ABSTRACT
This paper examines corporate and individual solutions to overcome language barriers in international business contexts. Specifically, attention is focused on decisions that go beyond 'English only'; in which context and why do languages other than English come into play? Qualitative interview data, collected from three Danish multinational corporations (MNCs), provides evidence that languages other than English are used and needed for several reasons, such as lacking English skills of interlocutors. A formalized language policy might help multinationals overcome the language barrier more efficiently and manage language effectively in the future.
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Index Terms
- The role of language(s) in business: three danish cases and their corporate language policies
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