He interviewed 25 managers who work in 14 Basque companies, mainly Gipuzkoans, who work internationally to learn how they manage languages in their workplace and what opinions they have about it. 194 students from the Faculty of Economics and Business of the UPV/EHU of Donostia-San Sebastián have been asked about the languages they will find in their work. In particular, account has been taken of Basque, Spanish, English, French, German and Chinese. Karin van der Worp (Hattem, Netherlands) comes to Euskal Herria to make his doctoral thesis three and a half years ago. He speaks, among other things, Dutch, Basque, English and Spanish.

What have you found in companies?

The attitude of multilingual professionals is very positive, they want as many languages as possible to be used, but they find it very difficult. They have Spanish and Basque. Euskera is not dominated by all colleagues and Castilian is used more than Euskera in companies, especially in the formal context. If someone does not know Euskera at the time of the meeting, everything is done in Spanish. It's very common to do it in Spanish.

It is true that we have seen very different companies. In a company, they do everything in Euskera, they have committed to working in Euskera, both among co-workers and outside of it. In another company, for example, everything is done in Spanish. They say in Spanish that we all understand and that the use of Euskera has an extra cost. They are the two extremes, most are between them, the two languages are used, Spanish more than Euskera. Euskera is mainly used among peers.

What do you think about English?

English is the most widely used language abroad, although they know that it is better to know the language of the client. As for English, they are concerned that new employees joining the company do not have a sufficient level of English.

In the opinion of companies, the education system does not prepare pupils for the use of languages. On the one hand, they say that the level that students get in English, even if they start learning when they're young, may be appropriate to go on vacation to London, but not to work. On the other hand, it is curious that before French was important in education, they now almost completely give English. Companies are worried because the market is very close and we have fewer and fewer capacities in French. It is also ideological, there are three languages in Euskal Herria, but English has taken the main role.

He has asked the students of the School of Economics and Business to complete the questionnaire. What do you think about Euskera?

Opinion varies depending on whether or not the Basque country is dominated. Those who dominate Euskera say that language is important for the future in the workplace, while those who do not know Euskera do not give it much importance. But it is curious how when it comes to obtaining Euskera certificates, those who have the Spanish mother tongue give more importance to certification. There is the well-known title, it is considered that companies value having the certificate.

The importance students give to Euskera in their mother tongue does so on one side or the other, but it is not so white or black. Some do not have the Basque language as their mother tongue, then they have learned it, and those increasingly think more like the Basques, give importance to the Basque. It has drawn my attention to the fact that
companies never demand Spanish when hiring, it is taken for granted. Many companies demand English, not Basque, and if you know it is an added value. There is an imbalance there.

How do you perceive English?

They attach great importance to English. Students think they will have to use English in international companies, but they think they are not well prepared. Students who have taught several English courses in Compulsory Secondary Education feel better prepared than others.

You have taken account of the level of multilingualism and asked about the importance of languages.

Because the only variable is not what the mother tongue is. We wanted to see how the degree of plurilingualism that their point of view has changed as it increases. The more multilingual, the more positive attitudes towards languages are.

The less multilingualism, the less interest?

Suppose the student only knows Spanish, does not make efforts to learn other languages, does not give it importance. This is also curious: when measuring the level of multilingualism of pupils we have taken into account the three languages that have very little knowledge of French, Chinese and German. And another thing, the more multilingual, the better the perception of Euskera. We found it interesting. Because we have that concern, what's going to happen to the Basque people in this globalized world.

So far I've asked you about the thesis. But you're from the Netherlands and you're going to see our reality in a different way than ours.

It's very interesting. You are a bilingual region that is becoming internationalized. The issue of English has drawn my attention. In the conversations in the companies, they said to me: “You speak English very well from a young age,” but that’s not the case, I started being 11 years old, although now they start earlier. It seems that here you have trouble getting a good level of English.

I am surprised that I cannot achieve the right level. They start studying at the age of 4, they go to academia ... How is it possible that students do not feel safe to use English in companies and that companies say that the level of English is not enough? There's a lot of desire to learn, the attitude is very positive, but what's missing to reach that level? One of them said: “If we do not achieve a good level of English, how are we going to learn French, German…? It is true that we have asked the students about their level of English. We don't know if your English level is better than you think.

Knowing that our society is bilingual, what did I expect to find in companies?

Before coming to Euskal Herria, not knowing anything about Euskera, I thought of a town and two languages, I thought the two languages would have the same place. But after I've come, I've seen how many people are bilingual, how many people do it in Spanish only. Therefore, it is not totally bilingual, the people are bilingual, but not everyone. That surprised me. Now I have seen that in companies they are doing a great job of accommodating the Basque. I am very pleased that there is such awareness.