Micro Language Policy for a Hotel Essay

Introduction

Many people believe that it is the sole responsibility of championing groups and governments to implement language planning and policy. To the majority of people; language policy and planning should be enacted on a national-level and a large-scale basis. For the language policy and planning to succeed in its implementation, it is essential first to consider the micro and meso levels of the language policy (Baldauf, 2006). He goes ahead to emphasize that, implementers of the language policy should first develop the micro-level of the plan if they so wish to succeed in their implementation process. It is also important to note that, there are different levels where language planning exists. These are the micro, the meso, and the macro. There are, however, no distinct differences between the macro and meso levels of language planning (Kaplan and Baldauf, 1997).

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According to Baldauf, Micro planning is a situation where institutions, individuals, businesses or groups come up with a language plan and then make strategies to use and develop the language resources that they have (Baldauf, 2005). The society is made up of a diverse community of people. These people with different ethnic backgrounds and different native language need to work, live and even socialize with one another. Micro policy plays a significant role in this interaction because it responds to the existence of a language problem among people in a particular environment and the need to manage this language problem for effective communication (Liddicoat, 2008).

This paper mainly focuses on a micro policy of a five-star hotel in the Republic of Russia which has challenges in handling the increasing number of foreign tourists from the United Kingdom and the United States of America who seek services at the hotel. The five-star hotel to which this language policy is specially designed for is located is in the City of St. Petersburg which is the former capital city of Russia. This language policy mainly targets the front office staff who include reservation staff, front desk attendants, sales and marketing staff, housekeepers and concierges. This micro policy aims to improve the hotel staff's competence in English for them to effectively communicate with the English clients and by doing so improve the customer experience while at the hotel.

Context

According to the reports from the Russian Federal Security Service, Russia experienced an increase in the number of tourists who were visiting the country from the United States. The first quarter of 2017 recorded 25% increase in the number of tourists arriving from the United States (BBC, 2018). Though the amount of the people visiting from the United Kingdom did not significantly increase as compared to that of the United States, it was indeed very significant. A total of one hundred and ninety-three thousand, five hundred and twenty-two tourists arrived in Russia from the United Kingdom (BBC, 2018). Most of the tourists from these two countries choose St. Petersburg and the Trans-Siberian Railway as their preferred tourist destinations (Mchugh, 2018).

Mr. Oleg Safonov, who is the head of the Russia Federal Tourism Agency, attributes this increase in the number of visitors from these two countries to the negative publicity that Russia has been gaining in the recent past. According to Safonov, increased media attention is making more Americans and Britons to visit the country even out of curiosity (BBC, 2018). Unlike the Russian Leadership which is at loggerheads with western Europe and America, the Russian people are fascinating, hospitable and friendly. The exchange rate of British pound and the American dollar against the Russian rouble is also down making travel and accommodation to be affordable to the citizens of these two countries who have intentions of visiting Russia (Mchugh, 2008).

The FIFA world cup event which is scheduled to kick off in on the 14th of June this year is also expected to bring in an unprecedented number of English speakers from around the world to Russia. The Football tournament is an excellent opportunity for the Hotel in Russia to host these very diverse people.

Problem

Traditionally, the staffs at the five-star hotel in St. Petersburg were hired purely on their knowledge and experience in hotel service. The hotel became a favorite of residents and visitors from the neighboring countries who have a good command of the Russian language. The hotel's commitment towards meeting the customer expectations has given it unprecedented popularity among locals and even foreigners. By positioning itself as the hotel of choice for many people, the hotel has in the recent past started attracting a significant number of foreign clients who are mainly from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The hotel faces a lot of problems when accommodating the foreigners who do not know the Russian language. For instance, hotel staffs have had issues responding to English-speaking clients who may wish to make hotel reservations either through the use of the hotel's online platform or via telephone. It even becomes more challenging when visitors who only know English visit the hotel's reception area to make reservations.

To address this language barrier problem, it is of paramount necessity that the hotel start to consider incorporating the English language as one of the media of communication used in service delivery in the hotel. It will also be helpful if the hospital staff especially those who deal directly with the customers to be given basic English training lessons for them to be better equipped when serving the foreign clients (Mancini-Cross et al., 2009). Better services to external clients will boost the hotel's status as a preferred hotel international hotel of choice for foreign tourists. The Hotel will, therefore, stand to reap a lot of economic gains from this status.

