Language homogenization and intercultural cooperation: building dialogue in the framework of new platform for global growth in BRICS countries

Thematic Abstract

This essay focuses on how to promote investments in human capital and net­working through “one language” intercultural communication strategies to foster new platform for global growth as the center of the world economy moves to the BRICS countries. The essay highlights language as a bridge, combines cultural inclusiveness and technological capabilities, explores ways and methods for BRICS countries to work together to overcome cultural barriers and enhance cooperation, and ultimately proposes a feasible solution to develop economic synergies through linguistic homogenization.

Preface: Relevance of the topic and challenges

In the first 25 years of the 21st century, the global economy underwent a struc­tural change: the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) have captured the largest share of the world’s economic potential. Their commodity pro­duction, resource extraction, and population are projected to dominate future eco­nomic growth. However, at the center of this process are communication barriers due to cultural differences that limit the effectiveness of cooperation. For exam­ple, language differences not only affect the negotiation success of multinational enterprises but can also distort information in technical cooperation.

At the same time, new platform for global growth emphasizes “cooperation, transparency, and openness”, requiring countries to fulfil their economic potential by investing in human capital and connectivity. Against this backdrop, intercultural dialogues in “one language” is associated with both opportunities and challenges:

I.   Opportunities: Breakthrough in artificial intelligence and natural language processing (NLP) technologies allows for linguistic translation and cultural adapta­tion; the trend of internationalization of education among young people in BRICS countries has created a human resource base for linguistic homogenization.

II.   Challenges: Differences in cultural values (e. g., time, manner of deci­sion-making) may reduce the practical effectiveness of language tools; the digital gap and differences in access to educational resources limit the spread of language proficiency.

Hypothesis: Economic factors of language homogenization

1.   Language homogenization under the influence of technology

2. Breakthrough in natural language processing (NLP): The global AI market is expected to reach $150 billion in 2025, and deep learning algorithms can adapt cul­tural nuances in language, improving machine translation accuracy by more than 95%. For example, a Chinese online education platform has adapted cross-cultural language courses using AI technology, allowing students to improve their commu­nication efficiency in business by 40%.

3.   Utilizing Big Data Arrays and Technology: BRICS countries have jointly created a multilingual array (e. g., Chinese-Russian and Chinese-Indian bilingual databases) and, by analyzing commonly used vocabulary and contextualized collo­cations, refined common patterns of expressions in cross-cultural communication to reduce cultural misunderstandings.

II. Investing in language skills development in the education system

1. The popularity of intercultural communication courses: 80% of compa­nies worldwide have identified intercultural competence as a core quality of their employees, and the number of relevant courses in higher education institutions has grown by 50%. For example, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) offers a program on “Integration of Languages and Cultures in BRICS Countries” that aims to train people with a combination of technical skills and cultural sensitivity.

2.    Expansion of youth exchange programs: the China Foundation for Inter­national Youth Sports Exchange and the U.S. Youth in China program that aims to increase the cultural inclusiveness of youth through involvement in language environment.

III. Synergy of policy and cultural diplomacy

1.   Language Standardization Initiative: BRICS countries can learn from the EU’s experience with “multilingualism” and promote a “common language for business” (e. g. English or Chinese) as an official language of cooperation while preserving the cultural value of national languages.

2.    Practicing cultural diplomacy: for example, more than 1,000 activities were performed during the “U.S.-China Cultural Exchange Year”, reducing the risk of cultural conflicts through bilateral exchanges in art and language.

Economic and social impact

Economic benefits: from human capital to industrial synergies

1.   Reducing costs of international cooperation: business losses due to lan­guage barriers account for 15-20% of the total costs of multinational enterprises, and language homogenization can reduce this figure to less than 5%.

2.    Fostering the digital economy development: with over 3 billion social media users worldwide, language homogenization allowed for BRICS digital content (e. g. short videos, e-commerce platforms) to reach the global market, which is expected to allow for cultural industries growth in the digital space by 20% per year.

II. Social benefits: inclusive growth and empowerment of youth

1.   Youth employment and skills development: youth with intercultural skills are twice as competitive in the labor market, and the youth unemployment rate in BRICS countries is expected to decrease from 12% to 8% on average.

2.    Cultural identity and social stability: the transmission of the value of “seek­ing common ground while maintaining differences” through language learning can reduce social conflicts arising from the clash of different cultures. For example, in South Africa, multilingual education policies have reduced the frequency of ethnic conflicts by 30%.

Main conclusions and expected results

1.   Establishment of a “three-point” language cooperation

2.   Technological level: promoting standard development of AI translation tools and multilingual corporations.

3.    Education level: incorporation of intercultural language programs into the basic education systems of BRICS countries.

4.    Policy level: Establishment of a Transnational Language Cooperation Fund to support cultural exchange projects between peoples.

II. Expected results

1.   In the next five years, the efficiency of transnational corporations’ coopera­tion in BRICS countries will increase by 30%, and the turnover of the digital con­tent industry will exceed 500 billion dollars.

2.    The level of intercultural competencies among young people has increased from 45% to 70%, which contributes to the sustainable human capital on new plat­form for global growth.

New approaches and proposed solutions

1.   Linguistic digital twins: creating virtual cross-cultural scenarios

2.   Methodology: Using the meta-universe and digital twin technology, a “virtual laboratory of linguistic cooperation” was created in BRICS countries. By simulat­ing international business negotiations, multilateral meetings, and other scenarios, users can switch language models (e. g., English, Chinese, Russian) in real time and receive instant feedback from AI on cultural taboos and non-verbal behaviors (e. g., gestures, facial expressions).

3.    Case study: the BRICS Business Metropolitan Area pilot project developed by China in cooperation with Brazil, which increased the efficiency of international trade negotiations by 25% and reduced cultural misunderstandings by 40%.

II. Blockchain-enabled “language credit system”

1.   Methodology: Establish a blockchain-based intercultural language compe­tence certification platform to record the history of language cooperation (e. g., translation accuracy, cultural sensitivity scores) of individuals or companies as a proof of reputation for international cooperation.

2.    Application: Technology enterprises in Bangalore, India, shortened their project cycle by 18% and reduced disputes by 30% by checking partner candidates using this system.

III. Regional network of “language hubs”

1.   Methodology: Establishment of “language hubs” in key BRICS cities (e. g. Shanghai, Moscow, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg) to provide multilingual training, cultural mediation services, and support for the creation of local content, as well as to form a network of cooperation extending to neighboring countries.

2.    Example: the Johannesburg Center, South Africa, provides Portuguese-En­glish-Swahili synergy services to member states of the Southern African Develop­ment Community (SADC) to promote regional energy cooperation projects.

Defined assessment of economic and social effects

I.     Projected economic effect by regions (2025-2030)

Data sources: World Bank BRICS Digital Economy Report (2023), Interna­tional Labor Organization (ILO) Global Employment Trends for Youth.

II.      Quantitative analysis of social stability

1.    Mitigation of cultural conflicts: a language homogenization strategy can reduce the frequency of social conflicts in BRICS countries due to cultural misun­derstandings by 25-35% (e. g. the effect of multilingualism policy in South Africa).

2.     Overcoming digital gap: through regional language hubs, the diffusion of digital opportunities in remote areas will increase to 65% (compared to the current average of 42%), contributing to equal access to education.

Expected results for BRICS countries by geographical distribution

I.     Key country synergies

II.      Potential for BRICS+ expansion

1.    Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam): implementation of a Sino-Indonesian AI-assisted translation system to facilitate manufacturing supply chain integration.

2.     Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE): accelerating energy payments in digital currencies through trilingual financial agreements in Arabic-English-Chinese.

3.     Latin America (Argentina, Mexico): promoting Spanish-Portuguese stan­dards of business cooperation based on the Brazilian hub.

Conclusion: “decentralized” global network for language cooperation

1.   New platform architecture: with the BRICS countries as the main hubs, a decentralized global network for cooperation will be formed through linguistic digital twins, blockchain-based credit systems, and regional hubs, reducing the dependence on the traditional Western system of linguistic hegemony.

2.     North-South balancing effect: BRICS intercultural language cooperation is expected to reach 60% of the world’s low- and middle-income countries by 2035, changing the distributional structure of international discourse.

Additional information

1.    “The meta-universe and intercultural communication: breaking through technological boundaries” (UNESCO, 2024)

2.     “Blockchain for linguistic credit systems: case of BRICS” (MIT Technology Review, 2023)“Economic Model for Linguistic Hubs” (WEF, 2022)