Language policy evaluation in business settings

Vermandere, Dieter; Vangehuchten, Lieve; Van Herck, Rebecca

doi:https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2019.3

European Journal of Language Policy (2019), 11, (1), 25–46.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2019.3
Language: English
Pages: 22

Abstract

Globalisation and internationalisation are important considerations for companies. If they want to increase their export, recruit foreign employees or start a foreign subsidiary, they will need to think about a suitable language policy to establish an effective and efficient communication with and between their employees. In this article, we discuss recent research related to language policy in multinational companies. First, we list several language management strategies used in companies based on the research of Harzing, Köster and Magner (2011). We illustrate this list with recent case studies, which articulate a range of problems and situations that companies are confronted with. In the following section, we discuss the need for an evaluation of language policies within a business setting. We focus on the analytical framework of François Grin and Michele Gazzola, who have written several articles and books about this need. We connect these ideas to recent case studies in a business setting. We conclude our article with the suggestion that there is a research gap concerning the evaluation of language policies, especially in the context of multinationals.

La globalisation et l’internationalisation sont des concepts clés pour les entreprises actuelles. Les conséquences linguistiques sont considérables : si les entreprises veulent augmenter leur taux d’exportation ou commencer une filiale à l’étranger et recruter des employés locaux, elles devront réfléchir à une politique linguistique adéquate afin d’instaurer une communication effective et efficace avec et entre le personnel. Dans cet article, nous donnons un aperçu d’études récentes dans le domaine de la politique linguistique au sein d’entreprises multinationales. A ce propos, nous faisons d’abord l’inventaire de plusieurs stratégies de politique linguistique en prenant comme point de départ la recherche de Harzing, Köster, et Magner (2011). Ensuite, nous exposons des études de cas, qui servent comme illustration de ces stratégies et qui montrent également la nature des problèmes et situations auxquelles les entreprises se voient confrontées. Dans la section suivante, nous examinons la nécessité d’une évaluation des politiques linguistiques dans un contexte d’entreprise. Nous partons du cadre analytique tel qu’il a été élaboré par François Grin et Michele Gazzola, deux auteurs qui ont écrit plusieurs articles et livres à ce sujet. En guise de conclusion, nous suggérons qu’un besoin de plus de recherche concernant l’évaluation des politiques linguistiques s’impose, notamment dans le contexte des entreprises multinationales.

Read now (free)

If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

References

Angouri, J. (2013) ‘The Multilingual Reality of the Multinational Workplace: Language Policy and Language Use’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 34: 564–81. Google Scholar

Barner-Rasmussen, W. and Aarnio, C. (2011) ‘Shifting the Faultlines of Language: A Quantitative Functional-Level Exploration of Language Use in MNC Subsidiaries’, Journal of World Business 46: 288–95. Google Scholar

Berthoud, A.-C., Grin, F., and Lüdi, G. (eds) (2013) Exploring the Dynamics of Multilingualism: The DYLAN Project. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar

Charles, M. (2007) ‘Language Matters in Global Communication’, Journal of Business Communication 44: 260–82. Google Scholar

Crowley, M., Yurova, Y. and Finning Golden, C. (2015) ‘IFRS without an International Financial Reporting Language (IFRL): Evidence of Multiculturalism and a Lack of Global Transparency in the EU’, Studies in Communication Sciences 15: 53–60. Google Scholar

Davignon, E. (2008) Languages mean Business. Companies work Better with Languages. Recommendations from the Business Forum for Multilingualism established by the European Commission [Brochure]. Brussels: European Commission. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/nl/node/3163 (accessed 10 June 2018). Google Scholar

De Korne, H. (2012) ‘Improving Language Policy and Planning through Evaluation: Approaches to evaluating Minority Language Policies’, Working Papers in Educational Linguistics 27(2): 38–55. Google Scholar

Du-Babcock, B., and Babcock, R.D. (1996) ‘Patterns of Expatriate-Local Personnel Communication in Multinational Corporations’, Journal of Business Communication 33: 141–64. Google Scholar

Ehrenreich, S. (2010) ‘English as a Business Lingua Franca in a German Multinational Corporation: Meeting the Challenge’, Journal of Business Communication 47: 408–31. Google Scholar

EU Language Legislation. (2016) 7 June. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/translating/legislation/index_en.htm (accessed 10 June 2018). Google Scholar

European Commission (2012) Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and their Languages [Report]. Brussels, Belgium. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf (accessed 10 June 2018). Google Scholar

