Leading questions for reports on the situation in individual countries
- Are there companies in your country which use a language other than the official national language(s) for internal communication? Please explain with regard to features such as:
· type of company (production industry, trade, service, banking, etc.)
· large companies as opposed to small
· international companies as opposed to national or local ones
· whether another language is used alongside or instead of the national language(s)
· whether another language is used within the whole company or only in special sectors.
- What is known about the perceptions and attitudes of the employees and of interlocutors such as trade unions etc. regarding the issue of language use within companies?
- Are there companies that use languages other than the national language in contacts with (potential) customers, in marketing, and in advertising within the country (for the national rather than the international market)?
- What is known about the perceptions and attitudes of customers and the general public on the use of languages other than the official language of the country in advertising, commercials, job opportunities, or the like?
- Which language or languages are typically used by companies in your country in international business and commerce? Are any differences based on the sorts of products or services provided or the target countries or regions?
- Are the choice and use of language(s) regarded as factors contributing to the success or failure of business and commerce in your country?
- Are there specific laws or other official regulations drawn up by your government or other political institutions for the use of languages by and within companies in your country, concerning either the home market or the export markets or both?
- What is known about the effect of such measures as those mentioned in Point 7 above?
(Of course, these questions cannot be answered exhaustively in a brief report. However, try to briefly touch on all of them.)
