastest growth rate in over two years. This is partly thanks to the country being home to some of the world’s most successful hi-tech and manufacturing corporations – Samsung and Hyundai Motors among them – which contribute to South Korea’s buoyant export figures. As a language to invest in, Korean is rated at Category 3* difficulty for English speakers so more time and money is required to achieve a proficient working knowledge of the language. That said, the effort to speak the local language is rarely more appreciated than it is in Asia, especially in the business environment. Add to this the fact that linguistic training invariably includes an appreciation of the relevant social and cultural contexts and building bridges with a new market such as South Korea becomes far more feasible.

The British Foreign Office has recently re-opened its language centre and is dedicating more funding to linguistic training, believing that senior diplomats working abroad command much greater respect and credibility when they can speak the language of the country where they work. The same goes for businesses wishing to expand into new markets; having a workforce who can communicate with the locals in an overseas posting puts them streets ahead, not only in terms of business success but also on a more personal level of settling into a new territory should they be relocating.

* International bodies including the British Foreign Office and the US Foreign Service Institute grade languages according to their difficulty, assuming that students are native speakers of English: Category 1 (most similarity to English; mostly Western European languages); Category 2 (siginificant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English); Category 3 (exceptionally difficult, primarily due to the complex writing system).

Cactus specialises in organising language courses for individuals and groups, having done so since 1999 for clients all over the globe and for diverse needs and budgets. Our expertise in the field of face-to-face tuition is second-to-none. With an extensive network of approved teachers and a strong in-house academic team, we are able to tailor a language course to suit your specific learning needs, anywhere in the world and whenever is convenient to you.

Language training for the legal profession

Cactus has been designing and implementing language training programmes to a wide range of industries – including global corporation, SMEs and individuals – since 2000. Here, we look at our experience working with legal organisations in Europe and worldwide.

Over the years Cactus has organised language courses for individuals and groups all over the world, catering to all needs and interests. One of our great strengths is designing courses that cater to specific industries, delivering business-specific course content to firms in sectors as diverse as marketing, fashion, technology, mining and relocation. We understand that each of these industries requires language training in order to communicate more efficiently with colleagues and clients, but that the vocabulary, etiquette and business environment that go with this may be vastly different for each different sector.

It is here that our clients reap the benefit of our extensive network of qualified, native speaker trainers, who between them cover a multitude of skills and experience. This gives us the ability to match a trainer to a specific training request, no matter how niche the industry. In other words, we can always find the right person for the job.

One area in which we have had particular success with language training is Law. Our courses have covered sectors of the legal profession from corporate law through to intellectual property law, equipping employees with the precise skills they need to meet the demands of their legal roles head on – from articulating complex ideas to high level audiences to understanding the nuances of written and verbal communication within their industry.

The implementation of a training programme

Whether training is to take place on an individual or group basis, the first step will always be for Cactus to take time to find out more about the exact role, current legal projects and language ambitions of the invididual(s) involved. A training programme is then devised with course participants contributing ideas as to what they would like to cover, such that they are involved in their own course design from the outset and remain motivated throughout. The resulting course may be 1:1, group, in-company, online, full immersion or blended learning.

First-hand experience with law firms

A long-standing client for us in the UK is international law firm Olswang, for whom we are currently providing tuition in French, Spanish and German, while in the US we have provided Mandarin language tuition for San Francisco-based Cooley LLP. Our team has also provided language training to the legal counsels of some of the UK’s top financial institutions including Lloyds TSB, Barclays and Standard Chartered.

Having spoken more in depth with the Training Coordinator at Olswang, it is clear that delegates at their London office have enjoyed benefits from their language training both inside and outside the work place. Not only have classes been an ideal opportunity to network within the firm and meet people they wouldn’t have otherwise, they also provide valuable skills to enhance communication with overseas offices and international clients. Classes are set to continue into the future and expand to other areas as we continue to listen to and fulfill their language training needs.

Anyone within the legal profession wishing to discuss how language training can work for them can contact Cactus at either our UK or US offices. Please email contact@cactuslanguagetraining.com or call us on 0845 130 4775 (UK) or +1-888-577-8451 (US toll free). You can also Request a Quote or complete a Needs Analysis & we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Cactus specialises in organising language courses for individuals and groups, having done so since 1999 for clients all over the globe and for diverse needs and budgets. Our expertise in the field of face-to-face tuition is second-to-none. With an extensive network of approved teachers and a strong in-house academic team, we are able to tailor a language course to suit your specific learning needs, anywhere in the world and whenever is convenient to you.