Developing a reservoir of multilingual, multicultural excellence

  • The internationalisation of economic relations is an irrefutable fact.
  • The cultural diversity dimension is not only found in the import/export business. It is a fundamental concern when considering whether to make a physical investment, to buy or sell businesses abroad. We know that more than half such transactions fail for cultural reasons.
  • Concerning the ability to speak a foreign language, it is no longer sufficient to master English alone.

This is easy to explain when one realises that having two foreigners communicate via a third language (usually English) leads them to use words and expressions for which neither of them knows the origins or cultural bases. For this reason, Louis Schweitzer, President of Renault, wrote that forcing the Japanese from Nissan and the French from Renault to speak together in English “impoverished” the quality of their communication.

  • The system of International Sections and the OIB provides a response for both the multicultural and plurilingual requirements and enables companies to prepare and build a reservoir of excellence in these areas.