We advance research on the impact of business English as a lingua franca (BELF) on the communication of multinational companies (MNCs). Study 1 helps predict country-level variations of linguistic style in the English language of 2,223 press releases from US, UK, German, and French companies. Press releases are a specific genre of narratives used to engage investors. Study 2 demonstrates in a controlled quasi-experimental setting that adapting linguistic styles alongside well-established frameworks of cultural values can shape investors’ attitudes and intentions. Within-language linguistic style differences in the use of BELF can create barriers to communication fairly overlooked in International Business.

我们推进关于商务英语作为通用语言 (BELF) 对跨国公司 (MNC) 交流的影响的研究。研究 1 帮助预测来自美国、英国、德国和法国公司的 2,223 份新闻稿的英语语言风格在国家层面的变化。新闻稿是一种特殊的叙事类型，用于吸引投资者。研究 2 在受控的准实验环境中表明，调整语言风格以及完善的文化价值框架可以塑造投资者的态度和意图。使用 BELF 时的语言内语言风格差异可能会造成国际商务中被相当忽视的沟通障碍。