Finnish Ice Hockey Organisations as Multilingual Work Environments

Abstract

This thesis studies the phenomenon of workplace multilingualism in the Finnish professional ice hockey community. The primary research material of the thesis consists of four interviews with members of the professional community: two staff members of team organisations, an international player, and a referee. The interviews focussed on gathering the respondents’ subjective experiences of multilingualism in their everyday work environment. They were asked to identify which languages were used in their work environment and what strategies and policies were in place to manage multilingualism. The study also explored how these individuals viewed possible difficulties and advantages which may arise from the multilingual nature of their work community. The interviews were analysed using a qualitative content analysis approach.

The analysis revealed that the use of English as a lingua franca in parallel with Finnish was common in the organisations the interviewees represented. Self-translation and non-professional translations by members of the community were used to bridge gaps in participants’ language skills. The use of professional translators was not considered cost-effective or practical in the everyday ice hockey environment. While concrete multilingualism policies were not implemented, and management of multilingualism seemed to rely on implicit assumptions rather than explicit coordination, the interviewees were in general satisfied with the current state of language management in their community. Despite this, more efficient management of language issues in the future would be beneficial for ice hockey organisations not only from a practical viewpoint but possibly also in terms of facilitating better athletic achievements.