Sending The Message Abroad
Some Tips for Improved Global Communications
by Craig Bentley
We all know that one of the major trends in business today is the increasing globalization and interdependence of business activity. Whether driven by outsourcing, inbound or outbound foreign investment, or technological advances in telecommunications, our business lives allow for, and even often require, that we interact regularly with a global workforce.
With colleagues stationed not just in Des Moines, Austin, San Diego, and Atlanta, but also in Bangalore, Guangzhou, Santiago, and Cairo, the need to communicate effectively is increasingly important as well as more and more complicated. We must communicate in ways that all can understand, whether our audience is a part of our own workforce, a foreign customer or supplier, or a joint venture partner abroad.
Those who conduct the bulk of their business in the United States need to remember that for most people, English is, at best, their second language. Despite the popularity and widespread use of English, especially in global business circles, most people face the same challenges when using English as we do when we try to communicate in a second language. I will long remember my own struggles, ordering ice cream instead of ice cubes in southern France, and pronouncing a meal “difficult” rather than “delicious” during a business luncheon in Amsterdam!
Also, when we consider that business English is almost its own separate dialect, the difficulties in communicating effectively around the world are further complicated.
Americans can be deceived by the infiltration, and apparent acceptance, in foreign countries of what appears to be a wide spectrum of American culture – movies, music, fast food, clothing, etc. But, the fact that a Bhutanese tour guide wears a Red Sox hat doesn’t mean he will understand what the phrases “swinging for the fences” or “he threw me a curve ball” are meant to convey.
Not so long ago, to be able to conduct business abroad, Americans only needed to understand and be sensitive to some general European and Japanese cultural and linguistic patterns and practices. But today’s continuing global expansion is bringing us in contact with a broad spectrum of languages, cultures, customs, and traditions in numerous Asian, African, and South American countries that really are “foreign” to most of us. How can we ever be culturally sensitive and linguistically capable as we venture into the expanding global village?
The answer is that we probably can’t. It would take too much time and effort to learn all the wonderful, compelling, and perplexing customs in the more than 190 countries around the globe. What we can do is be sure that we recognize that differences do exist, and that our communications efforts are based on clear and concise business English that takes into account the intended global audience. We must remember that our newest colleagues/customers/business partners may have conversational styles different from our own, and may have different needs and priorities.
It is especially important therefore to be clear about one’s values and core messages when communicating in a diverse environment. For example, most European countries have much more extensive “safety nets” of social and health services for seniors than does the U.S., so financial planning for retirement may not have the same priority or carry the same sense of urgency as it does in the U.S. A literal translation of your company’s U.S. HR policies on retirement and health care benefits may not have much relevancy for workers in Holland or Scandinavia. More valuable would be a message that focuses on the core values of the care and concern that the company has for its aging workforce, and then adapt the message as needed to address local requirements.
George Bernard Shaw once said, “the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.” If we want our message to be heard, we must be prepared to “adapt ourselves to the world.” As our communication requirements become more and more universal, let us always remember to be clear in our language, flexible in our approach, and understanding of the needs of our diverse audiences.
Some Tips for Global Communications:
• Think globally! In a true multi-national company, the corporate “Head Office”
is only one location among many and is not the center of the universe -- and
with today’s global communications networks, that office could be located
just about anywhere!
• Use clear, simple, direct language. This reduces both the need for translation
and the risk of translations that cloud or miss the point.
• Avoid the use of too much slang or idiomatic speech and avoid complex
sentence structures.
• Remember that frequently-used analogies or metaphors commonplace
in the U.S. may not be well-understood in foreign lands.
• Be careful when using sports examples to make a point—“knock the cover
off the ball” or “let’s do an end-around” may not resonate well in Bangkok or Helsinki.
• Treat all parts of your business as integral components—don’t relegate overseas
or remote locations to second-class status.