Global virtual teams (GVTs) operate in a globally dispersed work environment, principally relying on communication and information technologies to achieve work tasks. In this work context, using ...language effectively is crucial. We utilize the cognitive perspective to explain how foreign language use in a GVT influences individual task performance. This study employs (a) cognitive neuroscience of foreign language processing perspective to explain the relationship between foreign language skills and individual task performance; (b) the theory of cognitive load to explain foreign language anxiety as a pathway that further explains how low-level foreign language skill negatively influences individual task performance; and (c) the theory of intelligence to examine the conditional role of cultural intelligence in the mediation process. Utilizing 294 data pairs (collected from GVT members and their respective supervisors) in a multinational offshoring firm, we found support for the mediation process and the conditional influence of the dimensions of cultural intelligence in reducing the negative effect of foreign language anxiety on individual task performance in GVT.
•We provide a fundamental and novel explanation of the quality of English spoken worldwide–the translation mode of foreign movies and shows in television.•We identify a large positive effect for ...subtitled original version broadcasts, as opposed to dubbed television, on English proficiency scores.•We analyze the historical circumstances under which countries opted for one of the translation modes and use it to account for the possible endogeneity of the subtitling indicator.•We disaggregate the results by type of skills - listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing - and find that television is an especially beneficial tool for listening comprehension.•Our paper suggests that governments could promote subtitling as a means to improve foreign language proficiency which, in turn, enhances economic performance.
We study the influence of television translation techniques on the worldwide distribution of English-speaking skills. We identify a large positive effect for subtitled original version broadcasts, as opposed to dubbed television, on English proficiency scores. We analyze the historical circumstances under which countries opted for one of the translation modes and use it to account for the possible endogeneity of the subtitling indicator. We disaggregate the results by type of skills and find that television works especially well for listening comprehension. Our paper suggests that governments could promote subtitling as a means to improve foreign language proficiency.
•Education is the main determinant of English language acquisition in Germany.•English language skills in general are associated with a 13% higher wage on average.•Incremental improvements over three ...skill levels increase wages by 11% on average.•Measurement error in language skills assessment is reduced using “can-do” descriptors.•Earning differentials result from the productive value of language skills.
This article explores the relationship between foreign language skills and individuals’ labor income in Germany, focusing on the English language. Using the 2012 and 2016 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel’s Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS), we find that native speakers of German with English language skills earn a wage premium of 13 percent, on average. Incremental improvements in the level of skills, e.g., from basic to independent user, increase wages by 11 percent, on average. We address endogeneity issues by using novel data that combine comprehensive information about individuals’ characteristics with fine-grained self-assessments of language skills based on descriptors derived from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Any remaining sources of endogeneity in the level of language proficiency are addressed by an instrumental variable approach that exploits exogenous variation in individuals’ exposure to foreign language acquisition in school. We also show that wage differentials cannot be explained by the value of foreign language skills as a general ability signal, but they are driven by the productive value of such skills. Finally, by examining language skills instead of the use of such skills in the workplace, we identify individual returns to foreign languages for the general population. As education policy is the main determinant of English language acquisition (not only in Germany), this information is highly relevant for policy-makers.
Abstract
In the phenomenon of globalization, the foreign language skills are part of both scientific field and everyday life. Though the number of learners of German decreased in the last twenty ...years, German seems to be again in greater demand as a foreign language all over the world. In the Romanian universities, the study of the German language continues to arouse great interest in the recent years. The following article deals with the role that German language plays in our country, and it tries to find answers regarding the Banat region/area, by using the example of the Polytechnic University of Timișoara. Another topic that the author emphasizes is the contribution of German as a foreign language - lessons in promoting the German language and culture in the Banat region.
Zusammenfassung
Produktive Sprachkompetenzen im Fach Englisch sind bislang in Deutschland nur wenig untersucht worden. Daher wurden in der vorliegenden Untersuchung mit zwei Messzeitpunkten ...Kompetenzen im argumentativen und sachorientierten Schreiben von
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= 838 Schülerinnen und Schülern in der 11. Jahrgangsstufe des achtjährigen Gymnasiums untersucht. Zusätzlich wurden rezeptive Kompetenzen (Hören und Lesen) berücksichtigt. Mit Blick auf die Ziele der gymnasialen Oberstufe (Erreichen des Niveaus B2 des Gemeinsamen Europäischen Referenzrahmens für Sprachen; GER) konnte gezeigt werden, dass bereits ein Jahr vor Erreichen des Abiturs rund 60 % der getesteten Schülerinnen und Schüler das Niveau B2 oder höher im Schreiben erreichten. Weiterhin belegen die Analysen signifikante Kompetenzzuwächse im Laufe eines Schuljahres und zeigen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Profilen (sprachlich vs. naturwissenschaftlich vs. gesellschaftswissenschaftlich vs. sonstige), die die Schülerinnen und Schüler in der gymnasialen Oberstufe belegt haben; hier zeigen Jugendliche in den Sprachprofilen signifikant höhere Leistungen. Die Ergebnisse werden mit Bezug auf normative Zielvorgaben der gymnasialen Oberstufe diskutiert.
