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Globalization - Editorial LAW #4 |
Challenges, Consequences and Promises of Going Global
What does globalization mean to language and communication? A lot, as you have probably guessed!
And that is why we have decided to dedicate this fourth issue of Language at Work – Bridging Theory and Practice to the linguistic and communicative challenges of communication in a globalized world.
Did globalization begin when modern man left Africa to venture to other continents? Or when the word “globalize” first appeared in a dictionary in the mid nineteen forties? Or when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 – scholars do not agree. Regardless of the exact origins of globalization, however, three things are certain: Globalization is here, Globalization is here to stay and Globalization has changed significantly the way we live and work – and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
The general question we would like to raise in this issue is what impacts does the globalized world hold in store for us when it comes to issues of professional interest to us? In the magazine this general question is approached from different perspectives, such as for instance:
- Language use – what language skills does the globalized world call for?
- Translation – will the existing practice of translation to many different languages succumb to English as lingua franca?
- Cultural competencies – what (inter)cultural competencies are needed when addressing customers, clients, bosses and other stakeholders living in different cultures in different parts of our globe?
We are not going to present you with the definitive answers to these questions – indeed how could we? Only time may be able to do that. But the authors of this issue of Language at Work each present a piece of the puzzle.
We are proud to present an array of very interesting articles written by people who know about and have taken a stand in this matter. We, therefore, sincerely hope that reading this magazine will not only inform you of current linguistic and communicative challenges of Globalization, but indeed also challenge your own view of Globalization.
Dear reader, enjoy YOUR magazine!
Peter Kastberg, Ph.D., Director of the Research Group for Knowledge Communication, The Aarhus School of Business, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Annelise Grinsted, Asscociate Professor, Ph.D., The University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
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