A Wren Says

I could understand slightly, but I didn’t have the words to reply. I instantly regretted not taking my French classes more seriously. Else, I ‘d be able to make that sale. Or go for that job. But alas, here I am, a shameful monolingual English speaker. But with the world we’re living in, that needs to change pronto. There are three languages I want to learn to excel in retail and fashion in the U.S.

I won’t bury the lead. It’s Spanish, Mandarin, and French.

I think Spanish is an obvious one, given the large number residents and visitors who are primarily Spanish-speaking. They want to spend their money, too. But there are also a lot of speakers of Mandarin who are also coming by. I want to help them navigate the shopping experience more efficiently and have the opportunity to build a rapport with them. The more welcomed they feel and the easier time they have, the more more likely they’ll be to buy.

French might seem like a less likely language. Yes, there will be some guests in stores from French-speaking countries. Absolutely. But for me, I see French as key because it is the main language for many brands. If I want to move up at all in the fashion industry, I need to prove that I have fluency in French as a language of commerce.

I am starting small to improve my understandings of these languages. Products like Duolingo and Babbel have helped me get a base understanding. I also rely on fashion oriented YouTube videos to learn words. I think a next step for me will be to develop a list of key phrases that I want to communicate and then translate those in to each of the languages.

I have made a clear admission here that this is something I want to do to grow, so that settles it. If you have any resources for learning fashion related terms in other languages, share your suggestions in the comments.