Increase your marketability, fun with second language

Patty Williams | posted March 22, 2012 |

Travel therapists bring a multitude of marketable traits to their job to include: flexibility, experience working in multiple locations, exposure to different kinds of people and the ability to think “on the fly.” Therefore, learning a second language is a natural fit and only makes this already adventurous group more appealing to employers. Still further, a bilingual or even trilingual therapist adds a whole new level of opportunity and fun to the job.

In all seriousness, a second language allows allied health professionals to communicate with more patients and better meet their needs. The United States is an incredibly diverse place with dozens of languages spoken here by hundreds of thousands of people. In fact, three states are by de facto bilingual. In Maine, English and French are both legally recognized; in Louisiana, English and French are widely spoken and in New Mexico - although there is no official language - laws are published in English and Spanish, and the government materials and services are required to be accessible in both languages.

In many other states, like those bordering Mexico, Spanish is also widely spoken. California recognizes a multitude of languages and goes so far as to publish its Department of Motor Vehicles documentation in nine languages. Still more, their state documents are translated into Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Persian, Russian, Vietnamese and Thai.

To bring the conversation back to the traveling therapist, this discussion simply points to the reality that a therapist is very likely to run into people from many ethnicities in any given day and he or she may experience language barriers. It doesn’t take much, then, to understand that therapy can be all that more effective when the therapist and the patient are communicating with the same language.

Learning a new language has a number of benefits. It is fantastic for the brain because it keeps our grey matter healthy and alert. For example, a few years ago, the American Medical Association published a study done on repetitious "brain exercises," like language study, over six weeks. The researchers concluded that keeping mentally active improves memory and cognitive capacity.

Finally, learning a second language is fun! There is wonderful social enrichment and much laughter that occurs when traveling and actually using the language to communicate with native speakers. And a therapist doesn’t have to learn the language in a nearby college classroom—he or she can head to the native country. Imagine snorkeling in Cancun after a morning language class.

For all these reasons and more, we think traveling therapists should seriously consider studying a second language and adding more color, flavor and excitement to their already adventurous occupation.