The Management of Linguistic Diversity in the Automotive Industry as an Imperative for the Application of IATF 16949:2016

La Gestion De La Diversité Linguistique Dans L'industrie Automobile Comme Impératif Pour L'application De L'IATF 16949:2016

Abderrahim Lyaacoubi, Imane Mouani and Abdelilah Kahlouni
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Abderrahim Lyaacoubi: ESRFT - Ecole Supérieure Roi Fahd de Traduction
Imane Mouani: ESRFT - Ecole Supérieure Roi Fahd de Traduction
Abdelilah Kahlouni: Société multinationale Hutchinson, Tanger, Maroc

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Abstract: In a globalized industrial context, managing linguistic diversity represents a major challenge for operational efficiency. This study examines the requirements of the IATF 16949:2016 quality standard, which mandates that work documentation be understood by personnel, and considers this requirement as a lever for performance improvement. Based on a case study conducted at a major automotive supplier in Morocco and drawing on the analysis of 150 questionnaires completed by operators, the study shows that a monolingual documentation policy can generate barriers that hinder comprehension at theoperational level. Conversely, the adoption of multilingual documentation emerges as a decisive factor in the effective appropriation of work procedures. From this perspective, the findings demonstrate that translating work instructions into a language understood by the teams, far from constituting an additional burden for the company, represents a direct investment in human capital. In sum, investing in the translation of operational documents is not merely a compliance cost. It is a strategic approach that turns the language barrier into a lever for performance, quality, and safety, and it generates a tangible return on investment for the company.

Keywords: language barriers; automotive industry; operational performance; technical translation; IATF 16949:2016; multilingual documentation; Quality management; industrie automobile; performance opérationnelle; traduction technique; IATF 16949 :2016; documentation multilingue; barrières linguistiques; Management de la qualité (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara
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Published in African Scientific Journal, A paraître, Vol. 3 (No 34), pp.983. ⟨10.5281/zenodo.18684304⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05525386

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18684304

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