Cindy King's International Business Blog » american english

Opposite Cultural Perceptions

Cindy King — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:04 +0000

I‘m collaborating with an American writer to write an ebook. The book will be marketed to an American audience and I have spent all of my life marketing to international audiences. So this represents a fair bit of cultural adaptation on my part. But with my cross-cultural marketing background I find this fascinating. So I thought I’d share one of the first changes I made to adapt my writing to an American audience.

2 Different Perceptions of “Let’s”

My American mentor pointed out that I use the words “Let’s…” often and to an American audience this comes with a certain perception. With these 2 little words, American readers perceive me as putting myself above them.

With my cross-cultural background I find this interesting. I’ve worked so long within different cultures and the words “Let’s…” are not perceived in the same way at all… in fact the effect is the opposite. I use them to be perceived as part of their team, on their level, with the exact same words.

Opposite cultural perceptions with the exact same words.

Cultural Behavior Scales

If you are not aware of the cultural scales of Individualism and Collectivism, I’ve written about them here.

Although these cultural scales have limitations they can often be helpful when looking for explanations in different cultural perceptions. Together with some basic cross-cultural skills you can also use them to look for ideas in improving your cross-cultural communication.

If this intrigues you, be sure to also take the time to look at this long list of countries with their scores on 5 different culture scales.

It’s not surprising how different cultures have different perceptions from the exact same words.

A word of caution: do not go overboard into stereotypes and broad generalizations. These scales can only provide a certain degree of insights into cultural differences. You need strong cross-cultural skills to interpret them wisely and learn how to apply them to your communication.

The Answer Is In The Culture Code

Another way to understand these cultural differences in perception is to look at the different culture codes. This example reminds me of The Culture Code which I re-read recently.

First in this book Clotaire Rapaille explains how when an American construction worker whistles at a American woman passing by on a big city street the woman will scowl and her response would be one of anger. And if you put the same woman on a big city street in Italy with an Italian construction worker, the woman would blush and be flattered.

The reason is because of different culture codes. The American code for sex is violence and the Italian code for sex is having fun. And this is communicated in the way men whistle in both of these countries and what women have to deal with. Clotaire Rapaille even goes so far to say in his book that he would never want to be an American woman today because of the challenges with the culture codes in being an American woman.

Changes In Culture Codes

This brings me back to the second reason why I thought of the Culture Code. In Clotaire Rapaille’s recent Archetype Discoveries Newsletter he alludes to the rise of the Latina, the South American woman in the United States. And I cannot help wondering how this will impact American culture codes. You see, in general all South American countries have higher scores on the Collectivism scales and the United States has a notorious high score at the opposite end of this scale – “Individualism”.

It is going to be fascinating to watch the rise of the Latina and how this impacts the American culture code as the older American generation dies off.

And this change in culture code will impact perceptions in how we write. With the Latina influencing American communication, I wonder if the perception of the words “Let’s” will change in the future.

Writing For Different Cultures

Writing in English for different cultures is not easy today.

We have gone through changes:

The global economy and the web have given rise to a certain understanding and tolerance for cultural differences.
There is also a certain International English used in “standard” international business today.

We are going to continue going through changes with as the populations in many of the world’s leading nations change and the once minority ethnic groups become the new majorities.

It’s easy to think everyone has the same understanding of the English. But this is not the case. Different cultural perceptions pop up in the smallest of places. It safe to expect these different cultural perceptions to change over time too.

I’m definitely looking forward to this exercise in learning how to adapt my own writing for a predominant American audience and hope to come back to you with more clear examples of cultural differences.

What about you?

What does “Let’s” say to you? Do you feel included or excluded in any way?
What expressions do you find have different meanings in different cultures?
How do you think the cultural evolution in our societies will influence communication in years to come?

Please share your thoughts and comments below.

International English For Better Communication With Global Audiences

Cindy King — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:00:53 +0000

Internationalize Your English

Yesterday I mentioned the current trend towards International English in white papers. Susan Oakes asked whether International English was American or British language. And I thought this merited a longer reply here.

First, let’s have a look at this video:

Allyson Stewart-Allen On Working The Differences Between British & Americans: Business Etiquette

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British & American English Have More Differences Than Just Spelling

As you can see from this video, when you live and work in both of these countries, you usually notice the cultural differences between British English and American English. These cultural differences go beyond different spelling. In many cases you need explanations, or interpretations and even a British-American dictionary to explain both:

Country specific vocabulary
Different meanings for the same word

In addition, there are a series of cultural differences in how British people use their language and how the Americans use theirs. Even if both languages are called English there is a learning curve to go through to become fluent in the communication used on both sides of the Atlantic.

For native English speakers this learning curve is not usually a big deal. There are few areas where mistakes in interpretations can have serious consequences.

But for non-native English speakers who learn English one way, these cultural specificities add on another layer of difficulty and are not easy to translate into other languages. In some cases, these extra difficulties can have serious consequences. For example, when complicated machinery or health issues are involved any possible misinterpretation can have serious consequences.

The problem is that these misinterpretations increase with the use of culture specific English:

Whether it is American English for people who studied British English,
Or British English for people who studied American English as a foreign language.

Why Are Businesses Moving Towards International English?

Website globalization does seem to be a big factor behind the trend. Here are three reasons why:

Global Website Templates. Businesses are having their website translated into more and more languages. The number of languages available on websites is steadily increasing. This brings the need for website templates to make multiple translations easy. And multiple translations mean that you need to start off with text that is easy to translate into multiple languages. If you do not “clean up” your English before sending it for multiple translations you will have:

Translations which say different things in the different languages
Increased translation costs

To avoid this the original text in English is made very easy to understand for non-native English speakers. The grammar is amended to get rid of any possible misinterpretation during translation. Some people use the term “Global English”. This process usually also improves the original text in clarity and consistency.

Wider Audiences. Globalization also brings English speakers with different cultural backgrounds, and different ways of speaking English. Companies also feel the obligation to improve their English for these wider audiences. This is what is happening with white papers. And even if British English is the official version for the EEC, many large companies are choosing American spelling and an internationalized English. This is simply because that is the best way to communicate with their global markets.

Politically Correct. One translator who works for a large Swiss multinational company, told me that the company directives to implement International English was initiated to avoid favoring one way of speaking over another within an international environment. This might be a sign in global awareness for being polite to all English speakers.

Should You Use British Or American Spelling?

The spelling really does not matter as internationalization your English is about improving the understanding of your content across a wide number of different cultures.

You can choose either British or American spelling. Most businesses choose to use the spelling that is easiest for their biggest, or most important, client base. But any decision process that makes sense works well.

I think that the choice of spelling used to have more of a political reason before. Companies in Europe or in former British colonies used to always opt for British English. But now with website globalization and widespread American English software it is often easier to consider American English.

International English is more about taking out the cultural quirks that make it difficult for other cultures to understand. I always think of it as aseptically treating the content. When you navigate between cultures non-stop and actively seek to connect with people (some people don’t try), your language changes naturally over time. You learn what to avoid and what to say and how to say things to make it easier for a wide audience to understand.

Where Can You Find International English Guidelines?

This is a problem. I have not found a good set of guidelines. And I believe this is because we are in the middle of this movement and there are different players. There are:

British English evangelists and American English evangelists.
People who only see the need for Global English with translations in mind and others who only want to communicate with as many people as possible.

You can find guidelines written by a few people in these different groups, written from their particular viewpoint. All of these groups of people would benefit from taking a more global understanding of the issues at hand.

This is why I like to look at the non-native English professionals who do not have any guidelines to follow. They need to be understood in today’s world, so they simply jump in, and learn what works and what does not work.

The main reason why people adopt International English is to improve communication across a wider international audience. There are no definitive rules and guidelines for International English currently available. This is an area where you need to apply a good dose of common sense and flexibility. An international background does help too. You can find a link to the guidelines I use below. Keep in mind that you will need to adapt these guidelines to your business.

