Lack of fluency in foreign languages in UK firms

Law firms’ prospects of accessing work in emerging markets across Latin America and Africa are being hampered by a lack of fluency in foreign languages, according to a report by management consultancy Edward Drummond & Co.

Less than one-sixth of partners at Top 100 UK law firms can speak a foreign language. Of those who do speak a foreign language, 62% speak French, 20% speak German and 16% speak Spanish.

By contrast, nearly a quarter of French adults are bilingual, as are 38% of Germans and 79% of Swedes.

Edward Drummond partner Gareth Ward said: ‘Firms wanting to expand their global presence should focus their language-learning resources on regions, including many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, that are developing quickly.’