Which language to choose?

[Periwinkle]

Well, I saw a piece about the resignation of Deutsche Bank executives in the Wall Street Journal today, and thought of this thread.

Here’s one take on it: http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/6-reasons-anshu-jain-quit-deutsche-bank-115060900665_1.html

Jain has also mentioned his inability to speak fluent German as a major road block, in engaging with share holders or, as the Wall Street Journal reports, gaining acceptance in parts of Germany’s tightknit financial and political communities.

According to a Reuters report, Jain struck an undeniably awkward pose at this year’s AGM, giving a speech in English while German law required that it be done in German. To bridge the gap, the bank cut Jain’s microphone and ran a German voice-over, triggering a surge of murmurs from the crowd of shareholders and journalists. Mr. Jain spent months travelling the country and taking German-language lessons, something he never mastered. He cultivated relationships with senior politicians in Berlin.

Even if English is the international language of business, if you end up leading a foreign company, you will be expected to master that language.