Abstract
English is not only used in business and commercial activities within the borders of Europe, but is also used in the overseas branches of European multinationals, such as those in Japan. This chapter focuses on the everyday use of English in the Japanese subsidiaries of European multinationals, as reported by non-European, non-native English-speaking employees, and will attempt to shed light on some of the issues relating to English use at work. By applying Language Management Theory, the types of English-related problems non-European employees are sensitive to and their attempts to overcome these problems will be highlighted. It will be shown that rather than problematizing just linguistic proficiency- related problems, employees appear to more readily note and negatively evaluate deviations relating to pragmatic and other sociolinguistic (mis-)uses of the language. Although they may note a variety of deviations relating to English, the power constraints of the workplace, however, often deter them from making adjustments to try to remove those problems, resulting in further problems with colleagues and clients that may ultimately negatively affect the business.