Beyond words: language choice as a symbol of international identity in small firm internationalization

Purpose This study investigates language choices through the lens of organizational identity and shows that these choices have symbolic value beyond verbal narratives in constructing and expressing an international identity. In doing so, this study introduces a new area of investigation to the language-sensitive stream of International Business (IB) research. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative case study of a small Finnish digital firm that explores which languages (i.e. national languages) are chosen as the firm pursues internationalization. Findings The case company constructs and expresses an international identity through its language choices. Internationalization triggers changes that result in adapting the firm's language choices to new situations. These choices range from bilingual to multilingual and finally to an English-dominant approach, expressing differences from “noninternational” firms and similarities to international firms, their preferred comparison group. Although their language choices change over time, the identity claim of being international remains the same. Originality/value To date, language-sensitive IB research has not addressed the symbolic value of language choices in constructing and expressing organizational identity. This article brings together three streams of literature: internationalization of small digital firms, organizational identity and language choices in internationalizing firms. It builds the argument that, through the symbolic value, language choices play a central role in a firm's transformation into an international firm. Both internal and external language choices are important in expressing an international identity to various audiences, such as customers, employees, industry peers and other network members.