John Dolan 
Job Title
Senior Communications Manager
Company and location
Women’s Tennis Association
Industry sector
Sport and leisure
What does your job involve?
Overseeing day-to-day communications for the WTA, the global governing body for professional women’s tennis. Planning major media opportunities in the UK and Europe, handling media queries, being a spokesperson for the sport.
How did you get into that area of work?
I’ve always loved tennis; I’ve been playing since I was 13. I studied Media, Communications and German at university and it hit me that I wanted tennis to be a career, not just a hobby. It’s a highly competitive industry – you need to believe in yourself and in what you want to do. To get a toe in the door, I asked the WTA for some work experience. I had to pester them for about a year but eventually they gave me ten weeks in their Florida office. They opened a London office around the time I graduated and I’ve been here ever since.
How and when did you gain your language skills?
I studied French and German at school and German as part of my degree.
How do you use your languages at work?
Tennis is an extremely international sport. As the governing body the WTA sends teams of people - from masseurs to press officers - to tournaments in more than 30 countries. I go to around 15 a year: the major championships, like Wimbledon and the US Open, plus some smaller ones. I handle all the PR for the players – press conferences and interview, for example. I use my languages speaking to journalists, games officials, dignitaries etc.
What are the advantages of being able to use foreign languages in your job?
English is the main language at international events, but my foreign language skills give me the edge over colleagues who speak English only. They make it easier for me to build good relationships with people and give me more credibility. I go to all the events in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It’s much easier for reporters there to do TV interviews in German than to arrange subtitles. My German also comes in handy in places like Belgium, as German and Flemish are quite similar. I don’t speak French very well but being able to understand it is a real advantage at press conferences etc.
How important do you think languages are for someone considering a career in sport?
Interpersonal skills are the most important thing in this job: you can’t be fazed by working with people like the Williams sisters. And being able to speak another language is part of having good interpersonal communication skills.
If you think everyone speaks English, try going to China or Poland! After English, Spanish is the next most commonly used language in international tennis, followed by Russian and Mandarin.
With the 2012 Olympics around the corner, we should be getting ready for the influx of people from other parts of the world: it’s our chance to be ambassadors for London and for the UK.