跨文化商务沟通英文版教学课件第7章

1、Chapter 7 Written Communication PatternsChapter 7 Written CommunicatiWritten Communication PatternsInternational EnglishWriting Tone and StyleLetter FormatsFacsimiles (Fax)Electronic Mail (E-mail)Rsum and Job Search InformationWritten Communication PatternsWhat percent of outgoing international corr

2、espondence is sent in English?97% in English1% in French, German, and Spanish Percentages for incoming correspondence96% in English4% in French, German, and SpanishWhat percent of outgoing interWhat are lexical errors?Content errors; errors in meaning.Examples of lexical errors:We baste (based) this

3、 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.What are lexical errors?ContenThe results will be worth the weight (wait).Since you plan to visit an ant (aunt) in N

4、ew York, perhaps we could meet at your convenience.According to the senses (census), the number of exported trucks has declined in the last decade.The results will be worth the What are syntactic errors?Errors in the order of the words in a sentence. Native speakers of a language will discover synta

5、ctic errors in a sentence more readily than lexical errors. In Spanish, for example, the noun is given first, then adjectives follow. Example: Paseo del Rio (River Walk)What are syntactic errors?Know Your ReaderIn spite of all the trade between the United States and the Far East, Americans fail to s

6、tudy 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 do not like this personal touch. They believe that writ

7、ers should refer to their company: “Would your company be interested in this plan?” Not: “Would you be interested in this plan?”Know Your ReaderIn spite of alInternational EnglishUse the 3,000 to 4,000 most common English words. Uncommon words, such as onus for burden and flux for continual change,

8、should be avoided.Use only the most common meaning of words. The word high has 20 meanings; expensive has one. Choose words with singular rather than multiple meanings.International EnglishUse the 3Select action-specific verbs and words with few or similar alternate meanings. Use cook breakfast rath

9、er 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).Select action-specific verbs aAvoid using words in other than their most common way, such as making verbs out of

10、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.Avoid using words in other thaBe aware of alternate spellings in countries that use the

11、 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.Be aware of alternate spellingUse the formal tone and maximum punctuation to assure clarity; use no first names in letter salu

12、tations.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.Use the formal tone and maximuClarify the meaning of words with more than one meaning.Adapt the tone of

13、the letter to the reader if the cultural background is known; e.g., use unconditional apologies if that is expected in the readers culture.Try to capture the flavor of the language when writing to someone whose cultural background you know.Clarify the meaning of words wRemember also:To avoid acronym

14、s (ASAP), emoticons (), and “shorthand” (4 representing for).That numbers are written differently in some countries; for example, 3,000 may be written as 3.000 or 3000.Remember also:Tone and Writing StyleTone and writing style are more formal and traditional in other countries than in U.S. companies

15、.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.Tone and Writing StyleTone anIn the U.S.:End negative letters on a positive note.Avoid apologies.In France:Use formal beginnings and endings; endi

16、ngs 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 is a positive manner.In the U.S.:Letter FormatsPreferred styles in the U.S. are Blocked and Modified Blocked with standard or open p

17、unctuation.The French use the indented style; they place the name of the originating city before the date.The 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

18、line.Letter FormatsPreferred stylesThe 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

19、 May 2.The street name comes after thSalutations 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

20、 a traditional format beginning with the salutation followed by a comment about the season/weather; then comes a remark about a gift, kindness, or patronage; they close with best wishes for the receivers health or prosperity.Salutations and closings are mExamples of Japanese Seasonal GreetingsMarch:

21、- 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.Examples of Japanese SeasonalHow an address is written shows the relationsh

22、ip:In Asian cultures, the family is the basic unit and society as a whole is the larger family:JAPAN, TokyoHachioji-shi168-46 Shimoyuki47-25 NanyodaiNakamura, YokoIn the West, the individual is most important and the self is the key:Mr. John R. Smith2350 Walnut RoadMemphis, TN 38152U.S.A.How an addr

23、ess is written showFacsimiles (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.Facsimiles (FAX)Fax may be morInternatio

24、nal Electronic Mail (E-Mail)Use a memorandum format; no inside address.Observe proper e-mail courtesy, including addressing the receiver by name in the opening sentence.In your introductory e-mail, include some phrases such as “hello” in the customers language.International Electronic Mail Internati

25、onal E-mailBe positive, cheerful, and honest; avoid humor.Avoid dwelling on cultural differences.Use short, simple sentences; avoid abbreviations, contractions, possessives, slang, jargon, or idioms; show humility; be deferential. International E-mailBe positivInternational E-mailDo not ask question

26、s starting with the word “why”; such questions require that readers defend their positions.Be generous with compliments.Do not express anger. If you make a mistake, apologize (even when you may feel you are not at fault). Do not assign blame.International E-mailDo not askRsum and Job Search Informat

27、ion U.S. and GermanyIn the U.S., a one- to tworsum is preferred; include personal information, job objective, educational background, work experience, references, and a cover letter. Exclude age, religion, gender, marital status, or a photo.In Germany, rsums are 20-30 pages including: copies of dipl

28、omas, photo, employment verification, names of parents, family, religious affiliation, financial obligations, and professional activities.Rsum and Job Search InformatFrance and the UKIn France, the rsum includes: a cover letter, photograph, family information, age, hobbies and foreign language expertise. Age discrimination is common and legal.In the United Kingdom, the r