Are your marketing materials for one specific culture, or an international audience?
How do you decide whether you need British or American spelling to reach an international audience?
When would you think of using International English for your website and marketing materials?

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International English For Better Communication With Global Audiences

European Versus American White Paper Marketing

Cindy King — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:00:07 +0000

White Papers For International Sales

As a content marketer I appreciate the important role white papers play in business-to-business lead generation. But I have worked in two different cultural markets, North America and Europe. What is interesting is there seems to be two different white paper marketing environments.

Are white papers used in the same way on both sides of the Atlantic? Well, let’s have a look at some of the differences I have noticed.

First let me clarify:

This is about white papers for business and is not about white papers written by the European Union and other government bodies.

This is only about white papers and not sales brochures.

White papers are informative documents that do not include sales pitches.

They vary in length, generally about 10 pages long, and there is a strong trend towards shorter white papers. Companies produce them to inform and educate their potential buyers.

White papers can be written for different audiences, not only engineers, but also for people with different roles in the buying decision. And they can be written to be used at different times during the sales cycle, to address the different questions clients have. They are often used in web marketing campaigns.

Cultural Differences In European White Papers

No recognized structure. The first thing you notice about the white papers written by European businesses is there is not a clearly defined format for a white paper across Europe.

There are all sorts of lengths and some can be very long compared to North American white papers
There are often “half-breeds”, or white papers with a soft sales pitch, or ones that are half technical guides

They are called all sorts of different things in the different European languages that vaguely translate back into “report”.

More formal. The white papers you come across in Europe are usually more formal than American white papers. But this is changing – see the current trends below.

Less marketing. As a marketer, what I notice most about European white papers is that they are usually written for a very technical audience and are limited to targeting one specific part of the sales cycle. There is simply less marketing done with European white papers.

Possible Reasons Behind These Differences

Of course, there might be a few cultural reasons behind these differences in white paper marketing:

A stronger need to be sold to in person
More in person meetings and presentations to fulfill the role of white papers

But these differences might also be due to a delay in “catching up” with marketing tactics used within the stronger consumer-oriented American society.

Current Trends In European White Papers

Moving towards the American model. European companies are adopting the American format of white papers more and more often. I hear this from European marketing managers. This is one of the reasons why I think the Europeans may still be “catching up”. In addition, the large international companies probably influence the white paper practices used in the smaller companies.

Less formality. Although this depends on the industry, there is a clear trend towards less formality. European white papers used to be very stiff and formal. But they are imitating North American white papers more now, and talk to the readers much more than before.

Many companies asking for International English. In-house writers contact me regularly to ask how to write in “International English“. Many large European companies have already taken steps to address the challenge of writing in English for broad international audiences. And many more are realizing the need to make their content easy to understand and free of as much misinterpretation as possible across cultures. Wondering what this is all about? Then have a look at: What is International English?

For example, one of the biggest challenges in British English is their use of the word “should”. Most non-Brits translate this simply as a conditional sentence. The trouble is that Brits often use “should” as a polite recommendation or an order… where there is absolutelyno “condition” intended at all.

What Is Lacking In European White Papers?

The one area where I think European white papers could learn something from the American white papers is in the way they are used within a marketing strategy.

Less strategy. In Europe, white papers are not always planned as strategically as in the US. Although there may be cultural reasons for this, European companies could probably improve their white paper marketing strategies. One way would be in targeting their content to answer more specific questions at the different stages of the buying process.

Less web marketing. European companies do not seem to think of including white papers as often as American companies in their web marketing campaigns. Now, this is a broad generalization and probably linked to stronger web marketing practices in the US. But there is also the question of smaller local markets in the European countries and the cost in creating white papers.

Cultural Differences Will Always Remain

Even if many European white papers become similar to American white papers in format, the cultural differences will always remain. These cultural differences effect both the written communication and the style.

