The latest edition of the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce's Business Intelligence magazine features an article by us entitled "The 'hidden dangers' of English":
Taking a broad sweep across the globe — from Africa's Atlantic coastline to Asia's Pacific rim — what do China and the 22 member states of the Arab League have in common?
Two recent Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce events have focused on these countries in different ways: at the end of February, the Chamber led a highly successful trade mission to Qingdao, China's fifth-largest city; at the beginning of March, the principal speaker at the Chamber's monthly 'World Trade at One' seminar was Abdeslam El-Idrissi, the director of trade services at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.
The two regions share many things, not least of all a long and proud history of international trade. Yet one of the most striking similarities is an enthusiasm for learning English. From Tangier to Tianjin, English is the language of global business.
This is excellent news for native English-speakers, most of whom are monolingual. Or is it? Certainly, there are many advantages to having English as a mother tongue, particularly the ability to 'get by' in just about any city in the world. Yet people often overlook the 'hidden dangers' of being a monolingual English-speaker.
1. Imbalance
As Kenneth Katzner notes in The Languages of the World: "Observe a German tourist talking to a Japanese shopkeeper in Tokyo, or an African diplomat to his counterpart from Asia, and the medium of communication will almost certainly be English." The crucial point here, however, is that English is being used as a lingua franca, with the parties 'meeting halfway' across the language divide. When one of the parties is a native English-speaker, this balance is destroyed. Over time, if one side feels they are unable to express themselves as accurately — or as easily — as the other, all kinds of hard-to-detect stresses and strains are added to the relationship.
2. Comprehension
If 'everyone speaks English', native English-speakers are at no advantage. In fact, they can be at a disadvantage, since people who speak English as a second language often find other non-native-speakers easier to understand. According to Talking World Class, a 2005 report from CILT (the National Centre for Languages), Korean Air awarded a contract for flight simulators to a French company because their negotiators spoke "clearer and more comprehensible English" than those from a UK supplier.
3. Cultural barriers
Although language barriers can be overcome by speaking English, cultural barriers — which may be much more significant obstacles to relationship-building — remain. Learning a language is not just about vocabulary and grammar: it's about exploring different ways of living and doing business. Similarly, interpreters and translators do more that help you to understand a person's words: they help you to understand a person's thoughts, feelings and aspirations.
4. One-way competition
The global success of English has increased foreign competition within the UK, without making it easier for us to compete overseas. To put it starkly: fluent English-speakers from abroad can compete for British jobs, whereas monolingual Britons find it harder to compete for jobs abroad. And this 'one-way competition' applies at all levels: dozens of national 'icons' — from Heathrow Airport to the England football team — are run by people speaking or learning English as a second language.
As we say, there are many advantages to being a native English-speaker: we are extremely fortunate to be able to 'get by' all over the world. But when you are planning your next overseas venture, remember the 'hidden dangers' of being a monolingual English-speaker and ask yourself: is 'getting by' good enough?