Feely, A.J. and Harzing, A.-W. (2003) ‘Language Management in Multinational Companies’, Cross Cultural Management 10(2): 37–52. Google Scholar

Ferguson, G. (2012) ‘English in Language Policy and Management’, in B. Spolsky (ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 475–98. Google Scholar

Gazzola, M. (2006) ‘Managing Multilingualism in the European Union: Language Policy Evaluation for the European Parliament’, Language Policy 5: 393–417. Google Scholar

Gazzola, M. (2014) The Evaluation of Language Regimes: Theory and Application to Multilingual Patent Organisations. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar

Gazzola, M. and Grin, F. (2007) ‘Assessing Efficiency and Fairness in Multilingual Communication. Towards a General Analytical Framework’, AILA Review 20: 87–105. Google Scholar

Gazzola, M. and Grin, F. (2013) ‘Is ELF more Effective and Fair than Translation? An Evaluation of the EU’s Multilingual Regime’, International Journal of Applied Linguistics 23: 93–107. Google Scholar

Grin, F. (2008) ‘Principles of Policy Evaluation and their Application to Multilingualism in the European Union’, in X. Arboz (ed.) Respecting Linguistic Diversity in the European Union. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 73–84. Google Scholar

Grin, F. and Gazzola, M. (2010) ‘Criteria-Based Comparison in Language Policy: Principles and Methodology’ Working Papers of the DYLAN project 5 (Deliverable 1.5): 10–45. Available at: www.dylan-project.org (accessed 10 June 2018). Google Scholar

Grin, F. and Gazzola, M. (2013a) ‘Assessing Efficiency and Fairness in Multilingual Communication: Theory and Application through Indicators’, in A.-C. Berthoud, F. Grin, and G. Lüdi (eds) Exploring the Dynamics of Multilingualism. The DYLAN Project. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 365–86. Google Scholar

Grin, F. and Gazzola, M. (2013b) ‘The DYLAN Linguistic Indicators [online appendix to Grin and Gazzola 2013a; PowerPoint slides]’ In A.-C. Berthoud, F. Grin, and G. Lüdi (eds) Exploring the Dynamics of Multilingualism. The DYLAN Project. Available at: http://www.dylan-project.org/Dylan_en/GAZZOLA_GRIN_DYLANindicators.pdf (accessed 10 June 2018). Google Scholar

Grin, F., Sfreddo, C. and Vaillancourt, F. (2010) The Economics of the Multilingual Workplace. New York: Routledge. Google Scholar

Hagen, S. (2006) ELAN: Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise. London: CILT/National Centre for Languages. Google Scholar

Hagen, S. (2011) PIMLICO: Report on Language Management Strategies and Best Practice in European SMEs. Report. Brussels: European Commission. Google Scholar

Harzing, A.-W. and Feely, J. (2008) ‘The Language Barrier and its Implications for HQ-Subsidiary Relationships’, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal 15: 49–61. Google Scholar

Harzing, A.-W., Köster, K. and Magner, U. (2011) ‘Babel in Business: The Language Barrier and its Solutions in the HQ-Subsidiary Relationship’, Journal of World Business 46: 279–87. Google Scholar

Heugh, K. (2011) ‘Theory and Practice: Language Education Models in Africa: Research, Design, Decision-making and Outcomes’, in A. Ouane and C. Glanz (eds) Optimising Learning, Education and Publishing in Africa: The Language Factor. A Review and Analysis of Theory and Practice in Mother-Tongue and Bilingual Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 105–56. Google Scholar

Hincks, R. (2010) ‘Speaking Rate and Information Content in English Lingua Franca Oral Presentations’, English for Specific Purposes 29: 4–18. Google Scholar

Hultgren, A.K. (2014) ‘Whose Parallellingualism? Overt and Covert Ideologies in Danish University Language Policies’, Multilingua 33: 61–87. Google Scholar

Itani, S., Järlström, M. and Piekkari, R. (2015) ‘The Meaning of Language Skills for Career Mobility in the New Career Landscape’, Journal of World Business 50: 368–78. Google Scholar

Jeanjean, T., Stolowy, H., Erkens, M., and Yohn, T.L. (2015) ‘International Evidence on the Impact of Adopting English as an External Reporting Language’, Journal of International Business Studies 46: 180–205. Google Scholar

Kingsley, L. (2013) ‘Language Choice in Multilingual Encounters in Transnational Workplaces’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 34: 533–48. Google Scholar

