Part 1 / B2B
Languages
A multilingual environment that is unique in this world An impressive number of languages are spoken and understood in Luxembourg. However, to succeed in the business arena, proficiency in English and French constitutes a key advantage. Text: Sébastien Lambotte
Français, lire page 60...
“Anyone who speaks several languages will always have an advantage over others” Artur Sosna (Berlitz)
EN
W
hen it comes to being multilingual, Luxembourg is doubtless unique in the world. Despite its small size, it has three official languages: Luxembourgish, French and German. Furthermore, many other languages are spoken on a day-to-day basis in the country’s various cultural, economic and social circles. “43% of the resident population do not have Luxembourgish nationality. In addition to that, around 160,000 workers commute across the border to Luxembourg every day” says Artur Sosna, the head of Berlitz Luxembourg, a language training and soft skills institute. “During my career, I have visited more than 60 countries, and I have never seen a case like Luxembourg, where so many languages are spoken concurrently.”
Languages more important than technical know-how The country must use this multilingual environment to its advantage to spur on its economic development and must carefully preserve it. “This isn’t something you can simply institute, like a legal or taxation reform which enables a country to position itself relative to another. It takes two or three generations to create such a multilingual environment. In Luxembourg, because the country is surrounded by a number of different cultures and has experienced several waves of immigration, from Portugal and Italy for instance, it has developed naturally” says Artur Sosna. We must therefore protect it and foster it. Companies will benefit in fostering a multilingual environment and capitalising on cultural and linguistic diversity. “Obviously, the more languages one speaks, the more opportunities one has to advance in one’s
62
/ 2012 — \4
career. Whoever speaks two, three or four languages, will inevitably have a far more interesting profile for a recruiter” says Artur Sosna. “This is because it is always more difficult to find a multilingual person than one with good technical know-how, since technical aspects are easier to teach than languages, and whoever speaks several languages will always have an advantage over others, even if he is not the best in his trade.” That said, a number of major trends can now be witnessed in Luxembourg. To flourish optimally in the employment market, in the business world, one must above all be able to speak two languages: English and French. “A person who only speaks English can work without experiencing any problems in many companies in the financial sector in Luxembourg”, says the head of Berlitz Luxembourg. German, it would seem, only comes in third position. “Among the applications for training that we receive, one third involve English, another third French with German, Luxembourgish and all the other languages forming the last third” says the head of Berlitz in Luxembourg. “This predominance of English is due to the fact that it is the world’s lingua franca. In general, German speakers understand and can express themselves in English better than French speakers. However, a large proportion of Luxembourg’s workforce is French-speaking, which explains the requirement to know French, too.”
Of course, there are sometimes specific requirements. And the requirements in terms of language use can vary between from one sector to another.
One person, six languages “Recently, I came across an ad. A luxury store in the city centre was recruiting staff. The advertisement for a receptionist demanded proficiency in English, German and French, and went on to state that knowledge of Russian, Chinese and Luxembourgish would constitute major assets. I found this rather incredible”, says Artur Sosna. The head of Berlitz, surprised that one might ask for a single person to be conversant with six languages, visited this same boutique shortly afterwards. “They had found a person who spoke five of the six languages required. If I remember correctly, she could speak them all except Russian” says he. So what about Luxembourgish in all of this? It would appear that it is not a very useful language in the financial sector. The national language, however, constitutes a major strength for anyone who wants to work in business or with the State. “Luxembourgish is above all a means of integrating for those who have come from abroad and want to settle in the Grand Duchy; knowledge of this language is vital to secure dual nationality” says the head of Berlitz..