The language barrier in international cultural relations is the main obstacle to fair and equal communication and exchange of knowledge.
In my professional experience, the main obstacle to my work and career progress has been the language barrier. This may sound strange to anyone who knows my background. You might think that in more than thirty years of professional activity I have managed quite well in the international art world. I speak four languages; two by birth, Catalan and Spanish, and two by training. First French and then English. However, I cannot deny my deep regret at not having a perfect command of English.
Not having the highest level of English has closed some doors for me. At certain levels of international activity, the competition is enormous. In my case, as a freelancer in the arts, the opportunities are even more limited. So if you don't have a very high level of English, you don't have access to places where new knowledge is generated or funded. Nor, for that matter, to the places where decisions are made. In an institutional context, this need is not so obvious, as there are more technical and economic resources available to have the translation done immediately.
THE LONG MARCH OF MY ENGLISH STUDIES
I have always been attracted to the unattainable. I started training as an actor at 30, as a dancer at 35 and as an opera singer at 40. Of course, it's difficult to develop an artistic career in this way. I also applied to a number of competitions to direct festivals around the world, in positions that were clearly out of my reach; I always thought that in order to lose my independence, I would have to do it in positions that were really rewarding. As an international cultural manager, I started studying English just before I turned 30, and it was too late.
However, nothing stops me from communicating internationally. Collaborating and carrying out projects with people from all over the world is what attracts me most and what I have done most often. In most cases, with the exception of Spain and Latin America, the language of communication is always English. However, I seldom have access to decision-making spaces. Nor have my narratives been adopted, in whole or in part, by the international community to which I belong.
NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS
Having English as a mother tongue makes it much easier to make progress in cultural management at an international level. The overwhelming international dominance that Anglo-Saxon culture has achieved is due to two main factors. First, it has been influenced by the fact that English is the language of international relations. The international sphere undoubtedly determines which narratives, trends or artistic expressions are considered hegemonic in the globalised world. In terms of culture and artistic creation, aesthetics and content are prescribed from here. All that remains for the Anglo-Saxon cultural industry is to project them and thus guarantee its leadership in the world.
On the other hand, there are those whose first language is not English but who are fluent in it, usually because they have studied or worked in a country where English is a common language. In this way, they have formed their cultural narrative in line with the dominant narrative of the host country. As a result, in their future careers they will not deviate much from the frameworks and models they have learned during their stays in these countries. For example, artistic studies in Anglo-Saxon countries, or in their cultural sphere, reproduce the aesthetics and disciplines of the cultures of these countries.
As a result, both native English speakers and those who have learned English through extended stays in English-speaking countries are more likely to reproduce the frames and narratives of hegemonic Anglo-Saxon cultures. On the other hand, non-native English speakers who are not fluent in English face serious barriers to influence with their proposals and narratives.
FEAR IS THE MAIN ENEMY IN OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
From experience, and without wishing to be an authority, I believe that fear is the enemy of oral communication at an international level. The fear of not being understood, of not knowing how to express nuances, of not being able to respond correctly to requests for clarification... This, sometimes accompanied by panic, slows down natural thinking, takes away spontaneity and ultimately leads to collapse. The manifestations of collapse are lack of concentration and, as a result, losing the thread and leaving the conversation.
A minority but highly influential manifestation of collapse is when the person experiencing it has an inflated dose of ego. For example, people with decision-making power, such as directors of cultural structures, festivals, etc. In these cases, the setback is so great that, after a bad experience, they close the doors to international cooperation in their area of influence for good. Worse still, they prevent members of their team from becoming internationally involved.
In order to create equal conditions for the oral transmission of knowledge between people of different languages, these exchanges need to take place in comfortable spaces. We could define them as places of greater freedom, where fear is dispelled and a sense of inclusion and diversity leads to respectful oral exchange. The existence of these comfortable spaces is absolutely necessary for egalitarian communication to take place on a global scale.
THE NEW COMFORTABLE SPACES
In practice, it can rarely be said that a space meets the conditions for optimal communication at an international level. In general, spoken language is not considered an accessibility issue by event or meeting organisers, unless it is the lack of ability to speak or hear. Unfortunately, it is often the speakers themselves who contribute to the discomfort of the space by not adapting to the real conditions of the agents present in the room. Speaking quickly, softly or without vocalising are the main pitfalls to avoid. Other times, it is the room itself that does not meet the appropriate acoustic conditions or is poorly amplified.
Achieving egalitarian oral communication is not a utopia today. Further exploration of issues such as inclusion, accessibility and diversity should lead to considering the language barrier as a related issue. The tendency to undervalue cultural diversity in practice and to allow a dominant culture to monopolise more and more of our daily lives are signs of the advance of greater linguistic imperialism. Much can be done to counter this. Firstly, by being aware of the inequality and, from there, by taking the necessary steps to build these "comfortable spaces" for communication. Undoubtedly, the development of policies of inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility, with the help of technology, is gradually paving the way.