Have a look at Jonathan Kantor‘s very interesting article Comparing U.K. & U.S. Government White Papers. Jonathan Kantor is the founder of The Appum Group, “The White Paper Company“, and he is also the author of the White Paper Pundit blog. His recent article compares white papers written by the governments of these two countries. You can see the cultural differences in communication styles between these two English speaking countries. In this article, Jonathan shows us how cultural differences can influence the style of white papers.

Do you have any examples of white papers where the style is unexpected?
Do you think white papers should have a standard format or more variety?
What cultural differences have you noticed in white paper practices?

Americans Need International English Too

Cindy King — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:00:48 +0000

Internationalize Your English

European companies were the first to question the English they use for international audiences.

When Choice Is Forced On You

I have previously written about a large Swiss company formed through a merger of 3 different companies, using both American and British English and how they were looking for elusive instructions on how to write International English.

Many Europeans feel they need to follow British spelling when writing in English. The problem is that the differences in the English used in different countries go far beyond spelling.

The Challenges For International Professionals

International professionals have to adapt to a wide variety of different ways to speak English. Non-native English speakers have even more challenges. And British English can be particularly difficult for a non-native English speaker. One of the difficulties is the way the English use the word “should” when there is no conditional involved.

Yes, I know, to be exact I should say “English English”. There is also Scottish English, Welsh English, Irish English. Let’s just say it is about the spelling for simplicity.

Some International Brits Use American Spelling

The choice of which English to use is not only about facilitating communication with non-native English speakers. It is also about:

Markets
Where you sell your products and services
Who needs to read your sales and marketing materials

Did you know that some international British companies choose to use American spelling in their sales and marketing materials?

When you think about it, it makes sense!

The business decision is an easy one when you want to reach American clients and sell products if your clients would be confused with British English.

Is American Spelling Best For All International Audiences?

You might think that the obvious choice is to adapt American English for international markets.

This is often the best choice in the markets I work in where web marketing and American software is predominant. In some cases where you have a broad international audience American spelling can be an easy option.

The trouble for American companies is that they are in a very independent culture. They always think they are right. It is easy to assume that an American spelling means that their content is easy for non-native English speakers to understand.

What happens when American spelling implies a much stronger direct approach and you want to nurture relationships in a culture where this strong direct approach is inappropiate? What if British spelling is taught locally?

There are times when a British spelling might be a better choice.

Adopting International English

There may be no official or easy to follow guidelines for International English…

…and as I am writing this I can easily imagine an over confident American, who has spent a few years here and there, sit down to write them up and proclaim he has a universal standard…

…but it is not about the spelling. Whether you use British spelling or American spelling is not very important.

What is important is:

Clarity and consistency in how you write
Keeping it simple for everyone to understand
The words you use
How well you explain yourself
The culture you convey

In addition to these good writing practices, there are also elements of good cross-cultural communication best practices that also apply to written communication.

There are two different ways to spell certain words in English: British English and American English. But when you look at the English language from a global perspective, there are endless ways of using the English language.

International English is not a new language. It is what happens when different cultures come together and communicate in English, in a way that is easiest to understand for everyone.

This is why, even if the American spelling may seem to dominate certain international markets, American companies should consider the need to use International English for better communication with their international audiences.

Do you know of any companies using International English?
Do you know of any companies that could benefit from using International English to reach wider international audiences?
When do you think companies should use International English?

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

Is International English In Your Future?

Cindy King — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:03 +0000

Internationalize Your English

Last week I had a very interesting conversation with an American translator in Switzerland. He called to ask me for guidelines on who to write “International English“. One of his major clients had asked their team of translators to now write in “International English”. Apparently 3 different Swiss companies had merged:

2 traditionally used British English for all English translations
1 traditionally used American English for all English translations

This American translator said that most of the other translators were British and no one had specific guidelines on how to write “International English”.

I wonder how common this dilemma is today.

