Country:
Source:
Chirac leaves summit as Frenchman speaks English
I first saw the story on
Guardian LINK
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Thu
Old Reuters Link
The French president briefly left a EU summit meeting when the head of the French UNICE business lobby started speaking in English. The head of the lobby said that English was now the language of business.
Facts:
- English, French and German are the working languages of the 25-members of the EU.
- All the 20 languages of the EU members are used during summits, meetings and EU parliament.
Language Issues:
- There is no question about it, the business world does need a single language to communicate in.
- Language and culture are always emotional issues in the context of nationalism, but economics speaks the language of money.
Comments:
- What is the point of walking out?
- How important are these summits anyway?
- With more countries, regions and fiefdoms getting on the language bandwagon, are we back on the slippery slop of nationalism?
- With more non-native speakers of English speaking English than native speakers, one can assume that English is not a political issue any more.
Bottom-Line:
What are the costs accrued to businesses from not having a common language for politics?
