Doing business means speaking English
One in four companies in Denmark has instituted English as their primary business language according to an article in Copenhagen Post
Business English is becoming more and more widespread in Denmark, with some 25 percent of companies now employing it as their main operating language, according to a survey by the Confederation of Danish Industries (DI).
Of the 400 businesses polled, one in four had now started using English for inter-office e-mails, when placing job adverts, at meetings and in official company documentation.
Mette Fjord Sørensen, DI’s spokesperson, said the trend goes hand in hand with globalisation and is used by companies to attract more international workers.
‘It’s a good signal to send to international customers,’ Sørensen told Berlingske Tidende newspaper. ‘Social integration of foreign employees becomes easier when you can build a bridge between nationalities through a common language. You create a business culture.’
Having English as the operating language also makes a company more attractive to many Danes who would prefer working in a more international environment, Sørensen said.
The survey showed that the top three business areas where English was most commonly the main operating language were IT, design and medicine. But Sørensen said English was not on its way to replacing Danish as an everyday language for Danish employees.
‘When two Danes meet in the hallway they still speak Danish to each other,’ she said. ‘English functions as a supplement and serves to increase knowledge exchange between all employees.’
Henning Korsbæk Frandsen, managerial advisor with the Danish Association of Managers and Executives, agreed. Although he said that using English is a necessary development, he pointed out one downside.
‘A disadvantage is that not all employees are equally adept at English,’ said Frandsen. ‘When non-native English speakers speak English, they lose the subtle nuances of their mother tongue. But the advantages of having a common language makes using it worthwhile.’