Honda to switch to English by 2020

> Automaker to adopt language as its corporate lingua franca by 2020

PETALING JAYA: Honda Motor Co has announced that it will be switching to English as its official corporate language for international communications by 2020.

The company made the public announcement in its annual sustainability report, which was carried in The Japan Times.

“By 2020, senior executives will have to prove their English fluency before taking up their positions, and internal documents that need to be in English will be written in the language rather than translated from Japanese,” the English daily reported.

Honda had worked to make English an important part of its operations over the last several years, but its decision to make English the corporate lingua franca recognises the future of Honda’s operations to grow more in the international arena, in scope and character.

The move follows the lead by Japanese companies like Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), Rakuten and Bridgestone, which all have English-only policies.

“It also follows the lead of other large international companies (such as) Lenovo, Nokia, Audi, Airbus, Aventis, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Samsung. The decision was made as the fast pace of global business nowadays no longer allows time for decisions to be discussed in Japanese, translated into English and distributed to non-Japanese employees,” it added.

Quick decisions, prompt responses and real-time communications are key to remain competitive for most businesses and the companies realise it is easier when it is all done in English.

Japan Times raises the question of whether the Japanese education system will adapt to these forces driving business toward greater use of English as it is said there is a resistance to more thorough English education from some teachers, school administrators and education ministry officials who feel it is not their job to train students for future jobs.

However, the move toward English as an official language in companies does at least offer an answer to the question many students, parents and teachers still ask: “Why is English important?”

In Japan, the education system still focuses on passing college entrance exams, not on acquiring competence in English.

What is lacking is an engaging English environment that develops a positive attitude in students’ early studies toward learning the language through positive reinforcement, which is needed at every level of English study in Japan.

Good study habits for learning English need to be encouraged so that young students grasp the idea that they can, and must, keep learning English over a period of years.

Global business requires not just English skill but an attitude of openness to understanding the world, by interacting with people, practices and ideas from other countries and learning a second language can help foster such an attitude.

“Honda, like the many other firms that have started using the international language of English, is sending a message that they know how to do business outside their own language context and is willing to expand the potential of Japan’s global business environment with new models and fresh thinking. Schools, and those still in doubt, should listen to that message.”