WHY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENCOURAGES ENGLISH

1. Although an incoming company may not be headquartered in an English-speaking country, it will typically establish a joint venture with a local concern. Joint ventures (e.g. Sino-Swiss and German) tend to adopt English as their “lingua franca”[1], which promotes a local need for training in English.

2. Establishment of joint ventures requires legal documents and memoranda of understanding. International legal agreements are written in English because there exists international consensus about the meaning of terms, obligations and rights. This activity may create a demand for specialist English language training for lawyers -- the case in China where new courses are being established.

3. A newly established company will be in most cases involved in international trade –importing raw materils and exporting finished goods. This will create a need for back-office workers, sales and marketing staff with skills in English.

4. Technology transfer is closely associated with English, largely because most transfer is sourced by a transnational corporation (TNC) which either is English speaking or which uses English for external trade. Technology transfer is not restricted to the enterprise itself, but may extend to associated infrastructure expansion such as airports, railways and telecommunications. In central China, engineers in local steel factories learn English so that they can install and maintain plant brought from Germany and Italy. The predominance of English in technology transfer reflects the role of TNCs more than the fact that much leading-edge technology derives from the US.

5. Establishing joint ventures creates incoming demands from international visitors who require supporting services, such as hotels and tourist facilities. The staff of secondary enterprises also require training in English for these visitors.

6. Jobs in the new enterprises may be better paid and more attractive than those in the public sector. English qualifications may become an entry necessity, or have percieved value in access to jobs – even if the job itself does not require English.

4. Read and say what languages compete for the title of the “lingua franca” in Europe.