ENGLISH may be the global language of business but it is not enough by itself for companies to gain a lasting presence in many markets, the European Commission says in a study released last month.
The study, compiled by the British National Centre for Languages for the EU executive, says over 10 per cent of 2,000 small and medium sized firms in 29 European countries sampled in the study have lost export contracts because of lack of language skills. The study says French is used to trade with partners in Africa, Spanish in Latin America, and Russian in eastern Europe.
“The picture is far more complex than the much-quoted view that English is the world language,” the study says.
Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban acknowledged that English plays a predominant role worldwide, but he wants to promote more linguistic diversity within the EU.
The EU’s linguistic headaches have exploded with the bloc’s expansion. Languages have become a sensitive topic in Brussels where English is increasingly eclipsing French as the main working language of the bloc’s institutions. Translation of EU documents into the bloc’s 23 official languages costs 1 billion euros (US$ 1.31 billion) a year.
“We want to be open not only to official languages of the Union, but also to others like regional languages, languages of minorities, immigrants’ languages and third countries’ languages,” Orband said.
Many EU students have improved their language skills during non-formal learning activities. Young people from more than 20 different nationalities travel across Europe to participate together in multicultural programmes, language courses, thematic workshops and other activities that are organized in about 100 cities. 21ST
