Will there be a standard language in a multi-cultural company?

Simply put: yes there will be a standard language.

Most current large multinationals already deal with a multi-cultural working environment on a day-to-day basis. These companies use one single language to use for their internal documentation, often English. Because Europe has several large languages the choice for a standard language will often also depend on the country of origin of a company. For example a French multinational operating mostly in French-speaking countries has no incentive to change its internal communication to English.

Despite the fact that a single language can be corporate policy, there will often occur deviations.

• Individuals with the same background will continue communicating in their own language.
• National subsidiaries will use the language of their specific country.
• Several partners/clients will require their documentation in their own language (e.g. Italian for Italian suppliers).
  

This is not necessary a bad thing, the danger however is that certain streams and pools of information will become inaccessible by those using the standard language.