INTERNATIONAL
Mindyour language
Rosalind Russell discovers linguistic talents in estate agency
E
state agents have been accused of many things, but glossolalia sounds like something that might get you arrested. Cleverclogs will know it means ‘speaking in tongues’ and it is usually
associated with charismatic religions. However, agents – charismatic or not – have an extraordinary talent for speaking in tongues – or more accurately, speaking different languages. In fact, as an agent, if you can’t manage a conversation in a language other than English, look away now to avoid embarrassment. Some agencies boast more than
20 languages with many fluent staff, not just a rusty rendering of ‘un bier blond, s’il vous plait’. Foxtons claim an astonishing 43 languages, so far, they haven’t been stumped by an unknown tongue.
“Rather than having someone with a languages degree you need
a French speaking person who understands the nuances and culture.” RODDY ARIS WINKWORTH, FReNcH DeSK
Roddy Aris runs the French desk at
Winkworth, now in its third year. To be fair to the O-level Franglais speakers among us, it must be said he was born in France, of a 100 per cent French mum and a half French/Canadian and British father. “I was brought up bi-lingual,” admits
Aris, who was brought in by Winkworth to kick-start the French/International side of the business. “Rather than having someone who went to university and got a languages degree, in this business you need a French- speaking person who understands the
42 MARCH 2011 PROPERTYdrum
If you can’t manage a conversation in a language other than English, look away now to avoid embarrassment.’
nuances of the language and culture.” It takes a native, he thinks, to translate
colloquialisms. How else could you explain to someone about keeping a confidence under his chapeau? Aris, who took his degree in Spanish, is the first stop in London for bewildered French buyers, relocating to London, unfamiliar with our labyrinthine leases, pre-war plumbing or postcode snobbery. He also works with the company’s French franchisees and associates and assists British buyers looking for a home across the Channel.
“We have seen a 25 per cent increase in our online registrations
from international buyers wanting to take advantage of the buyers’ market.” eD MeAD DIRecTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON
GLObAL FLUeNcY Such is the global nature of the nation’s property market, estate agents now have to be fluent in many languages other than English, if they hope to snatch customers from under the noses of their rivals. Ed Mead, director of Douglas & Gordon
in London, says 50 per cent of their sales in the capital are to foreign buyers. “We have seen a 25 per cent increase in online registrations from international buyers since this time last year, as international clients want to take advantage of the best buying conditions in a decade.” The staff across the network of D&G
branches speak 14 different languages, but more staff have been recruited with specialist languages such as Russian and Hindi. While French, German, Italian and Spanish are well represented in the agents’ repertoire of talents, more far-flung tongues, including Shona, Zulu, Afrikaans, Nigerian, Cantonese, Croatian, Tamil and Swahili get a regular airing.
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