Companies work better with languages – Report of the Business Forum
for Multilingualism (European Commission
Business Forum, July 2008)
The main messages from the Business Forum,
established by the European Commission to inform developing
Multilingualism policy, were the following:
- Europe is running the risk
of losing competitiveness, as emerging economies mainly in Asia and
Latin America are rapidly acquiring solid language skills together
with other competences necessary for successful
competition.
- Formal and informal
learning of a wide range of languages should be actively promoted
in the EU Member States as the business sector needs an
increasingly diversified workforce. Language skills are crucial, if
tomorrow's workforce is to consider all of Europe their home
base.
- Language strategies need to
be endorsed at the highest management level in companies across
Europe. This can take the form, for instance, of investing in
language training, of employing native speakers and of ensuring
good multilingual communication via the Internet.
- Companies need support for
their efforts to use languages strategically, notably via the
networks and structures already in place. The role of national
export promotion organisations, such as trade councils, is
considered crucial in this respect.
- A European platform is
required for a structured exchange of information and of best
practices involving languages for business.
The report is the precursor to the Platform
for Business established in 2009.