Language from the perspective of a non-native English speaker provides insight into business communication.
Few companies direct resources toward training native speakers of English how to communicate more effectively with non-native (English as a second language, or ESL) speakers. Oftentimes, learning about cultural differences is the focus for training employees who will work abroad. For example, how to hold and present a business card in Japan: with the card facing the person to whom it is being offered and with the presenter using both hands, one thumb atop each upper corner of the card.
But our use of language itself—the strategies we use in communication, and the arrangement of words on which the success of a business deal often rests—is seldom taught to native English speakers working in international or ESL business environments. We don’t look at language from the other direction.
This is a curious fact considering how global business has become. It’s on the radar, though, at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Holly Littlefield, a senior lecturer at the school, teaches international business communication. “We look at the ways that culture impacts communications and business,” she says. “So when we talk about language, we look at cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and at how that might influence management style, business decisions, and the negotiation process.”
Littlefield tries to instill an awareness of “Americanness” in communication—that American English and presentation styles differ, sometimes greatly, from other versions of English used throughout the world. “Avoiding idiomatic expressions and cliches is a starting point,” she says. “For example, sloppy phrases like ‘gonna, coulda, woulda’ and expressions like ‘step up to the plate,’ ‘kiss of death,’ ‘a bee in her bonnet,’ or ‘batting .500’ can make communication very difficult for those who are not native English speakers.”
A bird in hand may be worth two in the bush, but it means absolutely nothing, short of brow furrowing, if one is unfamiliar with American English idioms. Americans, particularly in business, are prone to jargon and idiom. Everything is about the box or the cheese. Suddenly, we find can’t go an hour without the word “synergy.” But as Littlefield notes, international colleagues approach language from a different angle.
A FEW HELPFUL HINTS
Take stock of the complexity of your language. Simplify it where possible.
Address points directly, but do not confuse this with getting right down to business or brass tacks, or cutting to the chase. Perceptions of time vary too, and that should influence your approach to discussion. In an American context, Littlefield says, “We tend to want things to be very concise, very up front. In an international culture, they may expect the point to be drawn out more. They may expect the point to come at the end—after you’ve built your case.” Be clear but not hasty.
Try not to tangle business and personality (personal stories, humor, et cetera) within a single correspondence. Remember, the more information you give a non-native English speaker to process, the more likely it is that something will be lost in the exchange.
Speak more slowly. Don’t speak while your contact is writing or taking notes—she is usually thinking in her first language.
Chris Kelsey is a consulting editor to geosynthetica.net. He is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This article first appeared in Twin Cities Business magazine.
