University graduates’ workplace language needs as perceived by employers Tuula Lehtonen * , Sinikka Karjalainen University of Helsinki Language Centre, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 4, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland Received 4 June 2007; received in revised form 9 January 2008; accepted 29 January 2008 Abstract The aim of this article is to focus on the language needs of university graduates at today’s workplace as seen through the eyes of their employers. Using interview data from the representatives of 15 Finnish employers, we highlight certain language-related trends at the workplace of university graduates, underline the need for a range of languages and discuss cultural aspects. This research shows that language skills are a highly valued and useful tool, and they are to be understood in a broad sense. It is evident that it is not enough to use only English, as today’s workplace is plurilin- gual and therefore places high demands on a graduate’s language skills. In these plurilingual settings, successful communication is of utmost importance. In addition to linguistic matters, cultural sensi- tivity plays a role at the workplace. Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Workplace language needs; Plurilingualism; Cultural skills; University graduates’ language skills; Language centre teaching 1. Introduction Literature on Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has shown that individuals working in a particular context have specific needs or are expected to have specific skills in a particular language, and that the language used at work often differs from that used in other contexts (see e.g. Dlaska, 1999; Dudley-Evans and St 0346-251X/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.system.2008.01.003 * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: tuula.lehtonen@helsinki.fi (T. Lehtonen), sinikka.karjalainen@helsinki.fi (S. Karjalainen). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com System 36 (2008) 492–503 www.elsevier.com/locate/system SYSTEM