Cindy King's International Business Blog » non-native English speakers

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.

Better Cross-Cultural Communication – Rephrase, Don’t Shout

Cindy King — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:00:34 +0000

Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication

One very common phenomenon when communicating with people from different cultures is speaking slower and louder.

Have you ever noticed this?

Slower And Louder

This seems to be a common attempt to improve understanding when things appear to be difficult. And people from all cultures seem to do this.

Is this is how most adults communicate young children? By talking slower and louder?

And naturally some people make the effort of articulating their speech better.

The Real Problem

But what is the real problem?

People who do not speak your language well are not like young children just learning to communicate. They have already learned to communicate… it’s just in a different language.

And clearly adults have a different learning process than children learning to speak.

If someone already understands your language a little, he probably doing something else. He is trying to understand what you are saying… with what he already knows …he is simply stuck somewhere.

Reasons People Get Stuck

There are several different ways people from a different country can get stuck in understanding your conversation.

Note: There are different stages of proficiency in learning a language. But in each one of these stages people understand the language much better than they can speak the language.

At times, a beginner may seem to be totally ignorant in a language, when in fact he can understand the gist of what is said. Beginners are also learning how to deal with two languages in their head. And if they are not “warmed” up when speaking this new language, they can appear to be “frozen”.

Here are some of the reasons why non-native English speakers, who are proficient in English, may not understand you:

Slang or colloquial terms they do not know
Vocabulary they are not used to
They are not used to your accent
They are not used to the speed of your speech
They see two or more possible interpretations of what you said
They only understand part of what you are saying
They do not get the point of why you just said what you said
Need time to change their brain from one language to another
Too early in the morning
They are thinking of something else and need time or more details to understand you

Rephrase Your Communication

Now, when you speak to your neighbor and he does not understand something that you said, what would you do?

It might depend on your neighbor… who may be an elderly person with hearing problems…

But most people would think of rephrasing what they said.

And rephrasing is the best way to respond to a non-native English speaker who appears to not understand you.

In fact, international skills include the art of knowing when to rephrase both your own communication and the non-native English speaker’s communication. The more practice you have at rephrasing the more you understand where difficulties pop up. And your own communication will start to change, to provide more clarity.

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

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Better Cross-Cultural Communication – Rephrase, Don’t Shout

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

What Is International English?

Cindy King — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:00:06 +0000

Internationalize Your English

English is today’s lingua franca. Just as Latin was in the Middle Ages. A large number of countries speak English. But the majority of the English speakers today come from non-native English speaking countries.

Just as there are many different English dialects within the native English speaking countries, there are also a variety of different English “dialects”, or speaking patterns or flavors, amongst non-native English speakers.

And…

There is also an unofficial International English that develops naturally when native English speakers mix with non-native English speakers.

Beyond Spanglish, Frenglish and Chinglish

In non-native English countries with a variety of ethnic groups, such as India or Malaysia, the English language takes on a specific local dialect.

But in Europe, businesses have evolved into what seems to be an International English. This International English cannot easily be associated with one specific country or culture.

This International English has evolved through the long history of international business in the region…

…with other European countries, and also with North Americans.

Picking Up An International English

Today, after a few years professional experience, European businessmen with international exposure usually pick up this International English without realizing it.

How does this happen?

Everyone has different language skill levels. These differences are greater in non-native English speakers.

Quite simply, if you want to communicate in an international environment, you need to speak to be understood. And over time, you also want to speak in a way that is easily understood by everyone.

So guess what happens…

Smaller Vocabulary

The vocabulary you use seems to get smaller and smaller.

In some ways this might seem like you are talking to a child. Your sentences get shorter.

But, it is not quite like talking to a child. There are some subtle differences. You actually learn to culture customize your English to your surroundings.

Easy Words For Everyone To Understand

As you become more familiar with cross-cultural communication, you learn which words to avoid because some non-native English speakers may not understand them immediate.

Some words slow down communication more than others.

So, you learn to use the words everyone usually understands. With experience you know the frustrations other cultures have with the English language.

As a copywriter I write with simple high-school level English.

For example, the verb “get” is simple enough.

But as a cross-cultural marketer I know how little verbs like “get” and “take” can slow down comprehension for many non-native English speakers. Only a very skilled English speaker understands these immediately: “get to”, “get from”, “get over”, “get under”, “get through”, “get by”, “get going”.

Explanations

You also learn to explain things more.

Simply making small changes in the structure of your sentences can make them easier to understand. Your communication becomes clear.

You learn to know when different cultures will have difficulties grasping certain concepts.

Again, simple explanations bring clarity to your communication.

So does the order in which you “explain” or “present” an idea, a proposal or a concept.

Clarity Throughout Your Communication

All of these small changes in your communication bring clarity for everyone around you.

The process of learning to speak with clarity happens naturally if you live in an environment of different English language skills.

And this happens naturally because if you do not adapt your communication this can lead to unnecessary time spent on correcting miscommunication.

Sensitivity To Different Cultures

And finally, with experience, you also learn how to speak in a polite way to different cultures.

This is the hardest part to learn.

Different cultures have different ways of being polite and expressing politeness. There are some differences in politeness within the native-English speaking countries. There are more differences in other cultures.

Global Communication

Look at the characteristics of International English above.

Do you have a website targeting a global market?
Is it in English?
How does your English match with International English?

Would you like an analysis of your website?

To see what you need to improve your communication with a wide international audience?

Drop me an email at cindy@cindyking.biz

What you need to know about International English:

International English Guidelines

Cindy King's International Business Blog » non-native English speakers

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

Better Cross-Cultural Communication – Rephrase, Don’t Shout

Slower And Louder

The Real Problem

Reasons People Get Stuck

Rephrase Your Communication

More On How To Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication:

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

What Is International English?

Beyond Spanglish, Frenglish and Chinglish

Picking Up An International English

Smaller Vocabulary

Easy Words For Everyone To Understand

Explanations

Clarity Throughout Your Communication

Sensitivity To Different Cultures

Global Communication

More on Internationalizing Your English:

What you need to know about International English:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides