The multilingual reality of the multinational workplace: language policy and language use

Abstract

In the multinational corporation (MNC) context the crossing of linguistic boundaries and the fast-paced change of linguistic ecologies due to market trends and new business activities is the rule rather than the exception. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to discuss language policy and language practice in one consortium of three multinational companies and to problematise the extent to which the dynamics of language use are reflected in the companies' language policy. The paper draws on interview and questionnaire data and discusses the employees' perceptions of language practices in their workplace context and the perceived implications of the companies' official policy. The analysis shows that the language policy in these MNCs is constructed as being flexible where both employees and managers typically take a ‘what works’ approach regarding language practice. Special attention is paid here to the use of local languages in relation to English which is the official working language. The analysis shows that employees construct multilingualism as a ‘given reality’ and as an ‘opportunity’ and foreground the social aspect of non-L1 language use in the workplace. The paper closes by problematising the concept of de jure language policy and its strategic (non)implementation in the case discussed here.