IELTS Reading Language Strategy In Multinational Com

Language Strategy In Multinational

Company – IELTS Reading Answers

Kasturika Sa
Sa…… 14 min read Updated On Jul 16, 2024

Table of Contents

Reading Passage
Answers of Language Strategy in Multinational
Company Reading Answers With Location and
Explanations
Tips to Solve the Question Types in Language
Strategy in Multinational Company IELTS Reading
Answers
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You are not completely prepared for the IELTS Academic

Reading section until you have practiced passages such as
‘Language Strategy In Multinational Company’. Each task in the
IELTS passage is divided into several sets of questions which
you have to complete within 20 minutes. To master that skill,
you have to practice more IELTS reading practice tests.

The Academic Reading passage, Language Strategy In

Multinational Company, consists of 14 questions. The question
types found in this IELTS passage are:

IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 1-6)

Short Answer Questions IELTS Reading (Q. 7-13)

IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 14)

Reading Passage

You should spend 20 minutes on Questions

1-14, which are based on the Reading
Passage below.

Language Strategy In Multinational

Company

A The importance of language management in

multinational companies has never been greater than today.
Multinationals are becoming ever more conscious of the
importance of global coordination as a source of competitive
advantage and language remains the ultimate barrier to
aspirations of international harmonization. Before attempting to
consider language management strategies, companies will
have to evaluate the magnitude of the language barrier
confronting them and in doing so they will need to examine it in
three dimensions: the Language Diversity, the Language
Penetration and the Language Sophistication. Companies next
need to turn their attention to how they should best manage
language. There is a range of options from which MNCs can
formulate their language strategy.

B Lingua Franca: The simplest answer, though realistic only

for English speaking companies, is to rely on one’s native
tongue. As recently as 1991 a survey of British exporting
companies found that over a third used English exclusively in
dealings with foreign customers. This attitude that —one
language fits all has also been carried through into the Internet
age. A survey of the web sites of top American companies
confirmed that over half made no provision for foreign
language access, and another found that less than 10% of
leading companies were able to respond adequately to emails
other than in the company‘s language. Widespread though it is
however, reliance on a single language is a strategy that is
fatally flawed. It makes no allowance for the growing trend in
Linguistic Nationalism whereby buyers in Asia, South America
and the Middle East in particular are asserting their right to —
work in the language of the customer!. It also fails to recognize
the increasing vitality of languages such as Spanish, Arabic and
Chinese that overtime are likely to challenge the dominance of
English as a lingua franca. In the IT arena it ignores the rapid
globalization of the Internet where the number of English-
language ecommerce transactions, emails and websites, is
rapidly diminishing as a percentage of the total. Finally, the total
reliance on a single language puts the English speaker at risk in
negotiations. Contracts, rules and legislation are invariably
written in the local language, and a company unable to operate
in that language is vulnerable.

C Functional Multilingualism: Another improvised approach

to Language is to rely on what has been termed —Functional
Multilingualism!. Essentially what this means is to muddle
through, relying on a mix of languages, pidgins and gestures to
communicate by whatever means the parties have at their
disposal. In a social context such a shared effort to make one
another understand might be considered an aid to the bonding
process with the frustration of communication being regularly
punctuated by moments of absurdity and humor. However, as
the basis for business negotiations it appears very hit-and-nuts.
And yet Hagen‘s recent study suggests that 16% of international
business transaction; are conducted in a —cocktail of
languages.! Functional Multilingualism shares the same defects
as reliance on a lingua franca and increases the probability of
cognitive divergence between the parties engaged in the
communication.

D External Language Resources: A more rational and

obvious response to the language barrier is to employ external
resources such as translators and interpreters, and certainly
there are many excellent companies specialized in these fields.
However, such a response is by no means an end to the
language barrier. For a start these services can be very
expensive with a top Simultaneous Interpreter, commanding
daily rates as high as a partner in an international consulting
company. Secondly, any good translator or interpreter will insist
that to be fully effective they must understand the context of
the subject matter. This is not always possible. In some cases it
is prohibited by the complexity or specialization of the topic.
Sometimes by lack of preparation time but most often the
obstacle is the reluctance of the parties to explain the wider
context to an outsider. Another problem is that unless there has
been considerable pre-explaining between the interpreter and
his clients it is likely that there will be ambiguity and cultural
overtones in the source messages the interpreter has to work
with. They will of course endeavor to provide a hifidelity
translation but in this circumstance the interpreter has to use
initiative and guess work. This clearly injects a potential source
of misunderstanding into the proceedings. Finally, while a good
interpreter will attempt to convey not only the meaning but also
the spirit of any communication, there can be no doubt that
there is a loss of rhetorical power when communications go
through a third party. So in situations requiring negotiation,
persuasion, humor etc. the use of an interpreter is a poor
substitute for direct communication.

