English in Europe. Volume 5 English in Business and Commerce: Interactions and Policies

This volume fills an important gap in exploring English in the domains of business and commerce through the prism of sociolinguistics and the sociology of language, as opposed to analyzing business genres or taking a linguodidactic approach. It expands the regional coverage of English in Europe, with several studies based in Central Europe, and also considers contexts which interact with Europe even though they are physically outside of it (Asia, Africa). It addresses English as just one of several languages at play in the ecology of the countries. It focuses not only on the position of languages as declared in documents of various organizations, that is, language policy, but also everyday linguistic practices as observed in business contexts, that is, interactions. The studies are divided into three thematic areas: ideologies and discourses on English in the business sphere, the management of English in business and organizational contexts, and English and other languages on local and international labor markets. It will be of interest to readers concerned with multilingualism in the economic sphere and the workplace and the interplay between macro and micro levels during the management of communication in organizations. Series preface 5 Acknowledgements 7 Contents 9 Contributors 11 Sociolinguistic perspectives on English in business and commerce 17 Part I: Ideologies and discourses on English in the business sphere 35 Language standardization in sociolinguistics and international business: Theory and practice across the table 35 A language ideological landscape: The complex map in international companies in Denmark 62 Managing, interpreting and negotiating corporate bilingualism in Wales 89 “English is the language of business”: An exploration of language ideologies in two European corporate contexts 112 Part II: The management of English in business and organizational contexts 135 Making sense of language management in Danish international companies: A strategic view 135 The management of everyday English interactions in the Japanese branches of European multinationals 165 On the non-use of English in a multinational company 188 The linguistic landscape of a Czech heritage site: Recording and presenting the past and present of Hrubý Rohozec 210 Part III: The position of English and other languages on local and international labor markets, implications for language and education policy 247 The value of foreign language skills in international business for native English speaking countries: A study on Ireland 247 “It’s good to have a language under your belt”: The value of foreign languages in the Greek job market 272 Qual der Wahl, or spoiled for choice? English and German as the subject of decisionmaking processes in the Czech Republic 292 Creating the international managers of tomorrow, today? Stakeholder perspectives on English-medium business education 326 Linguistic diversity and languagein- educational practices in Kenya and South Africa: Challenges and responses 351 Index 377