Interview with exceptional language trainer Klaus Bylitza. The time will come and the pandemic will be over. The topic of internationalization will once again gain significant importance.

Exceptional language trainer Klaus Bylitza, who has already attracted attention through various reports in the press and on TV, is turning the language training industry upside down. His self-developed method, which is supposed to enable you to learn a language within a few days, has made us curious and prompted us to conduct a more detailed interview with him. Because one thing is clear: After the end of the pandemic, travel activity will increase again, and even in the now so practical video conferences with international participants, it is always an advantage to be able to communicate directly, confidently and without a translator.

Since current Corona developments are restricting the possibilities of engaging in external activities and seeking distraction, now is probably the most suitable time to expand your personal language skills or acquire them completely anew. After all, such soft skills can then be used effectively in professional or private life. Today, we talk to Klaus Bylitza, who speaks 16 languages and was a simultaneous interpreter in 5 languages, about the importance of foreign languages, conducting negotiations as a non-native speaker, skilled labor shortages in systemically relevant professions and the phrase “I would love to speak Spanish, but I don’t have the ‘time’!”

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Mr. Bylitza, you are certainly familiar with the phrase “I would love to speak Spanish”. Of course, the language can be replaced by any other. In your opinion, what is the reason why we are well aware of the horizon and interactional expansion that another language offers, but still cannot motivate ourselves to learn the one we want?

Klaus Bylitza: I always think back to myself: Up to high school graduation, 9 years of English and 5 years of French, which meant grammar, vocabulary learning and above all not making any mistakes. So I’d better say nothing. Then I was in Italy and Spain and realized that other languages are spoken there too. Very quickly I saw that you can get by in a conversation with just a few, but the right words. The same with my two daughters. A conversation in English after high school was only possible to a limited extent and then usually came an “uhm”. And if you are suddenly addressed in English, it’s better not to say anything, because you might make a mistake. And those will be marked in red, after all. And if the office phone rings with an international number, it’s best not to answer and pretend to be busy.
Take football as an example: I can only become a Champions League player if my coach points out as many mistakes as possible to me and trains them away with me. And not, as at school, where it then says: forget it, you’ll never learn it.
It is precisely these experiences that block us when learning and speaking. And with this experience, learning a new language, perhaps when you are already in your professional life… no thanks. The argument always comes up: I don’t have the “time”.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: When we consider global developments, in 10 years’ time Chinese will likely be at least as important as English is today. What role do languages play in this respect for top managers as a business aid?

Klaus Bylitza: Chinese will come much sooner. Why is Chinese more difficult? There’s no conjugation or declension, of course, but the real challenge in Chinese is that each vowel has four tones. Imagine you or your employee goes to China and speaks Chinese for the first three to four minutes before switching to English. That’s the fastest way to earn respect and high regard from the other person. Some companies have sent their employees to me. Within just two days, they were able to hold their first conversations confidently. Now imagine how motivated these people are when they spend a longer time on site. They get to know the country and culture from a completely different perspective because they’re speaking directly with the people there.

DIGITAL FUTURE: What sets you apart from other language trainers?

Klaus Bylitza: I’ve developed my own system, which I’ve been successfully applying for 14 years now. All language training is designed according to this system. With this method, my students speak complete sentences in the target language from the very first minute, combining them using a specific modular system. After two to three days, my students can confidently hold their first conversations in the new language and simply need to swap out vocabulary word by word. With such a wide variety of languages, I need a different approach—not just for myself, but also for my students. And it’s precisely this learning pace that I pass on to my students.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That’s certainly true—negotiating in the customer’s or business partner’s native language takes decision-makers to a “new, higher level.” Ultimately, negotiations are always about trust. And being able to literally speak the familiar, accustomed tones of someone from another country—this ability is probably the emotional bridge in this context.

Klaus Bylitza: I’d like to share my 18 years of international experience here—very often in leadership roles. I’d like to tell you about an experience I had in Neuchâtel. I had a meeting with the board of a tobacco company. I first tried speaking in German, then in English, and then in French (since it’s in the French-speaking part of Switzerland). I didn’t need to argue much after that—my competence was immediately recognized.

