Single Blog

I was flying from Johannesburg and as the aircraft settled into the required altitude, I said hello to my neighbor. We had hardly spoken for two minutes when he quickly remarked: ‘I am sorry, I do not speak much English’. I asked him which language he spoke more fluently and he said it was French… ‘Mais, moi aussi je parle français’. And as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Available data shows that there are more than 7000 languages in the whole world. These are spread out across the many countries and communities on earth. Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world with around 840 languages. As for the least linguistically diverse, there seems to be no clear outstanding one though, debatably there seems to the tropical Island Saint Helena or Haiti. Not to fuel more debate, whatever the case is, these people are able to communicate with as much or little language diversity. This is what matters.

Each one of us has a language one feels very comfortable communicating in. It could be our first language or any subsequent language one learnt. Every language is important and no singular language is superior to another. All our languages matter. These are the languages those who have been before us spoke before we ever learnt a second or a third one. They are the instruments of communication, transactions and relationships. Some of these languages are spoken by large communities of people while others are spoken by few. Every language is the dominant language amongst the people who speak it. It is the language of business for the people speaking it. May be this language is spoken in a village, in an estate only, in a district or a province. It might be a national language or it is spoken across a region, across a continent or globally. Whichever expansive area this language dominates, it is the one given the first-class position amongst other languages. It would therefore, in this case, be right to say dominance of language translates into dominance in business.

As we all know, language has been here since time immemorial. Some languages have continued to expand; in terms more, people learning to speak while others have shrunk and others have died out. While each language evolves, since language is dynamic, there are fundamental things the languages retains. Whatever is retained and the changes enable the speakers to continue communicating and transacting.

We cannot, also, ignore sign language for this is the only way some people communicate by. Sign language is also dynamic and continues to evolve and grow. This enables the speakers to communicate among themselves and with others. Just like all languages, sign language is not for the ones who are challenged in verbal communication, there are those who learn it to render service in this area but have the ability to communicate verbally.

One thing stands out in this area of language. Not one single language is universally accepted and known by all to be spoken without challenges. This means there are languages that enjoy the privilege of being spoken by many more people than others. For instance, English is spoken by more than 1.4 billion people. Closely following behind is Chinese Mandarin is spoken by above 1.1 billion which has the highest native speakers. Hindi follows at above 600 million speakers closely then with above 500 million Spanish speakers and French with above 300 million speakers respectively. The ranking may differ depending on certain factors. These are languages, to cite a few that many people speak and do business in across continents and globally. This in a way explains why some documents and certain programs are done in English. For the simple reason of language dominance, this language seems to attract many more people in order to do business with other speakers. Some regions have Arabic as their dominant language, others have Portuguese and yet others have Creole. Some other parts of the world could have a lingua- franca that could facilitate business, for instance Swahili or Hausa. It is in this intricate world of dynamic languages that business finds expression. The Africa Asia Middle-East Chamber of Commerce, like other entities has to leverage on the multiplicity of languages to create an enabling environment for its members to transact and thrive. Business has for years relied on language to grow and attract clients from all directions and background with one aim, to exchange goods and services for value. It cannot do this otherwise. Its members from diverse backgrounds and origins meet around the business table and engage to the benefit of all. Any business will take advantage of these languages as vehicles of communication in order to ensure that commerce and trade is sustained and thrives. This has been the case from the time barter trade ended. Human beings have sought to trade in a language the parties involved can present their products, their services, quote their prices, negotiate and seal the deal with the least friction. In instances where there is limitation in language proficiency, commerce and trade has acquired the services of interpreters to help in the process. This has been and continues to be a multi-billion industry for translation and interpretation. A.I. is also making inroads in this space to facilitate business transactions but has not yet replaced the human element. AAMECC rides on this human contribution and A.I to bring together people from different continents to trade. The Chamber of Commerce facilitates meetings both on line and physically and provides real time interpretation to facilitate business transactions. Whether that it involves individuals, organizations or even Investors who are searching for opportunities across the language divide, not being able to speak a certain language is not a barrier. The Chamber will gladly provide:

1. Online Simultaneous Interpretation.

ii)  Physical simultaneous Interpretation.

1. Iii) Consecutive Interpretation
2. Side translation
3. Document Translation

This will facilitate close and distant conversations that will endeavor to support business transaction across regions and across the world. Why not join AAMECC and  explore the infinite opportunities at its disposal for businesses and enable your networks to participate in round table talks while transacting without feeling locked out by linguistic limitations.

Mr. Benson Mutoko – Board Director