Cindy King's International Business Blog » culturally customized content

A Different English For Your International Audience

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

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.

Focus On Your Cultural Communication

Cindy King — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:30:41 +0000

Internationalize Your English

A question came up the other day that got me thinking. Follow me through…

Here is the first question:

Is it responsible of a company to send someone who only speaks English to conduct sensitive business discussions with people who do not speak English well?

Well first, to answer this question…

If the person did not have any international exposure, then, yes, the company is irresponsible.

Besides changing people on one side or the other, the company had another option…

The company could have used a tactic used often enough between Western cultures and Middle-Eastern cultures: Hire a third party to act as a cultural interpreter.

International Communication Online

But this question got me thinking about the websites I encounter online. And the desperate solopreneurs or very small businesses that contact me frantically looking for a miracle to get them international clients.

Business is based on relationships. Even if you don’t think the relationship aspect is significant for your current business, it is very important in international business.

Remember, prior to the web, companies always assumed they needed face-to-face meetings with international clients in order to develop an international business. And this is still a general principle held by many people.

You Still Need Relationships

Email marketing, global websites and even outsourced call centers can lead the younger generation, or the businesses wrapped up in saving money, to forget that you still need to cultivate relationships with real people to develop a thriving international business.

Of course, if you have a good offer and good online visibility you can make international sales.

Back to this question again…

…but with a twist.

Is it responsible for a company to send out English communication, to market their wares and sell their products to countries, with different cultures who do not speak English well?

That’s fairly easy to answer…

Irresponsible maybe. Foolish yes. Income lost? For sure.

Another twist…

Is it responsible for a company to send out English communication, to market their wares and sell their products, to countries with different cultures?

Well, this is where a little common sense comes in handy. And this question brings up a series of other questions.

Is this company really interested in getting international business?
Does this company understand the basics of good international communication?
Does this company have a measurement system in place to see where it needs to improve communication?

International business today is cheaper than before thanks to international web marketing. But you still need to put in the time and effort to create the relationships.

Relationships start with your communication. Get it right. Be polite…to your foreign readers.

Even if you are on a tight budget you can adjust your communication for the people you are targeting.

You can even learn to do this yourself, just as people did prior to internet with face-to-face meeting.

Start off slowly.
Make connections, real connections with your prospects in one specific country.
Build the relationship slowly.
Learn how to communicate well.

There was something else I heard early this week…

Most people today don’t want to learn to fish…they just want you to give them the fish.

Building international relationships and getting your communication right for your international markets is work. And it is work you need to learn how to do yourself.

Need a method? A step-by-step action plan to help you get started?

Read the 8 step International Sales Road Map on Get International Clients.
Sign up for the action guide with the Get International Clients newsletter.

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

English For International Appeal

Cindy King — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:00:37 +0000

Internationalize Your English

Earlier this week I wrote about Culture-Free English. Today I want to follow on with Cross-Culture-Appealing English. Or how to write to appeal to a wide range of cultures…in English. That is both native English speakers and non-native English speakers.

Why would I even want to bring this up?

Well…

Do you want to develop your international business?
No budget for translations?
And you haven’t yet identified a specific country you want to sell to?

Businesses that answer yes to the three questions above should consider editing their international communication.

We looked at how Culture-Free English takes away the culturally-specific elements of your own communication. This has a flaw…

Culture-Free English can leave a rather bland communication. You need to bring it to life again.

And, one important element you need to look out for in cross-cultural communication is politeness.

So you need to go back through your communication and edit it once again.

This time you need to try to add a variety of little touches to make your communication more appealing to a broad range of cultures.

Unfortunately this process is slow. You will need to do this regularly. You see, you also need feedback from your audience.

An experience cross-cultural marketer can help you speed up the process. But even an experienced cross-cultural marketer will benefit from direct market feedback.

Here are the different elements you need to edit your communication for:

Frustration And Ease

Is your communication easy for everyone to understand?

The trouble is that sometimes cultural differences will bring up little frustrations. This can be:

How you write certain information, dates or times for example.
Something you don’t communicate that is expected or needed in another culture.

Rudeness And Politeness

This is always a delicate issue. There are just so many nuances to what people find polite or lacking in politeness.

Some cultures seem to need more politeness than others.

Some cultures are too blunt for others.

The passive tense can be a good tool when used wisely and not over used.

But the best way to acquire an internationally standard form of politeness is through practice.