When American English Trumps British English In Europe

Companies all over the world use English for their communication. There is an interesting phenomenon in Europe with regards to the use of the English language. British English is the official English within the European union. But outside of Brussels, there are times when British English just does not make good business sense compared to American English. It is fairly common for European businesses to choose American English.

It is interesting to note that in France, the English language teachers in the French schools are instructed to teach English with the Queens English language accent. These directives come with the phonetic sounds for this particular accent.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve cringed at listening to my daughters school friends trying to imitate this “posh” English accent with their own heavy French accent. Doesn’t anyone realize how ludicrous this sounds to the vast majority of native English speakers? Including the average British person. And the French wonder why they are so bad at languages. It’s normal to stop trying to speak a language when you appear so funny.

The reason why many European businesses use American English is because it makes better business sense. The reasons are multiple and I will get into that in a minute.

I remember actually noticing a few international British companies using American English a couple of years ago.

The Political Debate

But first, you have to realize that a European company’s choice to use American English opens a more political debate. Some cultures are more prone to a political debate on this subject than others.

And when you have any British element involved this debate can get quite complicated.

Making The Choice

What about the readers of these English language materials?

It appears that when companies base their decision on their readers, it is a fairly easy business decision to make. There are several criteria you can base your decision on:

either overall readership majority – who are you speaking to
or your highest region for profit – where is your money coming from
or your primary target market – who do you want to reach

This can help you decide whether to use American English or British English.

An International Readership

But is it so easy?

Today another factor that comes into play. Who is really reading your materials?

European companies translating their materials into English, usually also distribute these materials to readers outside of the UK and the US. In fact, for most companies this readership is probably greater outside of the UK and the US.

When people communicate on an international level, with multiple cultures, something happens. Whether you use British English or American English, you adapt your language so that the majority of your international audience understands you… easily.

This happens naturally over time and with experience. You learn which words or expressions always lead to confusion and which words everyone understands.

One obvious example is the word “should” when used by a Brit. In my experience, a Brit does not often use the word “should” to express a conditional verb form. It is more often a form of British politeness. Remember, Britain has a history based on a class society.

Miscommunication arises very easily here, simply because just about every non-native English speaker will translate “should” as part of a conditional verb form. It does not enter their minds that this might be a polite way of telling someone to do something. The only message that comes across is a conditional suggestion to do something. So if this person is busy or has other interests, this statement is quickly put aside.

And yet “should” is used often enough in good British English.

People that communicate with a wide international audience almost always adapt their English to an “International English”, easily understood and spoken by non-native English speakers.

In addition to communicating to international audiences, there is another movement.

In some industries online communication plays an important role. It only takes a quick glance to see that web communication is predominantly in American English.

Clarity For A Global Environment

Web communication is also leading the trend to simplifying English even further:

For clarity of communication
To make it easier, quicker and more cost effective for multiple translations

With regards to English for web communication, this book gives a very good description of English:

The Global English Style Guide – Writing clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market – by John R. Kohl

But there are no definitive guidelines on what International English is exactly, when a business should use it and how to use it. The reason is simple.

On The Road To International English

There is a movement towards an “International English. But we are right in the middle of it. It is still changing.

In Europe, the British English enthusiasts are still very active and this creates tension in companies where the real world business environment demands not only an American spelling, but also an International English to communicate well within this global world we now live in.

I am also expecting a pull towards International English from the non-native English speakers. And perhaps this is where the real guidelines will emerge.

Last year, I remember reading blogs written by non-native English speakers which had comments on them left by native English speakers lamenting the non-native English speakers language skills. Some of those comments were embarrassing to read as a native English speaker.

This year I have not noticed any such comments.

Non-native English speakers use English to communicate with larger audiences. As their online presence become more established, and more authoritative, the English language purists will not be as loud… and an International English style will become more wide-spread online.

…probably with American spelling if only due to the shear volume of American language software.

An Even Simpler Choice

As this movement continues, businesses will have a much simpler choice. Most of today’s political debate will fall to the side.