Micro-Language Policy for the Hotel

Language Training Course

Language training is a critical aspect of the hotel's language policy. It is essential for the hotel management to create a provision that will allow for the instruction of the hotel staff in basic English. The front-office personnel of the hotel should be given priority because they are the ones who will most likely be required to use it when communicating with foreign clients. When a member of staff has a good command of the primary English language, they will be confident in their abilities to interact with the hotel clients from foreign countries, and this will be key in the delivery of service to these customers (Mancini-Cross et al., 2009).

During training, the instructors should identify the different needs of the various hotel staff and thus be able to come up with specific training modules for these different hospitality staff. For example, the training needs of the hotel's administrative staff will be entirely different from the needs of the team manning the reception desk. The receptionists will require training on listening and speaking skills which will be necessary for communicating with the clients who visit the hotel to make reservations and other inquiries (Marshall, 1991). The administrative staff, on the other hand, will require a learning module which is skewed more towards the reading and writing side because they will be majorly involved in handling written documents.

The training course should also put into consideration the fact that these employees also need to carry on with their duties at the hotel and should, therefore, cause minimum interruption to their schedules. Employing technology in teaching would go a long way in balancing between work and learning. The staff can easily access learning materials using electronic devices such as Personal Digital Assistant, tablets and even smartphones (Fishman, n.d).

Authentic Learning Material

In many situations, textbooks are used to teach people new languages. The use of books makes learning to be a complicated process which may consume a lot of time and yield unsatisfactory results. Moreover, the content of textbooks are in most instances based on author's point of view and this, in many situations, tend to be misleading especially to people who are new to the language (Gilmore, 2011). It is because textbooks tend to mislead learners who are not native speakers. Authentic materials should be used in the curriculum of new learners (Morrow, 1997). Authentic materials give learners a chance to interact with the language as it is being spoken by an actual speaker and for a real audience. With first-hand interaction, learners can identify words and phrases which are frequently used and in what context. They are thus able to develop a more pragmatic understanding of the language and therefore can be able to apply it when communicating competently (Languages and Higher Education, 2007). Movies and other audio-visual sources from the web are good examples of valuable authentic materials.

Hiring a Professional Instructor

The success of the language policy is also dependent on the knowledge and experience of the instructor hired to teach English to the hotel staff. It is therefore of utmost importance that the management is keen in the selection process of the instructor. An instructor with a wealth of experience in teaching English and one who is also well versed in the hotel industry will be the most probable candidate for this role. They will be able to not only teach the staff basic English but also help them to apply this language in a hotel setting quickly (Leibowitz, 2018).

An experienced instructor will also be in a position to share stories drawn from his rich experience with the English language. These stories will serve as a good motivation for the staff to develop an interest in English and eventually master its use. The instructor will also be using resources in identifying situations where the learners do not apply the English language well and thus be able to correct them. He is, therefore, a key player in the successful implementation of the language policy.

Customer Service Training with Cultural Awareness

When one is considering learning a new language, they should also recognize the fact that it is also essential to understand the culture of the people to effectively communicate and interact with them (Geisler et al., 2007). One should not teach language culture but should put more emphasis on teaching language as a culture (Bryam & Kramsch, 2008). When the cultural context of English is factored in during learning, learners will be able to appreciate the culture of the foreign English speakers. Regrettable incidents of the intent-impact gap might arise between the hotel staff and the international speakers if the hotel staff had not fully understood the cultural context of the foreign language (Hinkel, 2008). This gap may lead to poor service delivery which may attract negative reviews about the hotel from the external clients who visited it.

English- Friendly Environment

It is essential that the hotel management creates an English-friendly environment for their foreign clients, especially after the teaching the staff basic English. During the implementation process, the administration may experience difficulties in applying the theoretical knowledge acquired in a real hotel environment (Leibowitz, 2018). Modification of the hotel's website to make it more accommodative to English speakers should be the first step that the hotel should consider taking when seeking to create an English-friendly environment. Many foreign clients from these nations first visit the website to know more about the hotel before even considering making reservations. The second step which the hospital may consider is to incorporate English in its various channels of communication. Brochures, signposts and other sig...