Let us (not) speak Finnish! On language, power relations and ambivalence

In this chapter, I argue that meaningful language-sensitive analysis in international business studies entails that we acknowledge the ambivalence that characterizes language relations. Language is intimately connected to power and resistance and a focus on how languages operate separately and together gives us opportunities to dwell into the in-built tensions created by multiple languages in social interaction. To illustrate my argument, I first discuss problematics of strategic decisions in organizations from the point of view of language choice and highlight the contextual and power-laden nature of language. I then move onto the individual level, reflect on my own experiences, and consider languages as a question of academic identity. Ambivalence is present in both examples: they are characterized by tensions, uncertainty, and mixed feelings.