Transcript Chapter 5: Written Communication Patterns

Chapter 8:
Written Communication
Patterns
Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
Written Communication Patterns
International English
 Writing Tone and Style
 Letter Formats
 Facsimiles (Fax)
 Electronic Mail (E-mail)
 Résumé and Job Search Information

Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
What percent of outgoing international
correspondence is sent in English?
 97%
 1%
in French, German, and
Spanish
(Percentages for incoming
correspondence are similar.)
What are lexical errors?

Content errors; errors in meaning
Examples of lexical errors:
 We baste (based) this conclusion on our
research.
 Thank you for your patients (patience).
 Our office will be closed on this wholey (holy)
day.
 With your aide (aid), we will soon have our
office fully staffed.
Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
The results will be worth the weight
(wait).
 Since you plan to visit an ant (aunt) in
New York, perhaps we could meet at
your convenience.
 According to the senses (census), the
number of exported trucks has
declined in the last decade.

Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
What are syntactic errors?
Errors in the order of the words in a
sentence.
 Native speakers of a language will
discover syntactic errors in a
sentence more readily than lexical
errors.

– In Spanish, the noun is given first, then
adjectives follow. Example: Paseo del
Rio (River Walk)
Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
Know Your Reader
Despite all the trade between the U.S. and the Far
East, Americans fail to study even common Asian
customs and business practices.
Consider one of the most popular words in the
English language - you. U.S. people try to
personalize writing by taking the “you approach.”
But in some other countries, such as Japan, people
don’t like this personal touch. They believe that
writers should refer to their company: “Would your
company be interested in this plan?” Not: “Would
you be interested in this plan?”
DeVries, Internationally Yours
International English
Use the 3,000 to 4,000 most common
English words. Uncommon words, such
as onus for burden and flux for continual
change, should be avoided.
 Use only the most common meaning of
words. The word high has 20
meanings; the word expensive has one.
 Choose words with singular rather than
multiple meanings.

Riddle & Lanham

Select action-specific verbs and words with few
or similar alternate meanings. Use cook
breakfast rather than make breakfast; use take
a taxi rather than get a taxi.

Avoid redundancies (interoffice memorandum),
sports terms (ballpark figure), and words that
draw mental pictures (red tape).
Riddle & Lanham

Avoid using words in other than their most
common way, such as making verbs out of
nouns (impacting the economy and faxing a
message).

Be aware of words that have a unique meaning
in some cultures; the word check outside the
U.S. generally means a financial instrument
and is often spelled cheque.
Riddle & Lanham
Be aware of alternate spellings in
countries that use the same language
- e.g., theatre/theater, colour/color, and
judgement/judgment.
 Avoid creating or using new words;
avoid slang.
 Avoid two-word verbs, such as to pick
up; use lift.

Riddle & Lanham
Use formal tone and maximum
punctuation to assure clarity; do not use
first names in letter salutations.
 Conform carefully to rules of grammar;
be careful of dangling participles and
incomplete sentences.
 Use more short, simple sentences than
you would ordinarily use; avoid
compound sentences.

Riddle & Lanham
Clarify the meaning of words with more
than one meaning.
 Adapt the tone of the letter to the reader if
the cultural background is known
- e.g., use unconditional apologies if that
is expected in the reader’s culture.
 Capture the flavor of the language when
writing to someone whose cultural
background you know.

Riddle & Lanham
Remember also:
 Avoid acronyms (ASAP), emoticons
(), and “shorthand” (4 representing
for).
 Numbers are written differently in some
countries
- e.g.: 3,000 may be written as 3.000 or
3000.
Intercultural Business Communication, 3rd ed., Chaney & Martin
Tone and Writing Style
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Tone and writing style are more formal and
traditional in other countries than in U.S.
companies.
Good news messages in the U.S. use the
direct approach.
In the U.S. bad news messages use the
indirect approach.
Latin Americans avoid bad news completely.
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In the U.S.:
– End negative letters on a positive note.
– Avoid apologies.
In France:
– Use formal beginnings and endings; endings
tend to be flowery.
– Apologize for mistakes and express regret for
any inconvenience caused.
In Japan:
– Begin letters with a comment on the season.
– Present negative news in a positive manner.
Letter Formats
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Preferred styles in the U.S. are Blocked and
Modified Blocked with standard or open
punctuation.
The French use the indented style; they
place the name of the originating city before
the date.
Format of the inside address varies. In the
U.S. the title and full name are placed on the
first line, while in Germany the title (Herr) is
on the first line and the full name on the
second line.
The street name comes after the
number in the U.S. but before the street
number in Germany, Mexico, and South
America.
 Dates are written differently also. In the
U.S. dates are written month/day/year
(May 5, 2---); in other cultures, they may
use the 5th of May, 2--- or 5 May 2---.
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Salutations and closings are more formal in
many other countries.
– Salutations for German letters would be the
English equivalent of Very Honored Mrs. Jones;
complimentary closings would often be the
English equivalent of Very respectfully yours.

