In the following, three major research reports regarding foreign language skills in international business will be presented. The first, ‘ELAN: Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise’ uses Europe as a point of departure, but includes Norway. The second report ‘Foreign Languages in Norwegian Business –English is not enough!’ (FiN) is aiming at giving directions to Norwegian companies in particular.
Thirdly, the UK research study of language skills management in major companies ‘Talking Sense’ will be introduced. Parts of the results from these surveys are included throughout the remainder of this paper.
6.1 ELAN: Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise
ELAN gives us the most comprehensive survey of the use of, and need for, languages and cultural knowledge ever carried out. The survey was commissioned by the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission in December 2005. The survey was undertaken by CILT, the UK National Centre for Languages, in collaboration with InterAct International and an international team of researchers. Its objective was to provide the Commission and decision-makers in Member States with practical information and analysis of the use of language skills by SMEs as well as MNCs and the impact on business performance (ELAN, 2006: 4).
ELAN combined a telephonic survey with up to 100 respondents from each of the 29 selected European countries, including Norway. The respondents were questioned on approaches to the use of language skills, intercultural competence, awareness of language strategies, loss of business owing to lack of language skills, future exporting intentions and projected requirements for further language skills. The total number of respondents was 2000, all from exporting SMEs. This was supplemented by in-depth studies of 30 major multinational companies, and with interviews of five key persons from each of the 29 participating countries. For each country, a review of the findings by five ‘influencers’ drawn
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from that country’s business, educational and political institutions, allowing a distillation of recommendations for action at local, regional, national and European level is presented.
In the 2006 ELAN survey, it was found that Norwegians’ dependency on English is greater than that of other European countries. This reflects most likely the changes in the Norwegian school system the last decades. In 1976, it was mandatory to study two foreign languages (including English). After the school reforms of Reform 94 and LK06, the situation changed, and English is now at best a mandatory subject for graduating from high school.
Simultaneously, almost all the respondents to ELAN agree on ‘language skills from high school appear to be inadequate in all languages’, from 1973 to ELAN 2006 (FiN, 2007).
In ELAN it is stated that investment in language skills represents one of the fixed costs of exporting to certain countries.
The ELAN study focuses on the relationship between language skills and the economy and seeks to address questions like in the following:
• What is the economic impact of language and cultural barriers to trade?
• To what extent does the availability or non-availability of personnel skilled in different languages, and their level of linguistic competence, affect trade and mobility?
• What is the relative value of English compared with other languages which are useful in a business context?
• How can one measure the economic benefits of linguistic competence to trading companies and to the country’s economy as a whole?
• What are the facilitating and/or inhibiting factors for companies of all sizes in trading across, and outside, Europe?
• Which communication strategies are the most effective?
• What measures would facilitate better communication and support the mobility of labour, goods and services both within Europe and to a wider world?
• What are the longer term economic implications of taking no action?
These questions are also central in the survey conducted in relation to this report and will be presented in the following chapter.
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6.2 Foreign languages in Norwegian Business –English is not enough
The survey behind the report ‘Foreign languages in Norwegian Business: English is not enough’ (FiN, 2007) was undertaken in December, 2005. The first strategy plan for foreign languages in Norway, ‘Languages open doors’ initiated the research project aimed at identifying and explaining the use and need of foreign language competencies in Norwegian business. FiN is a needs assessment aimed at giving directions to Norwegian companies for introducing measures on strategic language management. The most important measure is, according to the author, that the companies and their organizations clearly state that they need employees with qualitatively better language English skills, and more employees mastering foreign languages. In higher education it is important that the educational institutions become aware of the fact that they are educating students who are going to operate in an increasingly international business- and community life, and that many current students will have English as their working language. The survey shows that this is particularly important in the educational institutions in higher education that are staffing companies within the exporting- and importing- sectors, like engineering and economics.
A main point Hellekjær is pointing at in FiN is that Norwegians are not as fluent in English as they believe they are. This survey proves that many supposedly well-educated employees in the export- and import businesses frequently face problems due to their insufficient English skills. The major findings in FiN prove that languages have low status in business. However, language skills are essential for successful business operations. It seems as if the businesses hire people after other criteria than language capabilities. The natural consequences are lacking language competencies in Norwegian companies (Lie and Skjoldmo, 1982: 28). The companies use the languages that the employees master, regardless of the language area they are selling to.
6.3 Talking sense –focus on multinationals
The British Learning and Skills Council recognized the importance of language skills in developing the UK workforce. The Council commissioned the report ‘Talking sense’ from CILT in 2005, as they thought there were lessons to be learned from good practice among
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multinationals, whether in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. The research focuses on six best-practice companies4 that lead the way by demonstrating the benefits that accumulate when language skills are an integral element in business planning. Best practice multinationals can lead the way in illustrating how clear strategic planning and business-led investment in skills development play a crucial part in improving business effectiveness and competitive edge.
The Talking Sense report demonstrates that this principle also holds in respect of language skills.
Employees are working in an international environment. Talking Sense prove by empirical evidence that language skills add value for the employability of the individual, and for the competitiveness of the company. Conformingly to the argumentation in the Talking Sense survey report (Feely and Winslow, 2005), this thesis discusses why language competencies are an essential and necessary part of strategic business planning and personal education portfolios and not just a ‘luxury’.
4AstraZeneca, the BMW Group, Deutsche Bank, Eversheds, Gazeley Properties and GlaxoSmithKline
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