A Situational and Needs Assessment Study on the Use of French in the Hospitality Industry in Zambia With Specific Reference to Selected Hotels and Lodges in Livingstone

The need for foreign language skills in economic sectors of the country, in
general and the hospitality industry in particular, cannot be overemphasised.
Skills in the language of another country are vital when communicating with
people of that country. This study discusses the results of the research that
sought to assess the use of and need for French in the hospitality industry in
Zambia.
The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data collection
and analysis. A non-experimental post-test design was used to help provide
the descriptive information. Respondents were drawn from selected hotels
and lodges, Ministry of Tourism and Arts (M.T.A), National Heritage,
Livingstone Museum and Tourist Board in Livingstone, while in Lusaka,
respondents were drawn from M.T.A Headquarters and Hotel and Tourism
Training Institute Trust (HTTIT). Data were obtained using both open-ended
and closed-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and guided
conversations.
The results for this research justify a felt need for knowledge of French in the
industry. Instances where French is used in the industry were identified and it
was established through this research that there is need for French language
skills in the hospitality industry but the hotel workers’ levels of a working
knowledge of French were found to be low. Communication difficulties
regarding the use of French in the hospitality industry are a reality. As a
result, French-speaking guides are hired as a way of resolving this problem.
However, this has its own challenges of being costly and putting Zambians
who cannot speak French at a disadvantage because they miss the
opportunity of being employed as tour guides for French-speaking tourists.
Although French lessons for hotel staff are arranged as a way of reducing the
language barrier, communication difficulties regarding the use of French in the
industry are still prevalent. Furthermore, French-speaking tourists who visit
Zambia confirmed the fact that they experienced language and culture
barriers during their stay in Zambia.
French is taught at HTTIT but graduates have their own challenges of not
being able to communicate in French effectively when they join the industry.