The Japanese have a traditional format:
1. Begins with salutation followed by comment
about season/weather
2. A remark about a gift, kindness, or patronage
3. Closes with best wishes for receiver's health or
prosperity.
Examples of Japanese
Seasonal Greetings
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March:
- Spring has just begun, but the cold winds of
winter are still with us.
June:
- Rice paddy fields are ready to be planted.
August:
- Indian summer is still around this week.
November:
- The tree on the boulevard is bare of leaves.
Tsuji
How an address is written
shows the relationship:
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In Asian cultures,
the family is the
basic unit and
society as a whole is
the larger family:
JAPAN, Tokyo
Hachioji-shi
168-46 Shimoyuki
47-25 Nanyodai
Nakamura, Yoko

In the West, the
individual is most
important and the
self is the key:
Mr. John R. Smith
2350 Walnut Road
Memphis, TN
38152
U.S.A.
Facsimiles (FAX)
Fax may be more dependable
than the mail in many cultures.
 Fax would be written as you
would write a letter.
 Use a transmittal sheet so the
operator knows to whom the
FAX is directed, the sender, and
the total number of pages.

Exercises
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Modify a bad-news letter so it will be
effective for a reader who is Japanese,
French, Spanish, or German.
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Write a letter in English to someone who
speaks English as a second language
following the International English
Guidelines.
Electronic Mail (E-Mail)
Use a memorandum format; no inside
address.
 Observe proper e-mail courtesy
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– E.g.: Address the receiver by name in the
opening sentence.
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Keep messages concise and brief
(maximum of two screens).
Format for E-Mail
Headings
XX: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
XXXX: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
XXXXXXX: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
XX:
XXX:
XXXXXXXX:
Salutation
xxxxxxxxxxxx:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The
Message
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx,
Signature
Block
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Complimentary
Close
Résumé and Job Search Information
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In the U.S., a 1- to 2-page résumé is
preferred
– Includes personal information, job objective,
educational background, work experience,
references, and cover letter. Excludes age,
religion, gender, marital status, or a photo.

In Germany, résumés are 20-30 pages
– Includes: copies of diplomas, photo,
employment verification, names of parents,
family, religious affiliation, financial obligations,
and professional activities.
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In France, the résumé includes: a cover
letter, photograph, family information, age,
hobbies and foreign language expertise.
– Age discrimination is common and legal.
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Résumés in China contain personal
information: age, gender, and marital status.
In England, the résumé is 1 or 2 pages
– Excludes photo, family information, military service,
or any other personal information.
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In Spain, the résumé is 2 pages in
letter form
– Includes: chronology of experience,
military service, education, family
information, professions of parents,
clubs, and professional objective;
picture is acceptable.
Exercises

Prepare a resume to be sent to a
multinational company applying for an
overseas assignment in a country of your
choice.
True or False?
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Native speakers of a language will discover
lexical errors more easily than syntactic
errors.

The writing style of U.S. letters is more formal
than that of most foreign correspondents.
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The use of a buffer in bad-news messages is
typical of the writing style of Latin Americans.
The Japanese try to present negative
news in a positive manner.
 Ending messages on a positive note is
important in both U.S. and French
letters.
 The indented letter style for business
letters is used by the French.
 Salutations of German letters are more
formal than in the U.S.

The Japanese traditionally begin letters
with comments about the season or
weather.
 Résumés submitted to a German firm
would typically be longer than those
submitted to a U.S. firm.
 Spanish résumés are typically in letter
form.
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