I, and I suspect many others; tend to think of language as the biggest barrier to communicating in another language. What I found most surprising about the article was the realization that language can sometimes even be a barrier for communication since it can lead to misunderstandings as would seem easy to happen, as Patricia Hagen’s article “Teaching American Business Writing in Russia explains, between a high context and low context communication cultures.
The lack of documentation in business transactions depicted in Hagen’s experience was shocking. But it made more sense when it was explained that this was due to a fear the documentation provided no benefit and the existence of which could lead to negative future consequences.
Another surprise, which is perhaps the cause of the previous two incidences, which are symptoms of the system, is the different wavelengths of public official dialogue and private intimate dialogue and the closed walls constructed between these two worlds.
I did not find the “half-word” level of communication surprising. Body language, is an important aspect of communication, and is important in any culture or social situation.
If I were creating a flyer or letter for an international audience, I would perhaps be more direct, since from this article it seems that some cultures are okay with more direct communication. A flyer advertising a product, or a letter requesting something in the US tends to be clever, almost coy. Whereas some cultures respond better to authority directing them to some end. In the end, an flyer directed at an international audience should speak in the broadest of general terms, or be curtailed to each market in which it is directed in order to specifically address the audience in not just their own language, but in the way their language is used.
Reference
Hagen, Patricia. "Teaching American Business Writing in Russia." Journal of Business and Technical Communication12.1 (1998): 109-126. Print.
