Multilingual and multimodal practices at a global startup: Toward a spatial approach to language and literacy in professional contexts

The Workplace Writing Experiences of EAL Professionals

“…Further to the preceding characteristics, workplace writing is intertextual in its tendency to intertwine with other literacies (Fraiberg, 2013(Fraiberg, , 2018Louhiala-Salminen, 2002), such as prior verbal interactions (e.g., telephone conversations or discussions during face-to-face or online meetings). It is multimodal (Du, 2020;Fraiberg, 2013Fraiberg, , 2018 in that ideas may be communicated in various communications media or technologized modes such as music, images, and video (Chun et al, 2016;Louhiala-Salminen, 2002). As well, it is often collaborative, as the process of writing for work-related purposes typically involves consulting others for input (Arkoudis et al, 2009;Artemeva, 1998;Knoch et al, 2016;Parks, 2000;Parks & Maguire, 1999).…”

“…Two studies of an Israeli high-tech company offer further illustration of the complexity of twentyfirst-century workplace writing practices (Fraiberg 2013(Fraiberg , 2018. The author conducted a six-month ethnographic study during which he observed workplace activities performed by Hebrew-speaking employees who were highly proficient in English.…”

“…Fraiberg (2013) observed how one employee made skillful use of all of these tools as she worked with a team to construct an online poll; as well, he documented how the various tools were used in the execution of other workplace writing projects. Moreover, Fraiberg (2018) analyzed design sketches, handwritten notes from meetings, and text messages, in addition to observing body language, recording verbal exchanges, and interviewing the CEO of the company. He concluded that the multimodal nature of twenty-first-century workplace writing calls for approaches to writing instruction which take into account the interaction of digital and human resources that is typical of today's workplace writing practices.…”

Lifelong Learning and ESP Vocabulary: Reflections in Telecommunications and ICT

“…English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) for professional development also falls within the wider subject of lifelong learning (Crystal 2012;Dewey 2014;Jenkins 2015;Yano 2009) and multimodal ubiquitous learning practices. Advances in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), English for Specific Purposes (ESP) or English as an International Language (EIL) have had positive effects on the enhancement of accurate professional language, which, at the same time, is linked to everyday expressions that the learner acquires from various situations and resources (Fraiberg 2018;McKay and Bokhorst-Heng 2017). The access to ubiquitous information, anywhere and at any time, and quite often through ICT, allows EL learners to get updated lexis and be exposed to various EL contexts that can be related also to their professional environments (Duff 2017;Ferguson 2007;McIntosh, Connor, and Gokpinar-Shelton 2017).…”

Introduction to Special Issue on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Communication in the Context of Globalization

“…Yet despite an increased focus on these areas, less attention has been devoted to the cross-cultural and transnationally networked nature of entrepreneurship and innovation (Fraiberg, 2010(Fraiberg, , 2013(Fraiberg, , 2017(Fraiberg, , 2018Sun, 2020;Williams et al, 2016Williams et al, , 2020. Further, the field has yet to fully address how entrepreneurship is bound up in neoliberal and marketplace logics, asymmetrical relations of power, and systems of oppression (Jones, 2017).…”