Or at an electrical engineering group, I was responsible for setting up agencies abroad for over 8 years. During visits to foreign customers, I always spoke in the language of the other person. Of course, I wasn’t perfect, certainly not fluent, but I was very quickly confident in negotiations. An export manager should be able to conduct such conversations without an interpreter, because direct and personal contact with the customer is the be-all and end-all and must not be underestimated.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That sounds impressive. Apart from the mother tongue, being equally fluent in one or more additional languages is, as experience shows, a huge challenge. But mastering foreign languages to the point where you can articulate your most important needs and feelings is probably not possible. How do interested parties benefit from your self-developed language training, and what makes it special?

Klaus Bylitza: After my course participants complete a 2-day language training of 8–10 hours with me, they can conduct their first conversations confidently. Each participant receives bilingual materials from me; from the very first minute, I only give them German sentences to translate into the target language using a specific modular system. I have professionalized this principle over many years, and all my courses and language trainings follow this pattern. It’s always amazing to see how quickly people adapt to this system and are able to speak their own sentences in no time.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Can you give us a practical example of when and how your 3-day crash course has already been used?

Klaus Bylitza: A few weeks ago, the owner of a company with over 200 employees called me and asked for business-level English training. In several 3-hour online sessions, we simulated business conversations in English. They were apparently quite successful. Shortly afterwards, I received an email asking me to train the 3 sales managers of this company—also online.A board member of a corporation from Vienna spent 2 days with me and we prepared a business presentation in English on the topic of quality management. He then delivered it in Moscow to over 100 selected executives. It’s worth noting that I trained this manager to give the greeting in Russian. The subsequent presentation then took place in a relaxed atmosphere—on both sides—in English.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Especially during the COVID-19 crisis, the care sector is desperately looking for skilled workers. What recommendations can you give to such institutions to recruit suitable, specialized staff? So far, language barriers—particularly with languages not widely taught in German schools—seem to be hindering the integration and hiring of qualified employees.

Klaus Bylitza: I think the fundamental problem is that the language trainers used do not speak the language, for example, of the nursing staff. Of course, the script – whether Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Farsi, etc. – presents an additional challenge.
All of my training sessions are based on our Latin alphabet, with the exception of Russian and Bulgarian. The key point is: once I can speak a language properly and see the need to write it as well, I have the necessary motivation.

I would like to give you an example here: at the end of 2015, many people came from Syria. I had to develop a German-Arabic training concept within 10 days. I then delivered 35 Arabic training sessions. This worked wonderfully. The advantage of my method is that it is very easy to understand and implement. The principle can also be applied to seemingly very complex or different languages.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Finally, I would like to ask you for 3 tips that committed language learners should definitely follow.

Klaus Bylitza: The key is probably to start by speaking with just a few words. These are the words: I am, I have, I want, I can… etc.
With these words, you can form entire sentences, ask questions and give answers. The important thing here is to recognize that we initially completely dispense with grammar and are simultaneously able to form complete, albeit short, sentences that you yourself can understand. If you manage to block out the German language and start with short, simple sentences and words, you are on a very good path. My method ensures that the language learner starts speaking very quickly. Our brain is programmed to better understand and remember things that we ourselves express. The best thing is to just get started. Of course, the language learner will also be corrected, especially in pronunciation, so that no mistakes creep in from the beginning.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Is learning foreign languages dependent on age?

Klaus Bylitza: Yes, definitely. Just not in the way that science describes it. Because the older we get, the more experience we have in remembering words and forming sentences. We can combine better. BUT: the older we get, the greater our mental blocks and prejudices about learning new languages, and the more afraid we are of making mistakes. Send a child – no matter what age – to France for 3 weeks. They come back speaking French and are really proud of it. Send a manager there for 6 months. They come back and say: I had an interpreter. Who do you think copes better with the country and its mentality? I think this is the core problem of many international collaborations.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What challenges have you set for yourself in 2021?

Klaus Bylitza: (laughs!) Thai and Farsi are still pending for me. My goal for the end of 2021: I want to train in 20 languages as a language trainer.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Many thanks for the inspiring insights into your diverse training offerings—or, to stick with the initial plan: Muchas gracias for the interview and see you soon, Mr. Bylitza.