English as lingua franca

What do Airbus, Nokia and Rwanda have in common? They all regard English as their preferred language. As a European aircraft manufacturer with French, German, British and Spanish roots, Airbus has always used English as its common language. Nokia, the mobile phone maker based in Finland, uses the language as its gateway to the world. And Rwanda has adopted English as an official language and promotes its use in its education system.

There have been languages before that have been widely spoken. In his book The Last Lingua Franca, Nicholas Ostler writes that in 100AD a traveller could go from Spain to the Hindu Kush speaking Greek all the way. But no language has ever been spoken in as many places as English is today.

When a Brazilian meets a German, they will almost certainly speak to each other in English. In business conferences from Berlin to São Paulo, it is taken for granted that speeches will be in English. In many sectors, such as banking and management consultancy, it would be impossible to rise to the top without fluent English.

Such is English’s importance in business that those who speak it can earn significantly more. A British Council report, The Benefits of the English Language for Individuals and Societies: Quantitative Indicators from Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Pakistan, found English speakers in those countries earned 25 per cent more than colleagues who didn’t speak the language. In Rwanda, in some jobs the difference was 181 per cent.

Does this mean native English speakers can expect to get the best jobs? Not necessarily. First, they are more likely to be monoglot – to speak no languages other than English. Non-native English-speaking business high-flyers can manage in both English and their own language, which is helpful in dealing with local customers.

Second, studies have shown international business gatherings in English often proceed more smoothly when there are no native English speakers around. The native English speakers often speak too quickly and use metaphors the others do not understand. Jean-Paul Nerrière, a French former IBM executive who observed this at many meetings, promoted what he called Globish, composed of 1,500 English words he said were perfectly adequate for business purposes.

But could English be supplanted by another global business language, such as Mandarin? It could happen, but given the time and effort learning a new language requires, it is difficult to see English being supplanted for at least several decades.

Michael Skapinker