Koveshnikov, A., Barner-Rasmussen, W., Ehrnrooth, M. and Mäkelä, K. (2012) ‘A Framework of Successful Organizational Practices in Western Multinational Companies operating in Russia’, Journal of World Business 47: 371–82. Google Scholar

Ku, H. and Zussman, A. (2010) ‘Lingua Franca: The Role of English in International Trade’, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 75: 250–60. Google Scholar

Latuhka, M., Doleeva, A., Järlström, M., Jokinen, T. and Piekkari, R. (2016) ‘Does Corporate Language Influence Career Mobility? Evidence from MNCs in Russia’, European Management Journal 34: 363–73. Google Scholar

Lockwood, J. (2012) ‘Are we Getting the Right People for the Job? A Study of English Language Recruitment Assessment Practices in the Business Processing Outsourcing Sector: India and the Philippines’, Journal of Business Communication 49: 107–27. Google Scholar

Lønsmann, D. (2014) ‘Linguistic Diversity in the International Workplace: Language Ideologies and Processes of Exclusion’, Multilingua 33: 89–116. Google Scholar

Mettewie, L., and Van Mensel, L. (2009) ‘Multilingualism at all Costs: Language Use and Language Needs in Business in Brussel’, Sociolinguistica 23: 131–49. Google Scholar

Nelson, M. (2014) ‘“You Need Help As Usual, Do You?”: Joking and Swearing for Collegiality in a Swedish Workplace’, Multilingua 33: 173–200. Google Scholar

Peltokorpi, V. (2007) ‘Intercultural Communication Patterns and Tactics: Nordic Expatriates in Japan’, International Business Review 16: 68–82. Google Scholar

Peltokorpi, V. (2010) ‘Intercultural Communication in Foreign Subsidiaries: The Influence of Expatriates’ Language and Cultural Competencies’, Scandinavian Journal of Management 26: 176–88. Google Scholar

Piekkari, R., Oxelheim, L. and Randøy, T. (2015) ‘The Silent Board: How Language Diversity may influence the Work Processes of Corporate Boards’, Corporate Governance: An International Review 23: 25–41. Google Scholar

Piekkari, R., Welch, D.E., Welch, L.S., Peltonen, J.-P. and Vesa, T. (2013) ‘Translation Behaviour: An Exploratory Study within a Service Multinational’, International Business Review 22: 771–83. Google Scholar

Piller, I., and Lising, L. (2014) ‘Language, Employment, and Settlement: Temporary Meat Workers in Australia’, Multilingua 33: 35–59. Google Scholar

Reeves, N. and Wright, C. (1996) Linguistic Auditing: A Guide to Identifying Foreign Language Communication Needs in Corporations. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar

Reithofer, K. (2013) ‘Comparing Modes of Communication: The Effect of English as a Lingua Franca vs. Interpreting’, Interpreting 15: 48–73. Google Scholar

Ricento, T. (ed.) (2006) An Introduction to Language Policy: Theory and Method. Malden, MA: Blackwell. Google Scholar

Rubin, J. (1971) ‘Evaluation and Language Planning’, in J. Rubin and H. Jernudd (eds), Can Language Be Planned? Sociolinguistic Theory and Practice for Developing Nations. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 217–52. Google Scholar

Saulière, J. (2014) ‘Corporate Language: The Blind Spot of Language Policy? Reflections of France’s Loi Toubon’, Current Issues in Language Planning 15: 220–35. Google Scholar

Spolsky, B. (2009) Language Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar

Tange, H. and Lauring, J. (2009) ‘Language Management and Social Interaction within the Multilingual Workplace’, Journal of Communication Management 13: 218–32. Google Scholar

Van Mulken, M. and Hendriks, B. (2015) ‘Your Language or Mine? Or English as a Lingua Franca? Comparing Effectiveness in English as a Lingua Franca and L1-L2 Interactions: Implications for Corporate Language Policies’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 36: 404–22. Google Scholar

Yoshihara, H., Okabe, Y. and Sawaki, S. (2001) Eigo de Keieisuru Jidai – Nihon Kigyo no Chosen [The Age of Business Management in English – The Challenge for Japanese Companies]. Tokyo: Yuhikaku. Google Scholar

Zhang, L.E. and Peltokorpi, V. (2016) ‘Multifaceted Effects of Host Country Language Proficiency in Expatriate Cross-Cultural Adjustments: A Qualitative Study in China’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management 27: 1448–69. Google Scholar

If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Details

Author details

Vermandere, Dieter

Vangehuchten, Lieve

Van Herck, Rebecca

European Journal of Language Policy