June 2005

The Business of Language is a guide to language and cultural issues.

In this issue:

Regional Language Network North East Funding
BLIS Jobs
Think Global and Act Local
The Big Day Event
The Tall Ships' Race 2005 - NewcastleGateshead 25th-28th July
E-Commerce Awards
RLN NE Competition


Regional Language Network North East Funding

Online customers are three times more likely to buy when addressed in their mother tongue (Forrester Research).

54% of users prefer the Web as their only source of information (Common Information Environment survey)

The RLN NE is currently offering financial assistance to help your business be more effective in international markets. What should you do?

• Select your target international market
• Decide on the website text to be translated
• Speak to the Regional Language Network North East

Up to 40% funding assistance available to a maximum of £2,000 (ERDF RLN NE terms and conditions apply).

Contact Alan Burton on 0191 423 5610 or alan.burton@rln-northeast.com or visit www.rln-northeast.com for further information on RLN NE Funding.

Ring the International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 for access to the full range of support services. The RLN NE offer is part of a coordinated European Funded project, which has seen UK Trade & Investment join forces with One NorthEast, the region’s Business Links, the North East Chamber of Commerce and other partners to maximise international trade support on offer to local companies.

Please circulate this information to anyone who may be interested in receiving RLN NE Funding.

BLIS Jobs

Fourteen new vacancies were placed on BLIS Jobs in May, and we currently have over thirty vacancies listed within the region. You can see a selection of the current jobs below:-

• French & German-speaking Marketing Co-ordinator, Tyne & Wear £18.2k;
• Italian-speaking Customer Service Representative, Sunderland £17k;
• Spanish-speaking Sales & Marketing Advisor, Tyne & Wear £18k;

To view the full range of vacancies please visit www.blis.org.uk/jobs where you will be able to search the database for all jobs listed within the North East and nationally. If you are an employer you can find out how to post your vacancies free of charge via the same link, or contact Kasia Fiderkiewicz on 0191 229 6348 or kasia.fiderkiewicz@onenortheast.co.uk for further information.

'Think Global and Act Local'

UK companies need to develop communication strategies to overcome barriers thrown up by an increasingly multilingual and multicultural global marketplace. This is the message put across in Professor Stephen Hagen's new book 'Language and culture in British business'.

Some of the most interesting findings in the book arise from the 2004 British Chambers of Commerce Language Survey. The study highlighted that the behaviour of exporting companies has a direct correlation between the importance placed on language skills and annual turnover. Four types of exporting companies are identified:

• Opportunists: respond to rather than initiate business developments with foreign clients, most often failing to adapt and localise their product - communicating only in English.
• Developers: adapt products and services more readily for foreign markets but remain reactive towards export development.
• Adaptors: make and effort to adapt their products and services to foreign markets, and have sales literature in the customers' languages.
• Enablers: proactive in their exporting, consciously select markets and adapt products, services and literature accordingly. They place a great deal of importance on staff with language skills.

The export sales by Opportunists showed a decline by an average of £50k a year, while Enablers showed an increase by an average of £290k a year per exporter.

To read the full article and find out how the Regional Language Network North East can help your company become an Enabler visit http://www.rln-northeast.com/Employers/employers_StephenHagenarticle.aspx

The Big Day Event

The climactic event of Business Week Tyne & Wear, The BIG DAY EVENT is your opportunity to network and develop business with established firms and leading innovators from across our region. Interactive exhibitors, international business decision-makers and speakers from some of the region's most high-profile organisations are all attending this free event, with a shared agenda to meet and build business with individuals and organisations from across Tyne & Wear. If you want to increase your profitability, develop new contacts or learn from leading speakers such as Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic and Jeff Grout, former MD of the largest specialist recruitment consultancy in the world, then jump online now to book your place at www.bigdayevent.com.

The Regional Language Network will have a stand at The Big Day Event, why not take the opportunity to come along and speak to the team and find out about our products and services.

The Tall Ships' Race 2005 - NewcastleGateshead 25th-28th July

NewcastleGateshead will once again play host to the Tall Ships' Race as a fleet of over 100 vessels from 20 countries will sail up the Tyne and drop anchor along the quayside for four days of festivities. It was twelve years ago when NewcastleGateshead was last visited by the prestigious Tall Ships' Race, and since then the Quayside has undergone massive regeneration. This event will offer the chance to showcase the region's achievements to a worldwide audience. Ships will be arriving from all over the world including those from America, Poland, Russia, India, Indonesia and Latvia to name but a few.

In 1993 the Tall Ships' event brought £38m worth of income into the region's economy, it is expected that the event in 2005 could bring as much as £50m. The event will also bring the opportunity to mix and meet with a wide range of young people from different nationalities who will be the crew of the vessels, and the focus of the activities will provide a festival atmosphere for the local and visiting communities. Read the full article and find out more details about the events taking place for The Tall Ships' Race by visiting our Events pages.

 

 

 

 

E-Commerce Awards

Could your business benefit from an injection of cash, media coverage and a prestigious award? Yes? Then the E-Commerce Awards could be for you. We’re looking for companies based in North East England who are using the Internet and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to provide their customers an exemplary level of service.

Apply now at www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk and you’ll be automatically entered into the regional awards where you could benefit from a £1,000 cash prize and extensive media coverage. Regional winners will go forward to the national awards where a £50,000 cash prize is on offer, helping you put your company firmly on the map.

To find out more about how to enter call Emmanuelle Martinot at One NorthEast on 0191 229 6727 or visit the One NorthEast website. Closing date: 28th July.

RLN NE Competition

Congratulations to our winners from April's edition Alison Fisher, Debbie Rochead and Brian Stobie. This time the prizes up for grabs are:

• A Language Learning Pack to the value of £50; language and level of your choice;

• A hamper filled with Italian goodies;

• A meal for two at El Torero, Newcastle.

To enter, simply answer the following questions:

1) On which day during the Tall Ships' Race will the 'Parade of Sail' take place?

2) In the BCC survey, on average how much were 'Enablers' or companies who most value languages increasing their exports by per year?

E-mail your answers to rln-northeast@onenortheast.co.uk by 5pm on Thursday 14th July. The first three entries pulled out of the hat who get both questions correct will be the winners!

We are always interested to learn what you think of the newsletter and what sort of information you would like to read in future editions. E-mail: rln-northeast@onenortheast.co.uk with your ideas, comments and suggestions, or if you have any queries or wish to advise us of a change of e-mail address or contact details. Students - If you are graduating this year and would like to continue receiving the Business of Language, please provide us with a non university contact e-mail address.

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