Languages are the vehicle for the transfer of information, and particularly of economic information. The creation of a European common market necessitates that all economic partners have access to information communicated to them in languages other than their own, and conversely, that they be able to transmit information to people who do not speak their language. The problem is the transfer of information between languages: in a word, translation.

More precisely, the negative economic impact of multilingualism is compounded for European economic groups:

As suppliers of goods and services, they come up against extra obstacles when they attempt to export, which translate into loss of time and money, and consequently, a reduced competitiveness.

As consumers, they run into difficulties in trying to keep abreast of the most recent technical developments and to acquire the most modern equipment. The consequence is a lag in technology and thus, once again, a reduced competitiveness.

On the other hand, the fact of being the only substantial economic-industrial bloc in the world to have to confront these problems can also give Europe a considerable economic advantage: the unique opportunity to develop valuable know-how in dealing with languages, which may prove worthwhile on the economic level (directly, as salable experience and products; and indirectly, by helping Europe to more easily surmount linguistic barriers in its relations with other economic partners: the Soviet Union, China, the Arab states, Latin America, etc.) as well as on the social level (e.g., through its application to integrating ability-impaired persons better into society), as much in monolingual as in multilingual affairs.

The development of healthy, profitable language industries would assure Europe a continuing importance in world markets.