Report: Businesses Must do More to Embrace Language Skills

According to a recent report entitled Languages for the Future from the British Council, the UK is at a turning point. "Brexit" will not just fundamentally change its relationship with the countries of the EU, but also with the rest of the world.

Americans take note. Lest this be shrugged off as "just a British issue," both economies share remarkably similar profiles with respect to English language centricity. In a fast evolving global economy, multi-lingualism is increasingly a strategic and competitive edge in powering multinational growth.

The study concludes that "businesses can and should do more" to emphasize the value of foreign language skills. 

Some important highlights from the report:

• "As the United Kingdom looks to deepen and expand its trading ties with other nations, businesses must look to be more competitive. To increase productivity, the UK needs a workforce with the right set of technical knowledge and skills base in order to flourish. This includes the ability to work in a multilingual and culturally diverse marketplace, enabling firms to foster connections across borders. However, our foreign language capacity is not yet where it needs to be..."
• "As a world authority in English language teaching, it speaks volumes that the British Council is also championing the need to move beyond relying on English as a lingua franca.
• "International awareness and capability are increasingly important not only for the UK’s success on the global stage but for the success of businesses, organisations and individuals. The ability to function in more than one language is increasingly being seen not just as enabling a basic transaction but as a crucial component of a set of skills, attributes and knowledge required for success in the world today."
• "Languages deepen cultural understanding and open doors to international experience and opportunity for individuals, businesses and government. Business leaders and researchers have long made the case that, however important our national language has become as an international lingua franca, success in international trade requires more than just English, and that the ability to build relationships and understand other cultures are essential elements of success."

Dr Adam Marshall, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce, summed it up this way in the report: "As firms look to markets around the world, languages are becoming increasingly valuable. Employers are showing a growing interest in those skills."

The report warns that we must move past the old mantra that English is ‘the’ international language of business to understanding more about the importance of other languages and the many varied circumstances in which they are used in addition to or in preference to English.

Given that the British have a few hundred years more history with the English language in business than their American counterparts, this study provides yet another critical data point for strategic L&D and HR leaders globally. It emphasizes the need to ensure language skills are incorporated into their master plan for workforce self-development.

How is your company thinking about the strategic value of language learning and what are you doing to drive higher internal levels of proficiency? Share your thoughts below.

Download the full report here: The British Council: Languages for the Future