There is a tendency to think of languages as a cultural and educational resource. Yet the evidence increasingly points in a different direction: languages function as critical infrastructure. They underpin trade, enable public services, and shape how communities live together.
From an economic perspective, the case is clear. Research collated by the ITI, ATC and CIOL shows that language deficiencies cost the UK economy through lost export opportunities but, at the same time, language capabilities have the power of changing the game: small and medium-sized enterprises with language capabilities are 30% more successful in exporting than those without. This matters in a country where SMEs make up the overwhelming majority of the business population and are central to economic growth.
The broader economic context reinforces this. The UK remains a global services powerhouse, with services accounting for around 73% of turnover and 80% of employment. It is also the world’s second-largest exporter of services, much of which depends on effective communication across borders. In practice, that means language capability is not peripheral to the economy but embedded in how it functions, and how it succeeds.
However, there is a growing mismatch between demand and supply. Only 40% of the target number of modern languages student teachers enrolled in Scottish universities in 2024, and modern languages is now classified by the Scottish Government as a designated shortage subject. At secondary level, 41% of schools report difficulty recruiting language teachers. We also know that Scottish universities are under severe financial pressure, with institutions including Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen implementing major cuts which brings the risk of further cuts to language departments. This creates a pipeline problem that is already visible and is likely to deepen: fewer language graduates lead to fewer teachers, which in turn reduces access for the next generation.
This challenge is not only economic. It is also social.
Scotland, like the rest of the UK, is becoming increasingly multilingual. Communities bring with them a wide range of languages, cultures, and lived experiences. Yet these assets are not always recognised or developed. As highlighted in SAHA’s and Professor Alison Phipps’ work on multilingualism and New Scots integration, language is central to participation whether in accessing services, building trust, or contributing to civic life.
What this approach makes clear is that multilingualism is not a barrier to integration; it is a foundation for it. Supporting people to use and develop their languages, alongside English, strengthens confidence, improves access to employment, and enables fuller participation in society. It also builds bridges between communities, creating shared understanding in increasingly diverse environments.
This has practical implications for public services. In healthcare, justice, education, and community support, communication is not simply about transmitting information. It is about ensuring understanding, dignity, and trust. Language capability, whether through trained professionals or community-based approaches, is therefore essential to service quality.
At the same time, technological change is reshaping how we think about languages. The rise of AI and machine translation has led some to assume that human language skills are becoming less important. The evidence suggests the opposite. While technology can support communication, it does not replace cultural understanding, nuance, or relationship-building. In fact, as communication becomes more global and more digital, the ability to navigate language and culture becomes more valuable, not less.
This is reflected in the continued growth of the global language services market and the evolving role of language professionals, who increasingly combine linguistic expertise with technological and sector-specific knowledge . In other words, language capability is not being displaced, it is being redefined.
For Scotland, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge lies in reversing the decline in formal language education and ensuring that language skills are recognised as strategically important. The opportunity lies in building on existing strengths: diverse communities, strong civic organisations, and a tradition of community-led innovation.
This is where collaboration between Scottish universities, SAHA, and national associations such as the ATC, CIOL and ITI becomes particularly relevant. By connecting multilingualism with integration, community development, and social value, we point towards a more holistic understanding of language capability as one that moves from a nice-to-have feature into critical economic and societal infrastructure.
If languages are treated as infrastructure, then the question becomes how to invest in them. That means supporting education pathways, recognising community languages, strengthening professional interpreting and translation services, and embedding multilingual thinking into policy and practice.
Ultimately, fostering language capability is about enabling participation: economic, social, and civic. It is about ensuring that businesses can trade, services can function effectively, and communities can thrive together.
In that sense, languages are not an add-on to Scotland’s future. They are part of the foundation on which it will be built.
Raisa McNab is CEO of the UK’s Association of Translation Companies (ATC) and the General Secretary of the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC). She is a language specialist with extensive experience in language services production and quality management, and holds an MA in Translation from the University of Turku in her native Finland. (And is married to a Scotsman.)
Sara Robertson originally trained as an architect at Edinburgh College of Art. She arrived at the Institute of Translation and 
Interpreting (ITI) in 2023 having spent 20 years working in various training, policy and leadership roles in the historic environment sector. Although not a linguist herself, Sara is a skilled communicator and a passionate advocate for professionalism. She is committed to championing the value of translators and interpreters and supporting ITI’s professional community.
