Many universities in non-English native countries are under immense pressure to both use English as a lingua franca while maintaining their country’s language as a working language. Yet there are often few language support systems for staff. Mastering the native language can be seen as an implicit goal for international employees, and communicating in English can be challenging for both national and international employees. Understanding language needs in a bilingual academic environment is crucial for fostering inclusive communication, supporting professional development, and ensuring equitable access to institutional resources.

This exploratory study investigates the language needs of staff at a Norwegian university, focusing on both Norwegian and English as academic languages.

Research Questions

This study investigates how employees at a large European university navigate language demands in an increasingly internationalised higher education sector. While much existing research centres on international staff and English-medium settings, comparatively little is known about the linguistic needs of both majority‑language and international employees within institutions that officially promote parallel or bilingual language use. Addressing this gap, our overarching research question is:

How do university employees articulate their language needs in a bilingual academic environment?

To examine this question in greater depth, the analysis is guided by three sub‑questions:

1. How do Norwegian employees express their needs related to English as an L2?
2. How do international employees express their needs related to English as an L2?
3. How do international employees express their needs related to Norwegian as an L2?

These questions enable a nuanced understanding of the multilingual practices and linguistic expectations that shape employees’ everyday work within a university governed by both national linguistic responsibilities and global academic norms.

Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Inclusion, Power and Majority–Minority Dynamics

Our study applies sociolinguistic perspectives that foreground the power dynamics inherent in multilingual organisations. In universities with high proportions of international staff, national-language speakers often hold structural or social advantages in institutional participation, while international employees may be positioned as linguistic minorities regardless of their academic expertise. Conversely, English-language expectations may place additional demands on majority-language speakers, who are not always conceptualised as having language needs. Concepts such as linguistic capital, gatekeeping, and organisational inclusion help illuminate these dynamics.We explore these concepts and highlight them throughout our analysis.

This study is part of the Language Practices in Education research group, which investigates language use patterns, attitudes, and needs among employees and students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The present paper focuses specifically on language needs among employees who reported Norwegian or English as an L2. All academic, administrative, and technical staff were invited to complete an online survey in November 2023. The survey included open‑ended and closed‑ended questions and was based on previous Nordic studies (Bukve 2020; Carlshollt Unger 2022; Gujord et al. 2022; Ljosland 2011) Participants A total of 703 employees participated (≈10% response rate). Of these, 493 were academics (70.13%) and 210 administrative/technical staff (29.87%). Participants represented all eight faculties and the University Museum. Slightly more than half were born outside Norway (55.9%). Norwegian was the L1 of 57.18% of participants; English was an L1 for 9.67%. The remainder reported other native languages. Based on the status of Norwegian as L1/L2, participants were categorised as “Norwegian” (57.18%) or “International” (42.67%). Data Analysis Closed questions were analysed through descriptive statistics produced in R (R Core Team 2024). Open‑ended responses were examined using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six‑step thematic analysis. Coding was inductive and iteratively refined across authors. Themes were developed collaboratively to ensure reflexivity and analytical consistency. Research Credibility and Ethics Because the study relies on self‑reported needs, the findings reflect perceived—not tested—proficiency and may therefore be subject to over‑ or underestimation. Ethical considerations include researching workplace colleagues and managing confidentiality within a single organisation. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, and data collection complied with Norwegian research ethics guidelines.

The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data reveals clear differences in how Norwegian and international employees experience and articulate their language needs in a bilingual university setting. While most participants report high proficiency in English—particularly at the C1–C2 level—both groups still express notable needs for improvement. Norwegian employees consistently report higher English L2 needs than international staff, especially in intercultural communication, vocabulary, academic writing, and speaking fluency. Receptive skills such as reading and listening are generally perceived as less challenging. Qualitative responses show a wide spectrum of perceived abilities. Some employees feel fully competent due to extensive exposure to English, whereas others highlight a lack of confidence and difficulties with fluency, pronunciation, academic writing, and expressing nuance. Norwegian participants especially emphasise challenges in conveying humour, emotions, and subtlety in English, as well as needing more opportunities for oral practice. International employees, while often more confident in English, report challenges with intercultural communication in diverse academic environments. In contrast, international staff report significantly higher needs in Norwegian across all domains—speaking, writing, vocabulary, listening, and reading—with receptive skills posing particular difficulties. Many international employees have limited or no proficiency in Norwegian, highlighting barriers to workplace participation and integration. Overall, the findings demonstrate that language needs are widespread, heterogeneous, and shaped by staff background and institutional expectations. They highlight tensions between practical language demands and the ideals of a bilingual university, pointing to the need for more structured and differentiated language support.

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