Catalan Companies Journal April 7th

This recent news article deals directly with the future of Catalonia and it can also be closely related with the past of this “commercial fortress.” The article talks about a study which was released today that addressed the “language of Catalan businesses” and the businesses’ place on the international market. Essentially, the study, which was jointly conducted by the Linguamón Chair of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and Secretariat of Linguistic Policy of the Generalitat, stated that Catalonian companies were not placing enough emphasis on learning the languages of the emerging markets (primarily the Chinese, Indian, and Russian markets). The study also made a distinction between domestic and international businesses in order to further highlight the lack of diversity in their linguistic capabilities. According to the study, “nearly 70% of foreign business is conducted in English.” Additionally, a large proportion of the foreign business is also conducted in French or Castilian (Spanish). It should also be noted that all of these companies are encouraging their employees/mandating their employees to learn these languages. However, only about 15% of companies are encouraging their employees to learn Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, or one of the many Indian dialects. When this linguistic reality is combined with the commercial reality (i.e. the slow economic decline of the western world and the rapid rise of the east) it becomes clear that Catalan companies could be at a distinct disadvantage. In terms of domestic business, roughly “98% is conducted in Catalan.” Although the domestic business is important, due to globalization, it is not as important as “international” markets; therefore, I will not really address the domestic markets all that much.
So why is this so important? Well first off, from a sheer business standpoint, it is imperative for a company to be on the cutting edge of technology/relations/etc. if a company is to succeed. Within the confines of a capitalist system, success is defined by competition with other companies. Through this competition, companies are compelled to give their best or else none of their products will sell. As such, these companies are forced to adapt to the rapidly changing markets and seek out new opportunities for success. It is clear that the eastern markets are rapidly expanding and are going to be making a lot of money in the near future. With that being the case, it would only make sense for these Catalan companies to learn the languages of these “budding companies” if they wish to remain at the cutting edge of business. In all honesty, these companies are a “little behind the eight ball” in terms of international communications if they do not already have a solid foundation of these languages. Therefore, I agree with the article: these companies need to encourage their employees to learn these languages if they wish to keep a competitive edge.
Now, this article is also important because it deals directly with the very foundation of the Catalan region: commerce and trade. It must not be forgotten that the Catalan “Empire” practically ran much of the Mediterranean Sea for the better part of two hundred years. During the medieval years, large portions of the Mediterranean were compelled to speak Catalan if they wanted trade anything (places like Sicily, Sardinia, etc. were occupied provinces by the Catalan Empire). The Catalans of the time recognized the power of language when it came to trading and dealing with other nations. After all, it was their language that these nations needed to speak if they wanted to trade. This existence can easily be compared to America’s position in the world in this day and age: people need to speak English if they want to trade/conduct business (also very similar to Roman during their heydays when everybody needed to speak Latin). Regardless, there is a lesson to be learned out of all of this: it is imperative to stress the fact that the “powerful” economic nations are the ones that “run the world’s economy.” As such, nations are compelled to learn the powerful nations’ languages if they wish to make any money for themselves. In this case, Catalan companies are compelled to learn Chinese, Indian, and Russian if they wish to maintain the last vestiges of their last commercial influences.