Oh, I am sure a new one will pop up: to save endangered languages.

As the need for global businesses to embrace International English becomes inevitable, there will really only be a simple choice of spelling. International English is more about your

Clarity of expression
Choice of words
Choice of punctuation
Simple grammar
The ease of understanding

American or British spelling, you still need to communicate effectively with your readers.

What To Do Now

If your readers are from many different countries, improve communication with them now. In order to find out what you say that confuses them, or is difficult for them to understand, you need to create a dialog… and then you need to listen and make an effort to improve your communication.

No one can claim to have the ultimate “International English” guidelines today. There is still too much movement.

This reminds me of when people stopped using the hyphen in words like “co-operation”, or when businesses started using the simplified left justification, instead of indenting paragraphs, when writing letters.

Except the movement towards International English is a bit more complicated, more widespread and is taking longer.

Languages have always morphed and changed with the current times. It is interesting watching “International English” evolve across the world.

Although there are no ultimate guidelines for “International English” today, we can use good business practices of listening and trying to improve our communication with the people we interact with. This leads to better cross-cultural communication.

Even the current social media trend has the same outlook towards communicating with others. It reinforces the need to improve our overall communication with all of our audiences.

This process towards better communication is the natural path towards an International English.

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

Do You Use English Or American Spelling?

Cindy King — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:00:05 +0000

Culturally Customized Content

John Yunker on Global By Design wrote an article last month about different labels for different English spellings. Apparently the acronym “ENU” was used to mean “English – US”.

Another article raised the question of “International English” versus “American English”. I found this article slightly misleading simply because there are so many ways to use the term International English today: Global English, Universal English.

It does make me smile when an American says that “American English” is in the lead.

This reminds me of the all of trips to Canada, where Canadians would come up to me and say that Canada had been voted the best place to live in the whole world. After two different trips, I asked who carried out the study… well it was Canadian studies. The French go “coccoricco” often enough too.

There are quite a few interesting comments in this thread. I never thought the term “British English” could be considered false. And apparently Adobe uses:

“International English” (IE) = “American English”
“Universal English” (UE) = “British English”

Before you get into how you label your choice of English language, let’s look at how to choose the one you want to use.

There are in fact two business decisions to make.

Translations Or Not?

Are you writing for one broad international audience and would like to prepare the work for translating your content into different languages?

If you will need to translate your English language content into more than one language, you will save time and money by learning to write for an international audience.

If you strive for an International English you will also improve communication across a broader non-native English speaking audience.

Spelling

Are you targeting an American audience or a British, European or former British colony audience? This decision is fairly easy to make.

Although I was brought up with the Queen’s English, I have worked with American companies. I chose American spelling on my blogs because of software. I did not want to continually maintain the Queen’s English on American software. There is no major conflict for my business, so the decision was easy.

I still write in a style that is easy for non-native English readers. It is only a question of spelling and some grammar.

Clarity And Consistency

Whatever spelling you choose, remember to be consistent. This means that you should use the same spelling throughout all of your content, no matter who you are targeting. This makes your communication clear. Everyone knows how to identify you.

Do not create your own acronyms and keep your English labels simple and consistent with what your readers expect.

“EUS” does not mean anything to anyone
American English is not International English
British English is not Universal English

A Different English For Your International Audience

Cindy King — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:00:21 +0000

Culturally Customized Content

There was an interesting article published last Friday on the BBC News: New lingua franca upsets French

It is the end of this article that I find most interesting.

International business professionals are finding themselves confronted with a new breed of English language.

Non-native English speakers have a distinct way of speaking English.
And the native English speakers are having a hard time understanding this new form of their own language.

Some people call this new form of English “Globish”. I have used “International English” to describe it here. I have also heard the term “Global English”.

This Globish or International English is picked up by non-native English business professionals who need to communicate effectively in English. They need to have results and they also need to limit cross-cultural communication blunders and barriers.

