Intercultural written communication

LECTURE 1

CHALLENGES OF WRITING INTERNATIONALLY

Writing international business letters is never easy but very often confusing and misleading. While many of the genres and conventions of business writing in English are found everywhere, some are unique to particular contexts, and may prove challenging to those attempting to do business in those contexts. Being able to create appropriate formal and informal written business documents in these contexts not only contributes to a more efficient business enterprise but also enables the writer to be seen as knowledgeable and culturally sensitive.

Just like oral or non-verbal communication, the norm of a country way of writing and accustomed written form is important to learn and understand. In this mode of communication the goal is to figure out the difference in writing style based on cultural behaviour and normal practice.

In this respect we must clarify the notions of high context and low context cultures. High-context culture and the contrasting low-context culture are terms presented by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 book Beyond Culture. It refers to a culture's tendency to use high-context messages over low-context messages in routine communication. This choice between speaking styles indicates whether a culture will cater to in-groups, an in-group being a group that has similar experiences and expectations, from which inferences are drawn. In a higher-context culture, many things are left unsaid, letting the culture explain. Words and word choice become very important in higher-context communication, since a few words can communicate a complex message very effectively to an in-group (but less effectively outside that group), while in a low-context culture, the communicator needs to be much more explicit and the value of a single word is less important.

It may be interesting and surprising enough to find out which languages and cultures around the world are referred to one culture or another. Here are many of them.

Higher-context cultures Lower-context cultures

• African Australian

• Arabic Dutch

• Brazilian English Canadian

• Chinese French Canadian

• Filipinos English

• French Finnish

• Greek German

• Hawaiian Israeli

• Hungarian New Zealand

• Indian Scandinavia

• Indonesian Switzerland

• Italian United States

• Irish

• Japanese

• Korean

• Latin Americans

• Nepali

• Pakistani

• Persian

• Portuguese

• Russian

• Southern United States

• Spanish

• Thai

• Turkish

• Vietnamese

• South Slavic

• West Slavic

Low context and high context have a lot to do with writing to someone in another country as this preference will be clearly visible in the content of the letter or contract. For example, if a high context culture values formality and tradition, those of low context would remember to be extremely polite.

Another example is, a Japanese writer may start his/her business letter with writing about the weather or season and relate issues and concerns with nature, whereas a North American writer would kindly get to the point efficiently and effectively. In this case if the North American was trying to get business from the Japanese, it would be smart to incorporate their method of written communication.

Here is a fragment taken from the Internet, related with the topic of our interest: “What is the proper way to address Norwegian person when writing a business letter?” Thomas E.Williams answers: “As an Englishman currently working in Norway, let me start by saying Hi! Hei! (norsk) is literally the only introduction I have ever used or received whilst corresponding with individuals and businesses in Norway by email, which goes some way to explaining the informality of written communication in this country.

It is short and to the point. For a formal letter, I would recommend holding with the traditional format if you are writing in English, s this is generally well received. When writing a letter in Norwegian, a short title outlining the subject of the letter

e.g. Proposal for further development replaces a formal introduction.

There are no Dear Sirs or Norwegian equivalent. One would rarely refer to a single person or use the word you, which possibly harks back to the old days in Europe and the nonsense that was formal/informal use of you (which has now almost disappeared from general use in Norway). If it is used, it is most likely that it would be the plural form dere”.

Correspondence, whether it is by letter, fax, or email, is a key aspect of the world of commerce and business. It reflects on the competence and professionalism of the person who has written it and the company he or she works for. Clear, effective correspondence is an important part of running an efficient business, and can promote good relations. Unclear or confusing correspondence can cause many problems, and can lead to misunderstandings, delays, lost business, and poor relations between individuals, departments, and companies. Therefore, writing skills – what is written and how it is expressed – should as much a part of a business education as accountancy or economics. So, the faster you acquaint yourself with accepted modes of written communication, the better.

General advice on what you need to consider for intercultural written messages are presented here, while more detailed tips concerning particular type of commercial correspondence will be offered to your attention in the following lectures.

• Consider adjusting to the local styles. Learn and apply the organization, format, tone and style your reader may be accustomed to.

• Use titles, ranks, and last names as in many cultures it is degrading and inconsiderate of one not to mention or care to include a given status.

• Short sentences and paragraphs should be used so the document can be read easily. It is said a sentence should not consists of more than 15-25 words.

• Avoid vague and confusing expressions like certain idioms (a dime a dozen), cliches (worn out expressions like busy as a bee), slang (props to you), abbreviations (ttul for talk to you later), and jargon. Incorporate action specific words (ex: sell the product instead of get rid of the product).

• Be clear. Avoid words with 2 meanings. For example, use return instead of bring back or maintain instead of keep up.

• Use correct grammar and spelling. Be sure to double check, otherwise it would be an embarrassment considering we are from a country that mostly communicates in English.

One more quite interesting aspect should not be omitted in our discussion devoted to business correspondence. The English language has often been described as a “living” language. This means that it grows and renews itself by a never-ending process of taking up new words and expressions and pushing obsolete and worn-out ones into the background to languish or die. The process is slow: each age adds something to the national heritage, something that is typical of the spirit of that age. The result is clearly seen in the writing and speech of that age. In this respect we can quote a comment taken from the Internet: Bill, January 27, 2015 12:48 pm

“…email has changed the way we communicate in writing. Using a true letter format is now far less frequent than an email memo one. This makes the use of “dear” stand out as an exception rather than a rule. I’d bet that people under thirty begin letters with “dear” far less frequently those over thirty. Using “dear” will soon be a sign of age, and then will morph into a sign of fuddy-duddiness and will therefore be avoided by most. There will be occasional resurgences of its use by the young who will use it in a humorous, retro way, but other than that, it will be as common as ending a letter with things like “Your faithful servant”.”

PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS