Working language is the primary means of communication in organizations with members from different linguistic backgrounds. International bodies such as the UN, WTO, and EU use working languages to avoid the prohibitive cost of translating all documents. English and French are the most common working languages, but the choice depends on the organization. Lingua franca is a third language used to enable communication between speakers who do not share a mother tongue, and it dates back to the Middle Ages.
Working language, also known as procedural language, is the language used in a business, state, corporation, or any other organization or body as the primary means of communication. The establishment of a working language is necessary in organizations composed of members from different linguistic backgrounds in order to ensure that everyone is proficient in the working language and that there are no miscommunications.
Early examples of the need to establish working languages come from international bodies such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Each of these is made up of numerous nationalities, each with its own native language and official language. The main reason for establishing working languages in these cases is economic as the cost of translating all speeches, documents, decisions and memoranda into each language would be prohibitively expensive, not to mention time consuming and impractical. However, the choice of which language is accepted is often contentious with native speakers of the leading languages.
English and French are the most common working languages for many international bodies with Spanish and German in third and fourth. However, the working language depends on the area and the type of organization. For example, the Southern African Development Community lists four: English, French, Afrikaans and Portuguese. The United Nations lists Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Russian as well as English and French. This means that these languages are used during the meetings and the representatives can speak any of these languages. If they are unfamiliar with these languages, interpretation is provided, but only in one of the six working languages. Simultaneous interpretation of the six is provided automatically.
Another synonym for a working language is “lingua franca” with the slight difference that a lingua franca may or may not apply to an official language, but refers to the systematic use of a third language to make communication possible between speakers who are not they share a mother tongue. English is perhaps the most obvious language used in many areas, but it can also be a pidgin or creole standardized by long-term use. The origin of the lingua francas dates back to the Middle Ages, when a common language was needed to enable communication between trading partners and empire builders. The former used was a mixture of French, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Arabic and was spoken by traders in Mediterranean ports.
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