British firms lack foreign-language skills

Citation

(2003), "British firms lack foreign-language skills", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.2003.00327aab.010

British firms lack foreign-language skills

British firms lack foreign-language skills

British businesses would be able to compete more successfully in the international arena if they had staff who could speak foreign languages and understood other business cultures, according to research carried out by Oxford-based ESCP-EAP European School of Management.

ESCP-EAP conducted research into the need for foreign-language skills in UK businesses that export to non-English-speaking countries. It found that most companies lacked employees who could speak the same language as their customers.

The survey was undertaken among 150 English-speaking businesses. Results showed that 35 per cent of companies conduct more than half their business with non-English-speaking countries, but 54 per cent have fewer than five employees who can speak a foreign language fluently.

Most businesses approached in the survey could cite occasions where the input of a fluent foreign-language speaker was needed for clarification in dealings with non-British companies. More than 55 per cent of those questioned expected that their businesses would grow if senior management spoke a foreign language and had greater awareness of international business cultures.

The problem of learning foreign languages in Britain is deep rooted in the education system, with the number of people taking modern-language A-levels or degrees declining rapidly each year.

Germany was listed top in the survey as the country that would hold the most potential if businesses had the capabilities to overcome the language barrier. The managing director of the German-British Chamber of Commerce, Ulrich Hoppe, said:

If British businesses had staff who could converse in their clients' own language, ultimately they would gain more contracts. However, nowadays there is a shortage of British multi-linguists.

Valérie Favrolt, of the French Embassy in London, said "In a world dominated by the English language, being an English speaker can be seen as an advantage. Yet the command of English is a skill shared by millions who possess at least one other language, meaning that they have an additional competence that British students could also benefit from acquiring".