Effects of the Language Barrier on Processes and Performance of International Scientific Collaboration, Collaborators’ Participation, Organizational Integrity, and Interorganizational Relationships

Abstract

This article investigates how the language barrier influences technical communication, behavior in the workplace, and communication among international collaborators by studying a case of international collaboration between R&D laboratories—one European based and the other a major Korean company. This study finds that the language barrier is a critical handicap not only to non–English-speaking partners but also to English speakers in scientific collaboration. The language barrier hinders organizational integrity by fostering polarized attitudes toward collaboration. This study reveals a “shadow structure” in the Korean company that contributes to structural deformation due to the language barrier and that Korean engineers often suffer from identity conflicts derived from tension between their professional identity as members of the international scientific community and their lack of proficiency in English.