The British Council United Kingdom Workshop on Language and Development 1. Dozens of project evaluations point out the lack of communication in one direction or another as a reason for limited success or even failure. More specifically, a participatory approach to development implies that the poor express their own needs, have a voice and are empowered to take part in wider circles of communication. A participatory process starts and grows with local dialogue. Effective communication is not only a tool for development, but also a goal.
Language is the sine qua non of communication so much so that it is frequently taken for granted .
In those parts of the world the norm is the existence of a few larger languages and a great number of languages spoken by relatively small numbers of people. In such societies multilingualism is usual, with each language playing a different and complementary role for the individual and for the community. Such multilingualism has not until recently been seen as an asset by Western-inspired development, nor built upon in the design of institutions, such as educational systems. In addition, the role of the local language has been underplayed. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational and cultural relations.