Multilingualism in football teams

Abstract

International football teams can be seen as complex linguistic ecosystems in which players and coaches with different mother tongues and cultural backgrounds interact with each other. In particular, mixed international teams with large numbers of foreign players might seem likely to encounter problems caused by language and communication barriers. Despite linguistic (and cultural) barriers, effective communication within the team is vital for efficient and goal-oriented interaction and cooperation. Types of communication range from everyday practice sessions, tactical instructions, and analyses before, during, and after a match, to conflicts with referees and contact with fans and the media. Understanding and making oneself understood can be achieved through foreign-language communication, lingua franca communication, code switching and mixing as well as nonverbal semiotic systems interacting in many different ways, together with improvisation as well as proactive language strategies like language training and translation services. This chapter draws on two research seminars conducted with Romance philology students in Innsbruck, focusing on football clubs in Austria, Italy, and Germany; data were collected mainly through interviews and observation. It describes the multifaceted nature of multilingualism in this very special type of multilingual working environment.

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