Experts believe that trading overseas is the answer to sustaining economic recovery in the UK. Clearly, companies that can communicate effectively in other languages when targeting new markets will have the competitive edge - are you ready to take full advantage of export opportunities?

The UK economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2009 - not the most dramatic of increases, but at least we are technically out of recession. Predictions state that we will struggle to reach the 1.75% mark this year but experts are warning that if we expect recovery to come from the domestic market, we could be in for a very long wait.

National Bank of Australia (owners of Yorkshire Bank plc) cautions that strong economic recovery will come not from the weak domestic economy, but from British industries performing well on the global stage. Comtec believes this prediction presents both challenges and opportunities. On the positive side, there are signs of a significant pick-up in world trade, largely driven by China and Asia, and thanks to the depreciation of Sterling, UK companies in the export market are in a very strong position. The challenges lie in ensuring that UK companies are able to communicate effectively with their international counterparts. Only 6% of the world's population speaks English so British companies cannot assume that they will be able to conduct discussions in their mother tongue. Exporters will need to invest in their language capability if they are to take advantage of the opportunities highlighted by National Bank of Australia.

Companies that are proactive in their use of foreign languages can almost double their export sales.

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