Impact of English-language Proficiency on Chinese Expatriates’ Adjustment to Overseas Assignments

With the emergence of Chinese multinationals, increasingly large number of Chinese expatriates work overseas. However, little research has been conducted to investigate Chinese expatriates’ adjustment to overseas assignments. Drawing on prior studies in the areas of linguistics, communication, and business, the current study examines the impact of the English-language proficiency on the Chinese expatriates’ adjustment to overseas assignments.A Chinese multinational in the information technology industry, Company ABC, was selected as a subject company. Quantitative research method was adopted. The quantitative data were collected through a survey of 190 Chinese expatriates from Company ABC. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was performed to examine the relationships between English-language proficiency and variables related to the Chinese Expatriates’ Adjustment to Overseas Assignments. The findings show that English-language proficiency was found to enhance Chinese expatriates’ adjustment moderately. Moreover, further analysis indicates that different type of English-language proficiency affects different aspect of Chinese expatriates’ adjustment.