differences in design

Even the design of documents is important when you are working with global and cross-cultural readers:

• Arabic and some Chinese scripts are read from right to left, unlike English, which is read from
left to right (Figure 2.6). As a result, Arabic and some Chinese readers tend to scan pages and images
differently than Americans or Europeans do.

• Some icons that show hand gestures—like the OK sign, a pointing finger, or a peace sign with
the back of the hand facing outward—can be highly offensive in some cultures. Imagine a document in
which a hand with the middle finger extended is used to point at things. You get the picture.

• In China, presentations are often black and white because many colors have unexpected
meanings that are negative. Yellow, for example, is typically associated with pornography. A man
shown wearing a green hat is being cheated upon.

• In many South American and Asian cultures, the use of the right hand is preferred when
handing items (e.g., business cards, documents, products) to people. There fore, pictures or drawings in
documents should show people using their right hands to interact.

• In some Asian cultures, a white flower or white dress can symbolize death. As a result, a photograph
of white flowers or white dresses can signal a funeral or mourning.

Different Ways of Scanning a Page

Figure 2.6: Readers from other cultures may

scan the page differently. The design needs to
take their preferences into account.

• Europeans find that American texts include too many graphics and use too much white space.
Americans, meanwhile, often find that the small margins in European texts make the documents look
crowded and cramped.

• Graphs and charts that seem to have obvious meanings to Americans can be baffling and
confusing to readers from other cultures. If your global document includes graphs and charts, you
should seek out someone from the readers’ culture to help you determine whether your visuals will be
understood.

• When giving presentations in some Native American cultures, hand gestures should be limited and
eye contact should be minimized. Ironically, this advice is exactly the opposite of what most public
speaking coaches suggest for non-Native audiences.
listen and learn: The key to Global and Transcultural Communication

With all these differences in content, organization, style, and design, how can you possibly write for
global or transcultural readers? Here are four helpful strategies:

LISTEN CAREFULLY: Careful listening is avalued skill in all cultures, and you will learn a great amount by
simply paying attention to what your readers expect the document to include and how it should look.

BE POLITE : Politeness in one culture tends to translate well into other cultures. For example, words like
please and thank you are viewed as polite in workplace settings. Even in places where words like
“thank you” have different nuances, such as India, the receiver will understand that you are trying to
be polite. Smiles and a friendly tone are almost always welcome. There are subtle differences in how
these words and gestures are used in other cultures, but your readers will understand that you are
trying to be polite.

RESEARCH THE TARGET CULTURE Use the Internet to do some research into your readers’ cultural
expectations for technical documents. On the Internet or at your workplace, you might also find some
model texts from the readers’ culture. Use them to help guide your decisions about content,
organization, style, and design.

AVOID HUMOR Jokes, funny stories, and wordplay rarely translate well across cultures, and they can
often be interpreted as offensive. Even if you are a naturally funny person in your own culture, chances
are good your attempts at humor will offend or confuse people from other cultures.

TALK TO YOUR COLLEAGIES You may also seek out co-workers or colleagues who are from the target
culture or who have lived there. You can ask them about conventions that might make your document
or presentation more effective. They can also help you avoid doing anything awkward or offensive.
Overall, when you are communicating with global readers or people from different cultures, be
observant and listen to what they tell you. Do some research into their expectations, and be ready to
learn from your mistakes.