I think we have been saying it since 1996: Finance is the language of business, and if you want to talk to other people in your company, you need to be fluent in Finance. (I used to advocate finance training workshops which would be titled ‘Finance as a Second Language’… the same business acumen workshops we offer now, but with a broader purpose.)
A few weeks ago I was in Mexico; I picked up a pamphlet that claims ‘Golf – The language of Business’. While I do not play golf, I understand that it provides and atmosphere conducive to business conversation… but it is not the language.
A few years ago, I heard a certain n’entrepreneur say ‘Powerpoint is the language of Business’ . In fact, it can be a great tool for one-way communication, but I do not count it as a language.
The more obvious choice is ‘English is the language of business’. English is widely spoken in business around the world, but it is an inexact language, and business often requires precision.
I will stay with our selection of Finance.