This is also one of the easiest way to identify a seasoned international professional. Their form of politeness crosses cultures extremely well.

Confusion And Clarity

Ah…

The ever important element of clarity. Why am I always writing about clarity?

You need to work at building trust in cross-culture communication.

The bad news: you must do this constantly
The good news: it is very easy. Simply concentrate on consistency and clarity.

Clarity is important for all good communication, most professionals know this.

But don’t make the mistake of assuming you have clarity in your communication just because it passes your own assessment. You see, cultural differences can make it difficult to find out where any confusion starts.

So don’t be lazy. Go get feedback from your international audience. Dig for it. And remember to listen for any confusion. You don’t want to hear about it when it’s too late.

Most cases of confusion in cross-cultural communication can be remedied with more clarity in your own communication.

Cross-cultural communication teaches you how to communicate with even more clarity.

Is This For Everyone?

If you remember, I said that Culture-Free English might not be for everyone. At least not 100% Culture-Free English.

But, I personally think everyone targeting an international market should make an effort to edit their communication for the element mentioned above.

…Sure, there are some websites out there that are deliberately rude to be provocative.

But most people want to communicate with ease, politeness and clarity. You do this for your own domestic audience.

Why not try to take these a few steps further and increase your international appeal?

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

Culture-Free Communication

Cindy King — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:00:33 +0000

Internationalize Your English

When writing in English for a broad international audience there are a few strategic decisions you need to make. One of them is whether you want to use culture-free communication.

…or not.

First, let’s have a look at what culturally-specific communication is.

Culturally-Specific Communication

Most people speak like everyone else around them. When we grow up, live, go to school, and work in the same place, we acquire a specific way of using the English language. And we speak with culturally-specific words and expressions.

So…

What happens when you speak to someone else who also lives in an enclosed environment a couple of hundred kilometers…in the same country? Well, he will understand you. But…

Will he use the same words and expressions as you do?

And what happens if this person lives a thousand kilometers away…still in the same country?

You can usually identify where people are from by the different words and expressions they use.

…when they speak in your own language.

Take Away The Confusion

The problem is that when you are a non-native English speaker, these different words and expressions can be confusing.

On this blog, you often read about clarity. It is important for good cross-cultural communication.

You must avoid this confusion for good communication with a broad international audience.

Remember, there are more non-native English readers online than native-English speakers.

A website in English can give you global visibility. English is today’s lingua franca after all.

…But do you want your readers to find your English confusing?

Culture-Free English

This is why you should evaluate your website for culturally-specific communication.

And culturally-specific communication goes beyond language. It is also any use of color, numbers, graphics, photos, what is in the photos, audio and any other content.

In culture-free English you take away any culturally-specific element.

The English communication is edited and re-edited to take away its specific cultural flavor.

Not Always The Right Solution

Culture-free English is not always the best option. In many cases, it is a balancing act.

For global companies, yes, of course, culture-free English can be the best thing to do. It provides a good base both for translations, and also to create more culturally-targeted content for different foreign markets.

For other companies, it is can also be a good idea to leave a little cultural flavor in there.

A small company, with a strong cultural identity or brand, may not be able to shed all of its culturally-specific communication without losing a part of its own identity.

You can write culture-free, or almost culture-free, English and still have a clear cultural identity. But language can be a very important element.

In these cases, you have a few options:

Not change anything, in which case you will probably limit your international development.
Look at smoothing some of the cultural specificity to make it easier on other cultures…and test.
Start a new international website, division, joint venture or partnership with a new communication style.

A Step Towards International English

This is part of the process to communicate with International English.

The next step is to make your communication appealing to a broad range of cultures.

…that’s for sometime soon.

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

Translations, Foreign Language Content and Culturally Customized Content

Cindy King — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:47 +0000

Culturally Customized Content

A mid-sized company asked me recently whether they needed to have their new websites translated. This is a fairly well known company in their industry. And they now want to create a presence in several foreign countries and want to create several country-specific websites.

Hmmm… So if I got this right, they want to create a presence in several foreign countries, and hope to get by with keeping their websites in English. I wonder what their definition of “presence” is.

Apparently someone had taken a decision to create a website for a selection of foreign countries. But they had not thought the business and marketing plan through.

Obviously, their IT departments said yes, they could arrange to have a website set up for each different country.

I wonder how much their marketing department was involved in the decision process. IT and Marketing people need to communicate and understand each other more.

