Section 1. Guidelines for reading texts on the use of international English in European business
With the continuing globalisation of markets and internationalisation of trade, professionals in a wide range of organisations, from large multinational corporations to small to medium size enterprises, are increasingly coming together to do business in the international workplace, frequently adopting a common language of communication. More often than not, this lingua franca is English. While English for International Business (EIB) has an essential function as a lingua franca in multilingual settings, it can also present challenges both linguistically and culturally, particularly as more and more interactions are between speakers whose first language is not English.
P. Rogerson-Revell’s paper reports on preliminary research which forms part of a larger scale study investigating the use of English as a lingua franca in international business meetings. The paper summarises the findings of a questionnaire exploring the use of EIB by a particular European business organisation.
P. Rogerson-Revell’s limited findings can help shed light on some of the language issues that may be present in such international contexts and the possible communications difficulties and frustrations that can result. A positive result is that, as well as uncovering some of these challenges, the analysis also shows an awareness by many participants of some of the strategies that can be used to overcome them.
Text 1-19. USING ENGLISH FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: A EUROPEAN CASE STUDY
(After P. Rogerson-Revell’s article in English for Specific Purposes, #26, 2007)