A multinational company’s language strategy should center around its ability to train employees and serve consumers while taking into account budgetary and expenditure considerations.
Global managers must address language-related concerns to foster productive international cooperation. They should consider how linguistic diversity might alter meetings or calls.
Cost
Language barriers can present multinational companies with a real challenge to global coordination. While some may choose English as their international corporate language, this can prove costly and ineffective unless there is a comprehensive translation strategy in place. Others may opt to use their native tongue as their international business language; however, this approach only works well if enough employees speak that specific dialect.
While many researchers focus on studying the impact of language on international business, other researchers take a more individual and social perspective when investigating this question. Akkermans and co-authors (2010) conducted experiments involving language priming to observe its impact on people’s thoughts and behavior – they discovered that an individual’s associations with key management concepts from the Anglophone world vary depending on which language they express them in.
Other researchers study the impact of language policy on companies’ absorptive capacities (Piekkari and Tietze 2013), while still other research examines emotional experiences in multinational corporations, including anxiety, doubt, and tension associated with using foreign languages (Neeley et al. 2012). Furthermore, other studies examine interplays between language use and variables like headquarters-subsidiary relationships (Harzing and Pudelko 2015) or knowledge transfer among subsidiaries (Reiche et al. 2015).
Efficiency
MNCs can select among several language strategies to overcome barriers in cross-cultural business operations. Native language communication may seem the obvious solution; it is a popular strategy among companies familiar with their target markets. Unfortunately, however, this method often proves ineffective for companies dealing with overseas customers due to miscommunication issues caused by this tactic alone. As a practical solution, MNCs should incorporate both native language communication and translation tools in their strategies in order to interact effectively with foreign customers. Furthermore, providing employees with proper training in both languages ensures effective communication among employees to ensure their company can interact with foreign customers effectively.
Language training can be enhanced by including cultural aspects in its curriculum. These could consist of cultural values, work habits, and beliefs of a country – the more an employee understands a country’s values and expectations, the better they will communicate with other employees and clients. Furthermore, training should address any cultural differences that impact communication within multinational companies.
One key goal of language training should be encouraging less-fluent speakers to be assertive when participating in meetings and to confirm their comments have been understood formally. They should also be enabled to use their native tongue as a source of clarity when necessary rather than relying on an English-speaking colleague for translation services.
Adaptability
Adaptability in the workplace is an invaluable skill that allows employees to stay ahead of trends and be ready for new challenges. People with adaptive qualities excel at thinking quickly on their feet and coming up with creative solutions on the fly; they can adjust their beliefs and attitudes according to circumstances; they’re also open to feedback from others – failing to do this could prevent employees from providing suggestions for improvement or suggesting innovative strategies that might benefit everyone involved.
To become more adaptable, you must be willing to open yourself up to new experiences and try new things that might initially seem terrifying. For example, try changing up your daily routine or starting conversations with strangers; furthermore, practice being adaptive by joining Toastmasters or participating in activities such as improvisation – these activities will teach you to think on your feet quickly in stressful situations while adapting accordingly.
One of the most significant obstacles to adaptability is the fear of losing one’s identity, especially among people accustomed to living within a specific culture, language, and traditions. While maintaining core values is essential, being open-minded towards new ideas and change should also be welcomed with open arms. Rigid people typically think their way is the only correct approach and often dismiss others who disagree with them outright or become hostile as opposed to being more adaptable individuals.
Communication
One solution to language barriers in multinational companies is relying on one’s native tongue; however, this approach has many drawbacks. First of all, it reduces communication efficiency; secondly, it may lead to miscommunication, mistrust, and frustration between parties; in extreme cases, this could even prompt employees to leave their jobs altogether! In order to reduce such issues, many businesses try establishing a common “lingua franca” among all their transactions.
Language research in international business has undergone profound change over time, shifting away from individualistic models of understanding language as an individual skill to an MNC-focused view in which multiple languages pervade organizational processes at group level and influence corporate practices through group processes such as co-located teams or global virtual workgroups; exploring topics like how linguistic diversity impacts team processes and outcomes (Tenzer and Pudelko 2017) or social categorization and identity formation among employees (Klitmoller et al. 2015).
Other scholars have used semiotic approaches to explore how specific language nuances communicate familiarity or alienation, studying the impact of miscommunication on employee emotional experience and knowledge-sharing activities; others have identified clusters within MNCs based on homophily – where members prefer interacting with those who share a common mother tongue (Makela et al. 2007).
