The specific aim of this course is to enable students acquire knowledge of the role of language in various management activities in international organizations. This is achieved in the light of the cognitive link between language and corporate culture, namely the concept of company-speak. In international, multilingual settings, company-speak can be managed as a real asset and not just as a secondary, instrumental factor.
Although the expression ‘language’ is strongly polysemous and has many facets, yet language is mainly considered as a utility package. It is often ascertained that if people can speak any given language, then all communication problems will be de facto solved. Theories and methodologies coming from the field of language for special purposes (LSP), corporate communication and terminology will be applied in order to shed light on the concept of company-speak in the framework of language management in daily international contexts.
The course will investigate on a number of significant multilingual situations, linguistic policies, legal aspects and linguistic barriers.
In the first part of the course, we explore the construction of meaning through language (names of products, services, departments, etc. and their linguistic and communicative creation). From a communicational point of view, it is important to take into account what the stakeholders need to understand in organizational discourses. Likewise, in human resources, the main issue is to keep a strong focus on the linguistic mechanisms of socialization and knowledge construction at work.
In the second part of the course, we focus on a number of core issues in international language management, particularly the challenges of intercultural translation in a broad sense. As all companies need to translate, not only between languages but also within languages, they transform, adapt, and construe every day meanings for their managerial needs. We finally pay special attention to the reciprocal impact of digital technologies on language and communication.
Exam info and full course description can be found in the course catalogue.
Course specific:
To apply for the course you must either be enrolled in a bachelor's degree, have a bachelor's degree or have passed a qualifying entry examination.
General:
Exchange students: nomination from your home university
Freemovers: documentation for English Language proficiency
You can read more about admission here.
dardomario.devecchi@kedgebs.com
Dardo De Vecchi is associate professor at KEDGE BS, France, where he develops a linguistics applied to management. His area of research is the terminology of professional jargon (pragmaterminology) in companies and organizations.