E Training: The immediate and understandable reaction to

any skills shortage in a business is to consider personnel
development and certainly the language training industry is
well developed. Offering programs at almost every level and in
numerous languages. However, without doubting the value of
language training no company should be deluded into
believing this to be assured of success. Training in most
companies is geared to the economic cycle. When times are
good, money is invested in training. When belts get tightened,
training is one of the first —luxuries to be pared down. In a
study conducted across four European countries, nearly twice
as many companies said they needed language training in
coming years as had conducted training in past years. This
disparity between —good intentions! and —actual delivery!,
underlines the problems of relying upon training for language
skills. Unless the company is totally committed to sustaining the
strategy even through bad times, it will fail.

F One notable and committed leader in the field of

language training has been the Volkswagen Group. They have
developed a language strategy over many years and in many
respects can be regarded as a model of how to manage
language professionally. However, the Volkswagen approach
underlines that language training has to be considered a
strategic rather than a tactical solution. In their system, to
progress from —basics to —communications competence in a
language requires the completion of 6 language stages, each
one demanding approximately 90 hours of refresher course,
supported by many more hours of self-study, spread over a 6-9
month period. The completion of each stage is marked by a
post-stage achievement test, which is a prerequisite for
continued training. So even this professionally managed
program expects a minimum of three years of fairly intensive
study to produce an accountant. Engineer, buyer or
salesperson capable of working effectively in a foreign
language. Clearly companies intending to pursue this route
need to do so with realistic expectations and with the intention
of sustaining the program over many years. Except in terms of
—brush-up! courses for people who were previously fluent in a
foreign language, training cannot be considered a quick fix and
hence other methods will have to be considered.

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Questions 1-6

Complete the following summary of the whole

paragraphs of Reading Passage, choosing A-L
words from the following options.
Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer
sheet.

MNCs often encounter language barriers in their daily strategy,

then they seek several approaches to solve such problems.
First, native language gives them a realistic base in a different
language speaking country, but problems turn up when they
deal with oversea 1 ………………………
………………………. For example,
operation on translation of some key 2 ………………………
………………………, it is
inevitable to generate differences by rules from different
countries. Another way is to rely on a combination of spoken
language and 3 ………………………
………………………, yet a report written that
over one-tenth business 4 ………………………
………………………processed in a
party language setting. Third way: hire translators. However,
firstly it is 5 ………………………
………………………, besides if they are not well-
prepared, they have to take 6 ……………………… work.

A gestures

B clients

C transaction

D assumption

E accurate

F documents

G managers

H body language

I long-term

J effective

K rivals

L costly

Questions 7-13

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR
A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

7 What understandable reaction does Training pay attention

to according to the author?

8 In what term does the writer describe training during

economy depression?

9 What contribution does Volkswagen Group do for

multinational companies?

10 What does Volkswagen Group consider language training

as in their company?

11 How many stages are needed from basic course to

advanced in training?

12 How long does a refresher course need normally?

13 At least how long is needed for a specific professional to

acquire a foreign language?

Question 14

Write your answers in box 14 on your answer

sheet.

14 What is the main function of this passage?

A to reveal all kinds of language problems that companies

may encounter

B to exhibits some well-known cases in dealing with

language difficulties

C to evaluate various approaches for language barrier in

multinational companies

D to testify that training is only feasible approach to solve

language problem

Answers of Language Strategy in

Multinational Company Reading
Answers With Location and
Explanations

Once you have attempted the above questions for the passage,
Language Strategy in Multinational, go through the answers
and explanations given below. You will be able to check your
answers and get an idea of how to improve your preparation for
a higher IELTS reading band score.

1 Answer: B

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 10- line 12

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph D

says that “Another
Another problem is that unless there has
been considerable pre-explaining between the
interpreter and his clients it is likely that there will be
ambiguity and cultural overtones in the source
messages the interpreter has to work with.” It shows that
unless there is a prior explanation provided, communication
problems crop up when MNCs deal with oversea clients. Hence
the answer is B (clients).

2 Answer: F

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 15 – line 17

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph B

says that “ Finally, the total reliance on a single
language puts the English speaker at risk in
negotiations. Contracts, rules and legislation are
invariably written in the local language, and a
company unable to operate in that language is
vulnerable.
vulnerable.” It is pointed out that dependence on English can
create problems, so documents like contracts or rules and
legislations should be made in the local language or it
generates differences by rules from different countries. Hence
the answer is F (documents).

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3 Answer: A

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2 – line 4

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph C

says that “Essentially
Essentially what this means is to muddle
through, relying on a mix of languages, pidgins and
gestures to communicate by whatever means the
parties have at their disposal.
disposal.” It is pointed out that a way
to deal with problems created by language is to use a mix of
languages and gestures. Hence the answer is A (gestures).

4 Answer: C

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 7 – line 9

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph C

says that “And
And yet Hagen‘s recent study suggests that
16% of international business transaction; are
conducted in a —cocktail of languages.!” As it is pointed
out that most business transactions take place in a language
setting, the answer is C (transaction).