In line with numerous studies, export success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could be considerably improved were companies aware of the importance of foreign language skills among their ...employees. In other words, many business opportunities are lost within the European Union because of the lack of language skills. Many authors report that adopting a language management strategy is linked to a significant increase in companies' export sales. The ELAN (Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise) findings should also be considered because of the relatively high importance of SMEs in providing employment. This article investigates, by means of a questionnaire sent to 1499 Slovenian exporting SMEs from various industries, how aware these companies are of the ELAN findings, and which language strategies they have implemented in their business operations. The findings of our 2021 study revealed that Slovenian exporting SMEs are slowly becoming more aware of the benefits of language management strategies, but that some improvements are nevertheless still possible.
This paper analyzes the wage premia associated with workers' occupational use of foreign languages in Germany. After eliminating time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity and other confounding factors, ...sizable returns of about 0.12 log points to applying fluent English skills are found in the general population, while the point estimate for immigrants is 0.26 log points. Returns to occupational use of other foreign languages are, if anything, restricted to a few specialized occupations. I find evidence that the particularly large returns of immigrants originate in parts of the service sector that are linked to imports and exports. As immigrants do not earn significant wage premia for applying their native language on the job in addition to those for English, any trade-fostering potential of immigrants is more likely to be unlocked by complementary fluency in the two business languages German and English.
•I analyze wage premia of occupational foreign language requirements in Germany.•Large returns are found to using expert-level English, especially for immigrants.•Other languages are found not to yield returns in general.•Sources of heterogeneity are discussed and suggestive evidence is provided.
This paper aims at enhancing Chinese listening and speaking skills by organizing learning activities for first-year Chinese language major students at a university in Thailand. A simple random sample ...was conducted to obtain 30 students based on the classroom as a random unit. This study also developed a model for developing Chinese listening and speaking skills by organizing learning activities for learners. The results showed that the students’ Chinese listening and speaking skills could be significantly enhanced after adopting the learning activities. The findings of the study also suggested that the proposed model can be effectively used to improve learners’ Chinese language skills. The findings of the study have important implications for Chinese language teachers and learners. The proposed model can be used to design effective learning activities which can be used to support students in their language learning journey. This model can also be used as a reference for teachers to organize learning activities to improve the Chinese language skills of their students.
This article examines the relationship between foreign language skills and the employment status of natives in Germany, Italy and Spain. Using a probit model and data from Eurostat’s Adult Education ...Survey 2011, this article studies the conditional correlation between knowledge of English and French as foreign languages, and the probability of being employed, comparatively, for men and women. The results reveal that skills in English increase the probability of being employed for men in the three countries, respectively, by 3.4, 4.3 and 5.2%. Knowledge of English increases the probability of being employed for women in Germany and Italy—respectively, by 5.6 and 5.7%—but not in Spain. The results also show that very good skills are associated with a higher probability of being employed than sufficient or good skills. The conditional correlation between knowledge of English and employment status for men is larger in countries where skills in this language are less common among the population, and where the unemployment rate is higher. This is consistent with the fundamental economic concept of scarcity. Estimates for French are not statistically significant.
The globalisation of labour markets makes language skills one of the key competences required by employers nowadays. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the wage premium from the foreign ...language skills earned by Poles. Poles seem to be a good case study, because the Polish language is not used for international communication and as many as 58% of Poles command at least one foreign language. I use data from three waves (2012–2014) of the Human Capital Balance survey with a pooled sample of about 35,000 individuals. I estimate a wage equation with the Heckman correction for selection to employment and I check for robustness with propensity score matching. I find that the advanced command of a foreign language yields a wage premium of 11% on average. Interestingly, I find a much higher wage premium from proficiency in Spanish (32%), French (22%) or Italian (15%) than from proficiency in English (11%) or German (12%).
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