this article discusses research from the Helsinki School of Economics on language and communication in multinational corporations based in non-English speaking countries.
It suggests a reconceptualization of English lingua franca as business English lingua franca (BELF), and argues that BELF is a mostly oral language through which power is wielded in multinationals, and perceptions of self and others created. Moreover, it is not a “cultureless” language, but rather creates new operational cultures. Language choice thus has implications for management, HR, and employee satisfaction. Keywords: lingua franca; business communication; globalization; language; multinational corporations