English as a lingua franca for global business communication

Abstract

It is a widely known fact that English is used as the language of businesscommunication; therefore, it is an essential tool of communication in multiculturalsettings. However, to what extent English is used accurately for effective communicationand the extent to which accuracy can actually fall behind communication is a problem thatmost non-native speakers in the business world face. Lingua franca users communicatingwith each other as non-native speakers and with native speakers face challenges and areentangled in the dilemma of effective communication at the expense of accuracy versuseffective language use at the expense of effective communication. Having to developstrategies to write correspondences and reports, attend business meetings, deliver formalbusiness presentations, gain knowledge of current issues, negotiate, develop interculturalcommunication skills and become more independent operators in the global businessenvironment; business people encounter some obstacles that hinder effectivecommunication. These problems will be analysed and strategies to overcome them will besuggested. Ways to foster successful business communication between non-nativespeakers and native speakers as well as communication between non-native speakers andnon-native speakers, create an awareness to target problems, and seek ways to eliminatethem are the key elements of the article.