LANGUAGE BARRIERS: FEEDBACK FROM THE IT INDUSTRY

Meaningful interaction process between human beings necessitates effective communication especially in organisations that have rapid information exchange demands. It is perceived that most IT organisations that face communication and language barriers have lost businesses due to higher product defect rates, lack of focus on business objectives, stifled innovation and dissatisfied customers and poor customer services. This study looks at the language barriers faced by employees working in various fields related to Information Technology in Malaysia. A questionnaire was distributed to IT employees working in various international and national companies in Malaysia, and sixty two IT employees’ responses were accepted. The employees had to rate the effects of each language barrier on them in the context of the workplace. Based on these findings, barriers faced by IT employees in this field can now be better understood and steps can be taken by both the industry and education sectors to overcome these barriers. It will also aid these employees to be better communicators in facing the challenges in their industry and increase their competitiveness on a global scale. We conclude that future research should more explicitly consider the different configurations of language skills that are needed by IT staff.