Search

This study aims to investigate the LOTE learning motivation profiles of adult learners at a multilingual workplace and the interplay of multilevel factors affecting LOTE learning motivation. To address the research objectives, we undertook this case study on a Spanish bank subsidiary in China by conducting semi-structured interviews with three senior managers at varying LOTE language proficiency levels. Premised on a person-in-context relational perspective, interview data analysis revealed the participants LOTE motivation change trajectories resulting from the dynamic interplay of related factors. Further analysis of the narratives identified the interplay between key contextual and individual factors affecting the participants’ LOTE learning motivation at different levels, namely social cultural and institutional. The results emphasise the person-in-institutional context relation and the significance of team climate, language beliefs and identity in influencing LOTE learning motivation

This study explored language management in Banco Santander in China, a multilingual workplace where two major languages, Spanish and Chinese, are used along with English as a lingua franca. We collected data through conducting interviews with four senior managers in charge of human resources, strategic development, retailing and commercial banks to understand how languages are used and managed in this Spanish bank. Analyses of data revealed consistencies and inconsistencies between employees’ choices of language and beliefs as mediated by relevant social cultural, corporate and linguistic factors. The findings shed light on the complexity of language management at a Spanish bank in China against the backdrop of the changing scenario of foreign direct investment. They highlight the importance for multinational corporations to manage languages in response to multilingual challenges at workplaces in China.