9
Jameson argues that language „defines cultural groups, as well as being
the most frequently used symbolic systems
through which culture is
conveyed‟ (2007: 214), and as such it is core to cross-cultural
communication in all settings. One of the key issues which led us to
examine the issue of „untranslatable‟ words is that they are likely
to lead to
situations in which the failure to communicate effectively is either not
recognised, or is recognised but baffling to the parties involved.
Welch and Welch (2008) identify seven factors which affect knowledge
transfer in MNCs, and suggest language is a moderating or intervening
variable for all of them, consistent with Barner-Rasmussen and
Bjorkman‟s (2005) finding that language fluency
was a key factor in inter-
unit communication intensity. One factor of particular importance is staff
transfers. Long seen as a particularly effective method of knowledge
transfer in both directions (Dowling and Welch, 2004; Lazarova and
Tarique, 2005), Welch and Welch (2008) suggest increased use of short-
term assignments rather than long term expatriation has made language
an even more significant factor – it makes less
sense for MNCs to invest
in language training for short-term assignees, so they are more likely to
have to work through interpreters (Welch, Welch and Piekkari, 2005) who
10
may „modify the messages for local audience sensitivities‟ (Welch and
Welch, 2008: 352).
Charles (2007) identifies a number of themes emerging from research on
language in international business, one of which is particularly
pertinent to
the present study. She suggests that informal/oral communication should
be considered „of paramount importance in MNCs‟, noting that
understanding of technical matters can often be less problematic than
„ordinary small talk‟. Engaging in small talk requires a real ease with a
language, and Charles has in mind situations in which staff have enough
knowledge of a language to conduct formal meetings, but not enough to
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