Talking the talk: Considering forced language-switching in the workplace

Abstract

In the modern global workplace, bilingual employees who speak a language in addition to the primary workplace language sometimes must switch between languages to bridge workplace language boundaries. This forced switching between languages often occurs without the bilingual employee getting credit, recognition, or training to do so. There is growing interest in language issues in business scholarship, however, prior work generally focused on language management strategies or singular foreign language use. The experiences of workers who must engage in multi-language use, particularly those forced to switch between languages, and implications for employers remain largely unexplored. Cognitive and emotional outcomes associated with the activity of switching between languages, both forced and voluntary, have been researched in fields such as experimental psychology, cognitive science, and applied linguistics. In the current paper, we integrate and apply this existing research in the context of the multilingual workplace. We present a novel, comprehensive theoretical model incorporating current findings from multiple fields and framing it within the theoretical foundation of Social Cognitive Theory. Finally, we discuss the implications of interdisciplinary findings regarding forced language-switching for the fields of human resources management and organizational behavior and suggest directions for future research.