Addressing linguacultural competencies in business English pedagogy

Abstract

Internationally operating business professionals communicate using English as a business lingua franca (BELF). As BELF communication crosses national borders and includes multiple languages and cultural groups, linguacultural competence is a critical aspect of successful BELF communication. In this study, we derived specific linguacultural competencies (LCCs) required for such communication from the literature and double-checked them with twelve business professionals and two business English teachers. The LCCs were then used to develop a questionnaire to gather the perceptions of ninety business professionals. The results of the survey revealed that all the identified LCCs were deemed essential, with no significant differences between region-based subgroups of respondents. Further, the study highlighted the importance of three components of LCC (knowledge, skill/strategies, and attitudes) to both real-world communication and pedagogy. These findings have important pedagogical implications for developing the LCCs of business professionals and creating a more connected, empathetic, and understanding international business environment.