Presentation for Languages Sheffield, 28/11/13

1. Natalie Wilmot
28th November 2013

2. Personna
PCL
Cater Allen
Private Bank,
owned by
Santander
Riba Farré
(Barcelona)
Sheffield
Hallam
University

3. Globally, over two thirds of
exporters have less than 20
employees
(Daniels et al, 2013)
... Although a 2012 study
suggested that 60% of SMEs
questioned plan to begin
trading in a new overseas
market over next three years
(Hagen et al, 2013)
Currently in the UK, 64% of
SMEs only trade domestically
(Telegraph, 2013)
40 % of those questioned
suggested they would need
foreign language skills to help
them achieve their goals
(Hagen et al, 2013)
In a poll of 500 UK SMEs only
6% said overseas trade was a
key target for their business
next year... (Telegraph, 2013)
In the Sheffield City Region,
95% of employment is
provided by just over 54,000
SMEs
(FDI Intelligence, 2013)

4. Very High Impact
Low Impact
Limited information to locate/analyze
markets
Meeting export production quality
standards/specs
Inability to contact overseas customers
Lack of excess production capacity for
exports
Identifying foreign business opportunities
Verbal/nonverbal language differences
Difficulty in matching competitors prices
Excessive transportation/insurance costs
Different foreign customer habits/attitudes
Poor/deteriorating economic conditions
abroad
Political instability in foreign markets
Leonidou, 2004

5. Very
little!
However it mainly focuses
on survey data looking at
which languages SMEs use
and frequency
Academic literature not
particularly concerned with
the topic
There's a
lot it
doesn't
tell us...
Not really explored how it
impacts on relationships in
business, although Incelli
(2008) suggests language is
a barrier
Some
data
exists...

6. 





Shows an interest in the culture and customer’s
country, and often smooths the path of
negotiation by facilitating social contacts
Allows a relationship of trust to develop
Improves the flow of communication both to and
from the market
Improves ability to understand the ethos and
business practices of the market
Improves ability to negotiate and adapt product
and service offerings to meet the specific needs
of the customer
Gives a psychological advantage in selling
Turnbull, 1981 cited in Swift, 1991

7. Language
Control Policies
Bridging
Individuals
Third Party
Resources
Lingua franca
Language
Nodes
External
language
resources
Functional
multilinguism
Selective
Recruitment
Machine
translation
Controlled
language
Expatriate
Management
Common
corporate
language
Inpatriation
Training
Wilmot, 2013 based on Feely and Harzing, 2003

8. BELF is a neutral language (Kankaanranta
and Louhiala-Salminen 2007)
Grammatical correctness is not
important, and it can be used to "get
things done"
It is owned by the international business
community, not native speakers
English cannot be viewed as a neutral
language (Tietze, 2004)
It is still bound up with power and is a
form of hegemony (Pennycook, 2007)

9. 









1 Spanish
2 Arabic
3 French
4 Mandarin Chinese
5 German
6 Portuguese
7 Italian
8= Russian
8= Turkish
10 Japanese
British Council, 2013

10. “It felt like… half of
our professional
competence had
been taken away
when we had to use a
language that was
not our own native
tongue. You felt like
an idiot…” (Vaara et
al, 2005:609)
Lack of
competence may
cause loss of
face (Kameda,
2005)
Can be
challenging to
participate fully
(Charles, 2007)
Task oriented
approach may
cause "thin
communication"
(Bouchien de
Groot, 2012)
Code switching
may be viewed
as deviant
behaviour

11. Poster on the Wall of Beijing Language and Cultural
University, cited in British Council (2013)

12. 
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Bouchien de Groot, E (2012) Personal Preference or Policy? Language choice in a European-based international organization, Corporate
Communications: An International Journal, 17(3), 256-271
British Council (2013) Languages for the Future [online] available at
http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/languages-for-the-future-report.pdf last accessed 27th November 2013

Charles, M (2007) Language Matters in Global Communication, Journal of business Communication, 44(3), 260-282

Daniels, JD, Radebaugh, LH and Sullivan, DP (2013) International Business: Environments and Operations, 14 th Edition. Pearson, Essex
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FDI Intelligence (2013) A Revival Made in Sheffield [online] available at http://www.fdiintelligence.com/Special-Reports/2013/SheffieldCity-Region2 last accessed 27th November 2013
Hagen, S, Angouri, J, Dippold, D and Aponte-Moreno, M (2013) ARCTIC: Assessing and Reviewing Cultural Transaction in International
Companies [online] available at https://www.surrey.ac.uk/arctic/files/arctic_final_report.pdf last accessed 28th November 2013
Incelli, E (2008) Foreign language management in Lazio SMEs, Language Policy, 7(2), pp99-120
Kameda, N (2005) A research paradigm for international business communication, Corprate Communications: An International Journal,
10(2), 168-182
Kankaanranta, A and Louhiala-Salminen, L (2007) Business Communication in BELF, Business Communication Quarterly, 70(1), 55-59
Leonidou (2004) An Analysis of the Barriers Hindering Small Business Export Development, Journal of Small Business Management, 42(3),
279 – 302
Pennycook, A (2007) The Myth of English as an International Language, in Makoni, S and Pennycook, A (eds) Disinventing and
Reconstituting Languages. Clevedon, Multilingual Matters
Swift, JS (1991) Foreign Language Ability and International Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, 25(12), 36 -49
Telegraph (2013) Can British business double exports by 2020? [online] available at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10439497/Can-British-business-double-exports-by-2020.html last accessed 28th
November 2013
Tietze, S (2004) Spreading the Management Gospel – In English, Language and Intercultural Communication, 4(3) 175-189
Vaara, E, Tienari, J, Piekkari, R and Santti, R (2005) Language and the Circuits of Power in a Merging Multinational Corporation, Journal of
Management Studies, 42:3, pp595-623
Wilmot, N (2013) Professional Identity and Language Competence: A Theoretical Framework for the Relationship. Paper presented at the
7th International GEM&L conference, Identities, Languages and Company Cultures: Cohesion through Diversity?, Marseille, 21-22 March.
Unpublished