Their assumptions were also probably based on their own international sales experience. This company is big enough to have had foreign clients already. And these foreign clients communicated to them in English.

This is why several company executives thought it would be possible to develop their business effectively in foreign countries without the hassle of getting involved in foreign languages. Their foreign clients are well educated and usually speak English.

Reasons For Foreign Language Content

There is just two other elements to note.

The top competitors are already present in most of these countries and are obviously communicating with some degree of success in the foreign languages, or at least partially so.

Your communication will always bring in more sales when it is more focused and relevant to your specific target markets. Why would international marketing be any different?

Translation Are The Wrong Focus

The problem is that most people approach communication with foreign clients the wrong way. They focus on their own foreign language limitations and see “translations” as the solution to their needs.

This is the wrong approach for company executives to take. When creating your international business development plan you need to look at translations through a different lens.

Translations are a tool that helps you to communicate with others when you do not speak their language.

I only asked this company a few basic marketing questions. They immediately realized they were focusing on the wrong angle with regards to translations and trying to develop foreign business without them.

Remember to plan for future foreign language content on your websites no matter how you start. This will save you time and money when you are ready to make the change.

Foreign Language Content

All of your communication material represents one of your relationship-building tools.

You will need to have good foreign language content if you want to build good relationships with the people you want to sell your wares to.

But good foreign language content is more than simple translations of your existing communication to your current markets.

Culturally Customized Content

In order to develop your business in any country, you will need to adapt your communication to that particular country. Good cross-cultural communication just does not happen without you taking a step towards the other culture.

You will also need to adapt your offer to each country. This is the key to international business success. Your offer may need one slight change. The change in your offer might even be so slight it is only a nuance. Your offer may need a major overhaul.

The only way to find out how to adapt your offer to a specific culture, is to get to know them intimately. And you simply cannot get to know someone well if you always insist on using your own language to communicate with.

Planning Market Change

Instead of focusing on translations and changing your communication into different languages, focus on planning for changes in your market. This will help you to answer all of the translation and foreign content questions you have.

When two people meet for the first time, if they do not speak each others language, what do they do?

In my opinion it is perfectly alright to start off your communication in your own language. But you must also

Listen attentively to the other person when he tries to speak to you.
Be ready to start communicating in the foreign language
Be proactive in communicating in the foreign language
Move to communication in the foreign language as soon as you can
Create communication to fully understand what your foreign client wants

Can you see where a “translation mentality” will slow you down?

Can you see where a “relationship opportunity mentality” will lead you into new markets?

Translations are your first rudimentary tools in building your foreign relationships.

Foreign language content is the basic tool you need to create foreign relationships.

Culturally customized content is the precision tool you need to develop your business.

Simply begin your communication where you can. Begin your relationship where you can. This will start the conversation. This will also start your own learning curve.

Delaying communication does not help you.

Outsourcing communication needs can help you in small doses.

But eventually you will need to get into the communication if you want to be part of this relationship and benefit from it.

Plan and expect to communicate in foreign languages as soon as you can. Your international business development and international marketing strategies will take you further.

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Translations, Foreign Language Content and Culturally Customized Content

Customize Your Content For Different Cultures

Cindy King — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:00:10 +0000

Internationalize Your English

International web marketing and online based international business development rely heavily on culture customized content to create effective lead generation funnels and get sales.

Very simply, if you want to communicate effectively with different cultures in different countries you need to adapt your communication and your content. This is how you can begin to build cross-cultural relationships through your online business.

Reaching Clients With Content

There are a few different names used to describe the same basic type of marketing:

Content Marketing
Educational Marketing
Information Marketing

How To Get The Content For Your Marketing

There is a trend in businesses outsourcing content creation. As Junta42 said recently, content outsourcing is getting the second largest marketing budget today.

This trend in outsourcing content creation is estimated to expand.

International Content Creation

The question is, how will businesses that outsource their content approach content for international audiences?

Will this international content be outsourced to:

Content creators, or
Translators, or
Culture-customizers?

Choice Of Communication

First lets, look at another question. The choice of customizing your content to foreign markets.

I am often surprised by marketing managers who take the easy road of using a translation service.

Most of the large American companies I have dealt with will have their communication go through their American corporate communication or public relations Vice President and then translated.

This translation might be forwarded to the marketing manager based in the foreign country for input as a courtesy measure. Unfortunately I have yet to hear of any recommended changes being implemented.

This results in very little communication being culturally customized to the local culture.

