My thesis investigates the effect of English language skills on the safety of navigation in different environments, focusing on communication between crew members, communication that takes place between different ships, as well as communication between the ship and other external entities. English, which is the lingua franca in the maritime and global world, plays a key role in communication. The aim of the thesis is to get an overview of the current state of English as a maritime language, to examine how it affects the safety of navigation and, based on questionnaire results, to examine how English is reflected in practice and what problems arise in this respect.
Given the purpose of the thesis, the theoretical part will first explore the development of English as a maritime language, and then discuss the relevance of English language skills in the context of maritime safety, including an analysis of the available literature focusing on the link between English language skills and communication in everyday routine communication. The second part of the thesis consists of an empirical part based on the collection of real-world data through a questionnaire. In contrast to the theoretical part, where existing theories and findings from previous research are highlighted, the empirical part presents the opinions of active seafarers and their views on the effect of English language proficiency on navigational safety.
Particularly in the maritime context, where safety standards are high, English language skills are essential and indispensable for effective communication, enabling precautionary measures to be taken to prevent an accident or near-miss. The thesis therefore contributes to the understanding of the importance of linguistic competence in English from a maritime safety perspective.
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