Do you speak Internet? - Focus on International HR - includes related articles on use of short and plain sentences and on e-mail etiquette

HR Magazine, April, 1999 by Nancy Hatch Woodward

Internet etiquette for the global economy

The Internet has simplified and accelerated communication around the world. Businesspeople can correspond with associates in any part of the world in real time - if both parties are properly wired. If you want to correspond via e-mail, all you do is quickly type up your message online and click "send." The only thing you have to worry about is typing the other person's e-mail address correctly. Forget about sleet, snow, hail or rain, or long delays during the holiday season.

But with ease can come laziness - and, ultimately, confusion - if you and your e-mail recipient don't share the same native tongue. If your company, like so many others today, is part of the global community, then your audience consists of people from many countries who speak a myriad of languages. Are you equipped to communicate effectively with them? Do you speak international Internet?

The International Language of Business

Luckily for U.S. companies, English is the international business language.

"Honestly, in business there is a lot more understanding between people from different countries because business has tended to adopt American English vocabulary," says Nigel B. R. Reeves, professor of German, specializing in languages for overseas trade at Aston University in Birmingham, England.

Using English as a universal business language, however, is not without problems, says Reeves. "English is a threadbare language in many ways. There are very few metaphors in international English because people don't understand them. Also, people can better express themselves in their own language. So, even though they may be fairly fluent in English, that does not mean they will understand it completely."

There are easier versions of English that people can use, says Elaine Winters, a private consultant in Berkeley, Calif., and a Society for Technical Communication award-winning writer. "If you are trying to communicate in a global situation with people from all over the world, try using 'Simplified English,'" she advises. "It's an 800-word vocabulary. Just get on the internet and go to Yahoo.com or AskJeeves.com and type in 'Simplified English,' and you will get lots of resources." Another search engine to try is AltaVista.corn.

Even with an easier version of English, misunderstandings still can arise when communicating cross-culturally, warns Roger Axtell, author of the book series Do's and Taboos on international protocol.

"First, English is a very difficult language. The grammar is complicated, the vocabulary huge and pronunciation and spelling are terribly inconsistent. These difficulties can pose considerable problems when using the Internet since you are communicating by writing because, as my former boss used to tell me, the written word does not smile. What he meant was that we can include clever witticisms or sarcasm or innuendoes in the written word, but they may not be read that way.

"You even need to be careful of the tone of what you have written because someone else may not realize that you are trying to be funny or sarcastic, and they may take it literally."

The same is true when someone in the United States receives e-mail from a person whose native tongue is not English. Jeanne C. Poole, manager of international HRM benefits and systems for PQ Corp. in Valley Forge, Pa., tells the story of how she received an e-mail from one of her regional HR managers in England asking Poole to "tell of your joy on the project." Poole asked what the woman had meant by "joy" and found out it meant "luck." The HR manager wanted to know if Poole was having any luck with the project.

Netiquette

North Americans tend to be frank in their communications, and the informal, quick manner of e-mail exacerbates this tendency, according to Hans Boehm, managing director of Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Personalfuhrung (German Association for Personnel Management) in Dusseldorf. "North Americans are much more open than what we are used to in Europe, especially in Germany," he says. "Though, for me, I enjoy that difference. I also understand that they are coming from a different culture, and so, when I get on the Internet, I expect nearly everything, and I am not offended or surprised to meet strange people and strange views. I try not to overemphasize cultural differences."

One of the most common mistakes Americans make in their e-mails is to automatically address others by their first name, which is not protocol in many countries. "We automatically jump to first names in simple greetings," says Axtell. "The same is true in Iceland and Canada. But, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden, for instance, you would never address them by their first name unless invited to do so. In many Asian countries, you also use their last name, but you should know that their last name is the one they write down first. So if someone's name is Lee Kwan, the name would be Mr. Lee, not Mr. Kwan."

People in the United States also tend to immediately get to the topic at hand, especially when sending e-mails. Poole notes that Americans tend to write short e-mails and often don't use any punctuation, which can cause confusion.