What is a ‘language strategy’? Well it can be defined as ‘the planned adoption of a range of measures to facilitate effective
communication with clients and suppliers abroad.’
The report listed a number of measures, which if planned for and
implemented in advance, would help facilitate a company’s entry or expansion in
a new foreign market where there are language or cultural barriers.
One such language strategy measure included the use of a professional translator and interpreter, which if adopted in the beginning would be able to
assist with four of the report’s recommend language strategy measures:
1. Creation of websites with special cultural and/or linguistic adaptations
2. Translation of promotional, sales
and technical materials
3. Language training and cultural
briefings
4. Product or packaging adaptation in
line with local tastes and customs
Other language strategy measures
outlined included:
5. Online language learning; employee
selection and recruitment policy Staff
mobility
6. ‘Buddying’ with foreign colleagues
and cross-border secondment schemes
7. Forging links with local
universities
8. Taking
on foreign students on placement
9. Native-speaker recruitment
10. E-commerce involving multilingual operations
11. Use of local agents to solve language problems
12. Use of linguistic audits
An important fact raised in the report was
that those SMEs who had lost contracts in the past because
of language and cultural barriers learned from their communication problems and
realised how crucial having a language strategy was for their exporting
success.
Other findings in the report revealed that those companies with a
language strategy were able to place a value on it
and measure its impact.
By introducing a language strategy:
43% of companies reported to have increased their turnover by more than
25%
30% put the increase in terms of trade at 16-25% of turnover.
73% of companies said sales turnover had increased by a minimum of 16%.
If you would like
further information or to discuss the virtues of using a professional translator and interpreter please contact myself, Ann
Elphick on +44 (0) 1785 255067 or email ann.elphick@fls-ltd.com
Further information on the report can found here.