5 Answer: L

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 4 – line 6

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph D

says that “For
For a start these services can be very
expensive with a top Simultaneous Interpreter,
commanding daily rates as high as a partner in an
international consulting company.
company.” It is quite clear that
although hiring a translator is a way out to deal with language
problems, it is costly (expensive). Hence the answer is L (costly).

6 Answer: D

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 12 – line 14

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph D

says that “They
They will of course endeavor to provide a
hifidelity translation but in this circumstance the
interpreter has to use initiative and guess work.” It is
clear that if the translators are not well prepared, sometimes
they have to use guess work or assumption. Hence the answer
is D (assumption).

7 Answer: personnel development

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1 – line 2

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph E

says that “The
The immediate and understandable reaction
to any skills shortage in a business is to consider
personnel development and certainly the language
training industry is well developed.
developed.” One of the
understandable reactions that training should pay attention to is
personnel development. Hence the answer is personnel
development.

8 Answer: luxury

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 6 – line 7

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph E

says that “When
When belts get tightened, training is one of
the first —luxuries to be pared down.
down.” In this sentence,
the writer describes training during economic depression (when
belts get tightened) as a luxury which has to be cut down.
Hence the answer is luxury.

9 Answer: model

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F

says that “ One notable and committed leader in the
field of language training has been the Volkswagen
Group. They have developed a language strategy over
many years and in many respects can be regarded as
a model of how to manage language professionally.”
The contribution that the Volkswagen Group has made to the
MNCs is to create a model for the language management.
Hence the answer is model.

10 Answer: strategic solution

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F

says that “However,
However, the Volkswagen approach
underlines that language training has to be considered
a strategic rather than a tactical solution.” Therefore,
Volkswagen Group considers language training as a strategic
solution in their company rather than tactical solution. Hence
the answer is strategic solution.

11 Answer: six

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 5 – line 7

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F

says that “In their system, to progress from —basics to
—communications competence in a language requires
the completion of 6 language stages, each one
demanding approximately 90 hours of refresher
course, supported by many more hours of self-study,
spread over a 6-9 month period.” This sentence informs
that there are six stages from basic to competence. Hence the
answer is six.

12 Answer: 90 hours

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 5 – line 7

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F

says that “In their system, to progress from —basics to
—communications competence in a language requires
the completion of 6 language stages, each one
demanding approximately 90 hours of refresher
course…”. It is clearly stated that the refresher course needs
90 hours normally. Hence the answer is 90 hours.

13 Answer: three years

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 9 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F

says that “So
So even this professionally managed program
expects a minimum of three years of fairly intensive
study to produce an accountant.” It is informed that it
takes at least three years for a specific professional to acquire a
foreign language. Hence the answer is three years.

14 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: whole passage

Answer explanation: Throughout the whole passage, from

Paragraph A to F, the writer discusses various barriers of
language and evaluates various approaches for language
barriers in multinational companies. Hence the answer is C.

Tips to Solve the Question Types

in Language Strategy in
Multinational Company IELTS
Reading Answers

As you now know the answers to the Reading Answers of

Language Strategy in Multinational Company with explanations,
let us look at some IELTS exam preparation tips to answer the
different types of questions in the passage.

Summary Completion:

Summary Completion is a type of IELTS reading question that

requires you to fill in a gap in a paragraph with a word or
phrase from the passage. To answer summary completion
questions, you can use the following strategies:

Read the sentences carefully. It will give you an idea of the

type of word or phrase that is missing.

Scan the passage for the keywords using the IELTS

Reading keyword techniques. The keywords in the
sentence can help you to identify the correct word or
phrase.

Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase. This

will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the
sentence.

Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your
answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

Short-Answer Type Questions:

In short answer questions, you have to scan through a passage

and answer questions based on the information given following
the word limit. To answer short-answer type questions, you can
use the following steps:

Go through the instructions carefully – You will find the

word limit for the answers there, which you have to follow
strictly.

Read the questions and highlight the keywords – The next

step will be to read the questions to know what keywords
or information you have to look for in the IELTS exam
passage.

Use the ‘Wh’ words in the questions – Words like ‘What’,

(names), ‘Where’ (place), ‘When’ (time), etc. will enable you
to understand the type of information you are looking for.

Use reading techniques to study the passage quickly – Do

not waste your time reading the whole passage. Scan
through the passage to find out the keywords or their
synonyms. If headers are given, use them to locate the
answer easily.

Check the spelling – Once you find the answer, note the
correct spelling in your answer sheet.

Multiple-Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several

questions based on the information in the paragraph in
multiple-choice questions. Your task is to understand the
question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the
best solution from the available possibilities.

Before reading the passage, read the question and select

the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the
question statement is short on information.

Then, using the keywords, read the IELTS Reading

passage to find the relevant information.

To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant

words and match them with each option.

You will find several options with keywords that do not

correspond to the information.

Try opting for the elimination method.

Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than

just the keywords.

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