Importance of Language Diversity on Multinational Organisations Term Paper

Importance of Language Diversity on Multinational Organisations - Term Paper Example If we flip back to the pages of our history, the very idea of a single language has not proved to be so beneficial. For example, there was a time when Latin was enforced as a common language. But due to the various kinds of people living in Europe, a variety of languages sprang out of this one language and provided us with the different cultures that we look upon today. (Orban, 2008)  In order for the European economy to run smoothly, it is mandatory to recognize the various lingual problems faced by the multinational firms. These types of companies operate on a worldwide basis involving a constant exchange of goods and manpower among their subsidiaries. Due to the number of countries included, various languages are functional in this business. Hence, language problems arise, and the big challenge is to remove these linguistic and communication problems without causing any harm to the largely depended upon the socio-economic infrastructure of the firm. (LINEE, n.d)  A very fine e xample that demonstrates the causes and consequences of linguistic problems is the multinational operations held by the military. Cultural diversity in a military army can have both positive and negative impacts on a mission. The effectiveness of a mission can be reduced by a lack of proper communication due to the use of a variety of languages and inability to communicate in a single language. Lack of the required level of coordination along with the lingual limits on the exchange of information is also a result of language diversity, leading to a weakening of the task. For example, the multinational mission at the Kabul International Airport (KAIA), although it was successful, had to face problems due to lingual differences. For instance, people were forced to receive medical help outside the Headquarters, as the Spanish medics had no command on English.   Culture refers to the ways information is exchanged in a particular group in order to conceive the desired meaning among the people. These ways include solid goods and non-verbal language. Cultures may be divided at a national level, religious level, racial level, gender level, etc., and their goal is to express themselves as superior to the others. (Diversity RX, 2003)  Language is actually one of the most important components that define a culture. The other factors include the way of dressing, greeting, eating, etc. hence, if members of a group unanimously agree to change the whole system of their culture, the language goes with it. To demonstrate this, let us take the example of a group of rich teenagers belonging to Pakistan. This group includes children from different areas of the country, speaking a variety of languages. Through media, they are deeply influenced by western culture causing them to eat, greet, dress, and even talk like the westerners. So down the sewers goes lingual diversity.