Here are some particularities of this new form of the English language:

Less Vocabulary

Vocabulary is drastically reduced. In this article, it states that Globish only has 1,500 words.

Non-native English business professionals use their words wisely. They get straight to the point. They use the minimum amount of words to make their point clearly.

Less Fun

Certain things are avoided:

Humor
Metaphors
All abbreviations

These are major pitfalls in cross-cultural communication.

Lack Of Personality

Native English speakers often feel that Globish leads to a lack of warmth or personality in the English language.

And in many ways this is true.

National metaphors add life to communication. So does humor. And abbreviations mean that you can get onto the more interesting part of your discussion faster.

But Globish speakers avoid them like the plague because they can easily create confusion, misunderstandings and this simply slows down communication. You often only pick up the confusion or misunderstanding much further down the road.

Reasons To Use Globish

But this stark way of communicating also has a distinct advantage:

You communicate more effectively to a broader audience

There is also another advantage:

Globish or International English is very clear.

This is why such a wide audience can quickly understand what is being said.

Clarity and consistency are key elements for good web content.

Globish speakers are also very good at identifying possible areas that can lead to cross-cultural confusion. They know when it is best to give more details or ask for confirmation of understanding.

People with good Global English or International English skills are good communicators.

Yes, some of the non-native English speakers may still make grammar mistakes. But do not underestimate their power of communication.

If you need to communicate across a wide international audience, which includes non-native English speakers, contact me to find out more about the International English copywriting services I offer.

Customizing Content For Your Clients

Cindy King — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:00:18 +0000

Culturally Customized Content

New developments on Get International Clients are keeping me busy. In 2008 I blogged about the expertise I acquired over the last 25 years as an international sales and marketing executive. And as I blogged I created a structure for my business system.

That was last year. It was all about getting the content out and finding the structure to create a backbone for my business. This year I want to take all of this information and make it:

More “sexy”
More scannable
Easier to digest

The objective?

To customize this information for today’s busy readers who also need to take away the information they need.

This is why my blogging schedule has been slower these first weeks of the year. I am busy getting things ready behind the scenes.

I did enjoy a good read earlier, where Steve Rubel says that text will remain king.

Get International Clients will soon have audios and videos in addition to the text. Get International Clients is read by business professionals. Some prefer the flexibility and choice of format. Readers come from a variety of countries.

But most of the Get International Clients readers prefer text. Short text, easy to understand. Printable text.

So the main task for 2009 is simplifying the information. This is customization of the format of the information.

Next week we will look at customizing content for different cultures.

Cindy King's International Business Blog » american english

Opposite Cultural Perceptions

2 Different Perceptions of “Let’s”

Cultural Behavior Scales

The Answer Is In The Culture Code

Changes In Culture Codes

Writing For Different Cultures

More on Culturally Customized Content:

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

International English For Better Communication With Global Audiences

British & American English Have More Differences Than Just Spelling

Why Are Businesses Moving Towards International English?

Should You Use British Or American Spelling?

Where Can You Find International English Guidelines?

More on Internationalizing Your English:

What you need to know about International English:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

European Versus American White Paper Marketing

Cultural Differences In European White Papers

Possible Reasons Behind These Differences

Current Trends In European White Papers

What Is Lacking In European White Papers?

Cultural Differences Will Always Remain

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Americans Need International English Too

When Choice Is Forced On You

The Challenges For International Professionals

Some International Brits Use American Spelling

Is American Spelling Best For All International Audiences?

Adopting International English

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What you need to know about International English:

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Is International English In Your Future?

When American English Trumps British English In Europe

The Political Debate

Making The Choice

An International Readership

Clarity For A Global Environment

On The Road To International English

An Even Simpler Choice

What To Do Now

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Do You Use English Or American Spelling?

Translations Or Not?

Spelling

Clarity And Consistency

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A Different English For Your International Audience

Less Vocabulary

Less Fun

Lack Of Personality

Reasons To Use Globish

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Customizing Content For Your Clients

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