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Languages in the internationalisation of European SMEs
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A new Commission study on the internationalisation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), now available on line, shows how languages can be relevant in the internationalisation of European SMEs. The study, based on a survey of 9,480 SMEs in 33 European countries, identifies barriers and advantages of internationalisation and proposes policy recommendations.
Three examples of measures fostering the internationalisation of SMEs draw on language resources: under the Danish "Born Global" business counselling, companies are enabled to benefit from the language abilities of the staff of the Danish embassies abroad; in Ireland, the guides to Asian markets produced through the First Flight Asia measure provide first time exporters with information on the importance of taking account of different cultures and languages; finally, under the "Export Window (Izvozno okno)" measure, Slovenian business centres abroad help Slovenian companies to overcome language barriers for establishing contacts with foreign companies which have interest for cooperation.
The study concludes that through importing enterprises can learn how to work with international clients, other cultures and languages. This is an interesting result, as policy usually focuses on supporting export. Previous import experiences, however, appear to be very useful when it comes to export opportunities; the next step to exporting is then easier to make.
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