This book is an edited volume that explores the multifaceted role of languages in workplaces through the lens of lived experiences of migrants in different lingual, temporal, and geographical contexts. In particular, it discusses the factors that hinder or facilitate these migrants’ integration into their new sociopolitical environments.
The volume begins with the editors’ introduction (chapter 1) of the background, themes, perspectives, and structure of the volume, advocating an activist research stance. This is followed by Florian Hiss's historical review of multilingualism in workplaces, which links the communication practices of the nineteenth century to the current multilingual workplace communication in Norway. Multilingualism in the workplace is also the central topic of chapter 9 by Art Babayants and chapter 10 by Kristina Humonen & Jo Angouri. Babayants examines the expression of emotions in multilingual theatrical performances and highlights the importance of a plurilingual approach in examining the dynamics between performers, languages, and audience perception. In contrast to Babayants’ descriptive analysis, Humonen & Angouri take a critical perspective on the power dynamics within a multilingual restaurant, where international chefs vie for power, resulting in the reproduction of power imbalances.
A critical perspective dominates the rest of the chapters, where various pressures (chapter 3, 4, 7, and 8) and requirements (chapters 5 and 6) faced by the migrant workers are discussed. Nóra Schleicher's chapter 3 analyzes the discursive construction of the professional identity of a migrant medical doctor from Nigeria, who is negatively portrayed as an economic migrant, on a popular Hungarian television channel. Fiona O'Neil, in chapter 4, explores the perceptions and treatment of multilingual migrant professionals in Australian workplaces, where these professionals develop a mindset that allows them to challenge and counteract negative attitudes towards multilingual practices. Marta Kirilova, in chapter 5, reveals the ‘native-speaker’ lingual, cultural, and professional norms applied by Danish job interviewers towards L2 candidates who, by failing to align with these norms, are seen as inadequate language users and incompetent workers. In Marja Seilonen & Minna Suni's chapter 6, Finnish L2 speakers in the healthcare industry are similarly required to demonstrate linguistic and pragmatic competencies, such as building patient trust and using appropriate levels of indirectness, when giving instructions or suggestions. Chapter 7 by Julie Kerekes & Jeanne Sinclair examines the pedagogy used for teaching English as a second language to L2 speakers in a Canadian settlement organization, where migrant workers are often associated with low-wage jobs, even by those assisting them in transitioning to professional life. Tensions are not, however, always portrayed as constraining. Johanna Tovar, in chapter 8, proves that the identity challenges in London call-center work can create favorable conditions for English L2 speakers to fully participate and successfully adapt to their workplace, both linguistically and culturally.
In all, the book offers valuable insights for studies of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics in multilingual workplaces. A limitation of the book might be its narrow focus on Anglophone and Scandinavian sociopolitical contexts. Further research is needed to examine the competing pressures present outside of these geopolitical contexts.