Large companies have a very difficult issue with their corporate branding. This leaves their foreign marketing departments more work to catch up.

Loss For Some, Opportunity For Others

It is also a wonderful opportunity for the smaller, or more flexible businesses, to create more effective communication in foreign markets.

Culture-customized content will always resonate more than content created for your own domestic market.

Different cultures respond to different things. The communication you need to get the most out of one specific market will be different to the communication you need in another one.

Yes, it takes more effort to get the culture-customized content. It also takes more expertise and experience in your foreign markets.

But it will bring in more sales and will give your company a stronger presence in that culture.

How To Customize Your Content For Different Cultures

Now let’s go back to my question about how businesses will outsource the content they need for international markets.

There are two problems:

Marketing managers in one country find working with a translation company easy to do.
Most translation companies say they have translators with specific industry knowledge.

I have been one of those marketing executives.

Always get a mother-tongue speaker of the language you need. If your translator speaks the language you need as a second language and it is for communication with your clients… well you have just given your competitors a nice present.

I’ve hunted down the good translation agencies, bought the translations and had to work with the results.

Now, I have worked with a few large multinational companies with in-house staff capable of writing the documents needed in the foreign language. But time is a big factor when it comes to translations.

There is something I noticed. Translated documents were rarely as good as when they were done in-house with the right person.

Inside experience and expertise count enormously when creating culturally customized content.

Get Rid Of The Risk

After about 10 years in international business I decided on another tactic. My language skills will good enough for me to see the difference in marketing and cross-cultural communication needs and the best work any translation service could offer me.

My new tactic required prior planning in the beginning and some creative thinking. Afterwards I learned to keep my eyes open. I also began to know exactly what I wanted from a business and marketing point of view.

Whenever I need a document in another language, I look for the perfect person to do the job. I pre-select the person I want to work with.

We have to have the same business outlook.
The person has to have excellent writing skills.
The writing style in the foreign language has to be right for the job.
The person has to understand the objectives.
The person must be able to communicate these objectives into the other language.

I often now turn to a professional friend or colleague. I also have my favorites.

Just because you

Speak the language does not mean you will write what the market needs.
Work in the same industry does not mean you will know how to communicate what the market needs.
Have the right qualification does not mean you will get the communication right.

You might think I’m fussy with translations. No it’s not fussy.

It’s a question of eliminating risk. I do not like risks.

A marketer wants his campaigns to be successful. In my past experience, I have often eliminated at least 30-40% of the international marketing risk by having content written by the right person.

Eliminate a very large percentage of your risk.

Find the right person to create your culturally-customized content.

Need International English content? Drop me an email.

What Is Your Culture On The Social Web?

Cindy King — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:00:23 +0000

Culturally Customized Content

Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog has an interesting article on culture.

She looks at the different cultures of Flexibility and Stability environmental needs with Internal and External strategic focus.

This is a thought provoking article if you are struggling how to use social media in your industry.

Use this simple culture analysis to guide you on how to use the different social movements on the web.

It might even help you to find the right marketing mix for better communication with your clients or online audience.

Just like Liz, I am definitely in the blue square.

Cindy King's International Business Blog » culturally customized content

A Different English For Your International Audience

Less Vocabulary

Less Fun

Lack Of Personality

Reasons To Use Globish

More on Culturally Customized Content:

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

Focus On Your Cultural Communication

International Communication Online

You Still Need Relationships

More on Internationalizing Your English:

What you need to know about International English:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

English For International Appeal

Frustration And Ease

Rudeness And Politeness

Confusion And Clarity

Is This For Everyone?

More on Internationalizing Your English:

What you need to know about International English:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

Culture-Free Communication

Culturally-Specific Communication

Take Away The Confusion

Culture-Free English

Not Always The Right Solution

A Step Towards International English

More on Internationalizing Your English:

What you need to know about International English:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

Translations, Foreign Language Content and Culturally Customized Content

Reasons For Foreign Language Content

Translation Are The Wrong Focus

Foreign Language Content

Culturally Customized Content

Planning Market Change

More on Culturally Customized Content:

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

Customize Your Content For Different Cultures

Reaching Clients With Content

How To Get The Content For Your Marketing

International Content Creation

Choice Of Communication

Loss For Some, Opportunity For Others

How To Customize Your Content For Different Cultures

Get Rid Of The Risk

More on Culturally Customized Content:

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

What Is Your Culture On The Social Web?

More on Culturally Customized Content:

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides