Denmark: Businesses called on to protect language

[Harold Schiffman]

Businesses called on to protect language
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 15:17 RC

While some experts are concerned about the increasing use of English
in a business context others point to the necessity of its use in an
increasingly global business world The widespread use of English in
Danish businesses has led the Danish Language Council to call for
language protection initiatives to ensure the preservation of Danish
as a business language. A survey from the Confederation of Danish
Industry in 2007 showed that one out of four companies uses English as
its primary working language.

But Sabine Kirchmeier-Andersen, head of the Danish Language Council,
said that businesses have a responsibility to ensure that Danish is
preserved, just as they must maintain environmental, ethical and
social standards. ‘It’s a loss of domain - another area where Danish
has lost ground to English,’ she told Berlingske Tidende newspaper.
The language council has proposed that companies keep official tabs on
their English and Danish usage. Those books, besides being a reliable
source of information, would also allow the businesses to ‘reflect’
upon how much English is used in their everyday operations, according
to Kirchmeier-Andersen.

Yet despite the council’s desire to see Danish used more by
businesses, Kirchmeier-Andersen is hesitant to support laws against
the use of English.
‘We can’t do it like they do in Slovakia, where companies are fined if
their websites are only in English,’ she said. ‘But we can appeal to
businesses to ensure that Danish doesn’t disappear.’
Kirchmeier-Andersen pointed to pharmaceutical company Lundbeck as an
example of a business that has policies to maintain Danish in its
everyday communication.

However, Jannik Schack Linnemann, head of research policy for the
Danish Chamber of Commerce, said that while he is sympathetic to the
council’s efforts, attempting to curb the use of English would be
detrimental to business.

‘We just have to accept that our members use a lot of English because
it’s the global business language,’ said Linnemann.

But Kirchmeier-Andersen said that as long as international business
communication in conducted by only top executives or foreign
representatives, then the everyday operations of a company can be
conducted in Danish.

‘But when there’s a requirement that all communication should take
place in English, it creates problems for employees that don’t feel
confident with the language,’ she said.

Berlingske Tidende indicated it had not yet come across a company
which requires its employees to speak English with one another at the
workplace.

http://www.cphpost.dk/business/119-business/45390-businesses-called-on-to-protect-language.html

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