Developing a Resource for Multinational Writing at Xerox Corporation    

Documentation and training developers at Xerox Corporation have been creating materials for worldwide distribution for many years. MC&SE - the Multinational Customer and Service Education organization - has included a translation department since 1978. A system of writing for both machine and manual translation had been in place since then. The supporting materials for this writing system had become scattered and, in some cases, obsolete. When MC&SE created an Employee Development System, two skills that pertain to global communication were identified: 'Writing for Translatability' and 'Global Design'. Many of the resources that had been used in support of multinational document creation were pertinent to the development of these skills. The article describes the development of an updated set of training aids to assist authors in developing their global communication competency.

Adams, Ann H., Gail W. Austin and Melissa Taylor. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Writing>International

Do Technical Writers Need an International Standard for English-Language Spelling?

He demonstrates how ministers of state who speak different languages often choose English as the most convenient language of communication. He cites the 11-nation European Central Bank in Frankfurt as a typical organization that works only in English. And he notes that many of the journals published by respected international organizations such as the Pasteur Institute also are published in English. TC-Forum is another example.

Blicq, Ronald S. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Style Guides>International>Technical Writing

Going Global: The Challenges of Writing for International Audiences  

Because of strong global markets for software and its documentation, information is often translated into several different languages, and read by users worldwide. Writers who create source information in English now face the challenge of communicating to a global audience. These writers must reconsider the following: defining their audience, controlling their terminology and style, creating text for graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and creating examples and scenarios for use in conceptual and instructional material.

Heximer, Erin and Lisa Wu. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Writing>International

Guidelines for Writing English-Language Technical Documentation

In 1999 the member societies of INTECOM recognized there was a need to help technical writers in all countries who have to write English-language technical documentation for products that will be sold worldwide. If they are writing for an audience solely in the UK, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, then British style is appropriate. Similarly, if they are writing for an audience solely in North and South America, the Philippines, and many Asian countries, then US style is appropriate. But if they have to write a single set of documentation for use in all countries, then a difficult decision has to be made.

Intecom (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>International

Guidelines for Writing Technical Documentation for an International Audience  

A guide to help technical writers in all countries who have to write English-language technical documentation for products that will be sold worldwide.

tekom (2003). Articles>Documentation>International>Technical Writing

Humor, Credibility, and International Online Exchanges  

St. Amant examines the problematic effects of humor on international online communication.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>International

Is "Intercultural" Communication a Moot Point?  

Good writing is good writing in any language, and focusing on the quality of the writing in your own language is a great start to any communication with people from other cultures.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2007). Articles>Writing>Communication>International

Paragraphing in International English: How Cultural Predispositions Affect Writers' Structure and Readers' Expectations  

Writing in English, people are apt to impose the paragraph structures of their native language, much as they impose their native syntax upon English. This panel enlists the audience in viewing empirically how paragraphs written in English by both native and nonnative speakers reflect predispositions from their own cultures. The aim is to answer some practical questions for international communicators.

Campbell, Charles P., Jan M. Ulijn and Nicole van Beeck. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Writing>International

Reaching Global Audiences: Doing More with Less  

Discusses several low-budget techniques for preparing material for a global market.

Bailie, Rahel Anne and Jerome Ryckborst. Intercom (2002). Articles>Writing>International

Technology Transfer and the Intercultural Communicator  

For effective intercultural communication, technical writers and editors need to analyze documents for tone. Tone often reflects an ethnocentric attitude which can undermine intercultural communication. Through a reconceptualization of technology transfer, applied anthropology provides a means for eliminating an ethnocentric attitude. Technology transfer, viewed as an interactive negotiable process, suggests questions which may serve as a heuristic for evaluating tone in intercultural communication.

Perkins, Jane. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>International>Technical Writing

World English: Communicating with International Audiences

English is now firmly established as the lingua franca of the global economy. As native English speakers interact more with non-native speakers in this globalized context, a framework called World English can help both parties understand each other better.

Perlman, Alan M. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Writing>International

World English: How to Communicate with an International Audience

World English is the result of applying a set of writing and editing principles to create a simplified, highly-intelligible international dialect. The principle is similar to that of Basic English, which was developed by linguists during World War II. While Basic English had only 800 words, you could really say a lot of things with it. The number of situations where misinterpretation can take place is practically infinite. But a fairly small number of writing and editing principles will cover a very large number of cases and considerably reduce the burden on the non-native reader and listener.

Perlman, Alan M. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Writing>International>Language

Writing Across the Curriculum in International Contexts: An Introduction    

As is the case with the first-year composition class, we tend to think of WAC programs as an exclusively U.S. phenomenon, or at least a North American phenomenon.

McLeod, Susan H. LLAD (2001). Articles>Education>Writing Across the Curriculum>International

Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How You Say It

Basic miscommunication can litter the path to understanding—and worse. You may recall that a few years ago the Mars Climate Orbiter failed to achieve the correct altitude for its orbit of Mars, and was destroyed by atmospheric pressure—all due to a little misunderstanding. It seems that some crucial data had been calculated in English units, while the navigation team had expected to receive metric units and used the data that way.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>International

Writing to a Global Audience  

Writers and communicators responsible for conveying information to global audiences must take extreme care when developing communiqués. To ensure that messages are conveyed in a sensitive fashion, all communicators and writers must be aware of the cultural and social contexts in which information is received. Thus, it is important that writers and communicators take appropriate steps to fully understand the standards and conventions used by a particular audience outside the United States, and become familiar with the societal, cultural and belief systems of a target group before the distribution of communication materials.

Erwin, Gary J. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Writing>International

Language is Critical to Usability

Did you catch usability guru and world traveler Jakob Nielsen's latest Alertbox, "American English vs. British English for Web Content?" It's a good reminder that language and the use of language to communicate is not always as easy as we may think, especially if we are writing (or conducting usability evaluations) for clients in other countries.

Tomlin, Craig. Useful Usability (2008). Articles>Usability>Writing>International

American English vs. British English for Web Content

Users pay attention to details in a site's writing style, and they'll notice if you use the wrong variant of the English language.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2008). Articles>Usability>Writing>International

Avoid Culturally Specific References

One of the tenets of good technical communication is to avoid culturally specific references, especially if your material is to be translated into other languages. But what’s a culturally specific reference? In simple terms, it’s a word or phrase that has meaning for members of a cultural group, but has limited meaning, no meaning, or some other meaning for people outside that group.

CyberText Consulting (2009). Articles>Writing>International>Technical Writing

Introducing Heuristics of Cultural Dimensions into the Service-Level Technical Communication Classroom    

A significant problem for practitioners of technical communication is to gain the skills to compete in a global, multicultural work environment. Instructors of technical communication can provide future practitioners with the tools to compete and excel in this global environment by introducing heuristics of cultural dimensions into the service-level classroom. By practicing how to use these heuristics in "real-world" contexts, instructors can prepare students to function as both information architects and symbolic-analytic operators within this global work environment. In this article, I first examine common cultural heuristics as they pertain to business communication. Next, I articulate how technical communicators can benefit from incorporating these heuristics into the classroom. Finally, I offer a pedagogical approach to introducing heuristics of cultural dimensions into the service-level technical communication classroom.

Schafer, Robert. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2009). Articles>Education>Technical Writing>International