Language and culture in British business
Communication, needs and strategies

Stephen Hagen

UK companies and organisations need to operate in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural global marketplace, which means developing a range of communication strategies to overcome barriers. This book investigates and measures the impact of language and cultural barriers on British trade and industry and how successful companies are developing strategies which help them succeed abroad.

Language and culture in British business presents the findings of the regional studies of language use in business carried out since 2001. It features case studies of companies and reviews the situation in other European countries following the REFLECT study of European international small and medium-sized enterprises and the British Chambers of Commerce language survey. It addresses:

• usage and availability of language skills;
• the match of language skills to export markets;
• barriers to trade and lost business due to deficient language skills and cultural knowledge;
• evidence of language planning and strategies;
• levels of language training undertaken and intended training;
• future intentions regarding export markets.

This wealth of material will help inform export advisers, language trainers, policymakers and researchers about the language and culture issues facing companies today. The data and information are supported by examples of companies implementing solutions to particular issues raised.

Contents

Introduction | The use of languages by UK business | Barriers to trade | Cultural barriers | The importance of international communication strategies | Key recommendations | Appendix 1: European survey data | Appendix 2: Glossary of common abbreviations

2005 | 100pp | ISBN-13: 978-1-904243-33-5 | ISBN-10: 1-904243-33-9 | £15 | Order this title online

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