In this context, translation as a tool for better text results came out to be best practice as the following quote illustrates:
For example, I chaired the session, translated it, i.e. consecutively, and documented it. Then, in the end, as a Germanophone, I wrote the protocol in French and then translated it into German. And by translating them back, I often noticed what kind of errors in the content of the protocol were. This allowed me to optimize it so that a good protocol came out.
Barmeyer and Davoine 2015, 434
This specific practice of cross-lingual text production can be realized in its best way because of the bilingual working environment at Alleo. By identifying the genres and writing requirements at the workplace this practice could also inspire a creative mix of languages. This includes more than a simple translation, for example hybrid language practices through multilingual writing tools for companies with more than two languages.
Culturally and/or institutionally influenced differences and working techniques of the German and the French railway societies (DB and SNCF) are brought together in Alleo by managing a joint and intercultural negotiation process. The factors of success and their effects are listed in the following table (Barmeyer and Davoine 2015, 433).
(question for ECML: Can this graphic be translated and transferred to the website?; please change Barmayer into Barmeyer when translating, thanks)
As a „factor of success“, the authors of the Alleo highlight plurilingualism („Taking different perspectives through knowledge and understanding of different social conceptual systems, efficient work and reduction of linguistic misunderstanding“) and intercultural competences („Appropriate ability to act through cognitive and emotional understanding of culture and systems“) (ibid).
To know more about this former company (2007-2018) please click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleo.
In the category „multilingualism“ (German-French), the project Alleo shows the integrative function of multilingual practices to avoid misunderstandings that are caused by different social conceptual systems incorporated in one language.
We have seen that in border regions the two neighbouring national languages are mostly used.
Another step towards intercultural competence in multilingual professional contexts besides the specifics of border regions is the role of Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) in international enterprises that has been described by Barmeyer and Eberhardt (2019). The article focusses on an „[…] empirical survey conducted in various multinational enterprises, deals with TCN managers’ perceptions of which competencies are regarded as relevant for coping with the challenges posed by their interface function. Intercultural competence is identified as having a special significance as meta-competence, because it enables individuals in intercultural contexts to assume neutral and objective positions“ (Barmeyer and Eberhardt 2019:31).
The idea of building bridges between the different national and ethnic groups is also to create a policy of multilingualism as recommended in the final paper of the Dylan Project (2012): “In classrooms, meetings and interaction at the workplace in companies and in European institutions and bodies, a multilingual mode, encouraged by a policy of multilingualism and linked to an appropriate participatory framework, seems to be one of the conditions for taking full advantage of multilingualism as an asset“ (Berthoud, Grin and Lüdi 2012, 20).