Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which stated that the United Kingdom forfeits £48 billion in lost exports because of its lack of language skills, what steps are they taking to promote the importance of language skills.

The report, building on work commissioned by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) from Professor James Foreman-Peck at Cardiff University, reviewed the evidence and quantified the impact of language skill deficiencies on UKtrade performance.Professor Foreman-Peck’s analysis showed that UK firms may be missing out on international opportunities because of inadequate information which in turn stemmed from poor language skills and insufficient knowledge of the cultures of other countries. Professor Foreman-Peck estimated that these missed opportunities were equivalent to around 3.5% of national income (£48bn). This estimate does not refer to just exports as it is based on total trade opportunities which include imports.

HMG has long recognised that there are barriers to trade and that Government has a role to play in helping firms overcome barriers to trade such as language skills and cultural awareness. UKTI provides a range of services to help companies address barriers to trade including language and culture issues in order to break into new or additional markets, or to increase their overseas presence. UKTI has a network of domestic and overseas trade advisors who help firms navigate barriers and trade internationally. The services offered by UKTI include bespoke help and advice plus a number of services. Amongst these services there are two specifically aimed at helping firms tackle language barriers. The Export Communications Review is a bespoke service to help companies address language barriers in all forms of communication including spoken, written, visual and digital; and “Web Optimisation for International Trade” are workshops that help firms make their websites fit for international business. In 2015/16 over 50,000 firms are expected to benefit from UKTI support; of which over 700 firms are expected to take advantage of the Export Communications Review Service and UKTI will run over 70 Web Optimisation Workshops.

UKTI has also published a guide for exporters on overcoming language and cultural barriers. Over seven thousand have been distributed to date. The language guide also signposts exporters to the various professional bodies that represent the language industries including translators, interpreters and linguists.