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Rex Erwin Dr. Wright ENC 3453 15 February 2013 Global Communication: An Examination Into Cultures We all know that over the last several decades we have become a global community. At the same time, how we can communicate has changed. These changes in community and communication have drastically changed how we interact with people from other cultures. The world is smaller and the information we receive gets to us faster than ever. For example, when we had pen pals in elementary school we had to write a letter, have our teacher or parent send it out for us, then the letter had to cross the world, and finally our pen pal had to repeat the same process. Communication between us and our pen pals as children would take weeks. However, a pair of pen pals from two different parts of the world can now talk to each other face to face through the internet in real time. Part of our job as a technical communicator is to bridge ideas from a source or an employer and express those ideas for a client. We also know that we sometimes we communicate with clients from all over the world and that there are added variables in the communication process when we deal with other cultures. A common variable we deal with in global communication is that words in one culture may take on a different than the one we have assigned for it in the United States. We naturally preside with caution when we see another language because we know that often it can lead to an awkward

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situation with a client or even permanently damage that relationship. However, we often neglect other details of the culture besides the language. There is much more that goes into a culture than just the language and recognizing these differences can go a long way in gaining an understanding of different cultures. Its interesting that we have become a more global society, but our understanding of other cultures still isnt as strong as what it needs to be. As technical communicators, to complete a project or to communicate to a peer from a country like Brazil, it probably is not necessary to understand the ins and outs of Brazils economic relationship with Iran, but it would be wise to understand what someone from that country values. In fact, I would be willing to bet that you couldnt tell me 5 things about Brazil, outside of the world famous Rio Carnival and that theyre going host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. I bet you didnt know that Brazil has 89 million citizens with internet access, they are also the 7th largest economy in the world, and they are still one of the fastest growing economies in the world (Internet World Stats). These are just some tidbits of information that can give you insight into a culture. Another question we can ask is if country a monochronic society or a polychronic society? What I mean is what sort of value does a culture place on use of time. In the United States we take more of a monochromic approach to our time. We believe in an arranged set of times and dates and we normally adhere to the guidelines set for us. We are often given a certain amount of time to finish the assignment given to us and when the time given to us is up, we move on to the next task.

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Brazil is a polychromic culture. They operate less on assigned times for tasks and are more concerned with who you are as individual. They want to get to know about you and your family. Its important that they trust you before they do business with the company that you work for (Victor). So, a Brazilian is most likely going to focus on the task at hand and use all of the time necessary to complete the job, instead going by a strict time frame. When we create technical documents, it is important to consider all of this because a straightforward and non-personal style could be in bad taste to someone from Brazil or another polychromic society. When we design a document for a client or user from Brazil, we need to do our best to help our counterpart understand more about who we are as an individual. This can help build trust and help foster a strong relationship. Part of building this strong relationship knows what sort of language to use when we deal with another culture. A country like Germany expects a certain sense of formality and directness in their communication. When we communicate over an email with a German peer, we want refer to them by their title, instead of their first name. There also is not very much small talk involved in communication with a country like Germany. Their formality and directness is actually more apparent than what we often see in the United States and even the UK. This can give off humorless vibe, but we have to understand that this is just how they do their business and communication. It is not a reflection of who they are as a culture or people.

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On the other hand, as mentioned previously in Brazil if we are communicating in person or using a computer it is a little less formal. Its important to know that when we greet someone that it is more common to use their first name instead of their last name. However, as in the case with German culture, do not make assumptions about the Brazilian culture or any other culture just based on your communications. Just because a culture appears to be more laid back, it does not mean that you can get lazy in your work. This would more than likely offend your counterpart and harm the relationship that is being built. It is also important to understand that your counterpart is also making changes in the way they communicate to help you out and because of that it is important to give our best efforts. As technical communicators it is also important to understand the laws of other countries. Its important to know if a country like China, who is now becoming a more attractive business partner for the world, has strong intellectual rights laws. It turns out that China happens to have weak intellectual rights laws and whatever document you may create can be used in ways that you never intended (The Economist). If you have this knowledge beforehand, you can use enough caution in your communication to prevent yourself and the company you work for from being at risk to having your intellectual rights violated. The importance of understanding other cultures is going to become more important over the years to come. It is our role as technical communicators to have a role in the global community. It may not be necessary to become an expert in every culture you come in contact with, but it is important to have at least an understanding of the differences in your culture and someone elses culture.

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Works Cited German Business Etiquette Tips. Foreign Translations. n.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013 Intellectual Property In Brazil: Owning Ideas. The Economist. 3 Nov. 1012. Print. 19 Feb. 2013 Brazil Internet Stats and Telecom Market Report. Internet World Stats. Miniwatts Marketing Group. 26 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. Victor, David Brazil, Doing Business In. Reference For Business: Encyclopedia For Business, 2nd Edition. Advameg, Inc . n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.