Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences

Presented by: Lucas Horn

A Global World

• Live in a global market– Television – Japan– Furniture – Sweden– Chocolate – Germany– Telephone – Malaysia

• Wide range of customers in the technical writing world– Ethical and cultural implications

Teach Cultural Awareness?

• Global readers can access and use documents

• Documents serve as tools to sell products

• Awareness of ethical implications– Reflects social and cultural values

The Universal Standard

• The idea of a “Universal Standard” is a myth!– Visuals images

• Colors• Layout of text

• Ikea– Attempeted but failed

English as Global Language

• 402 million native English speakers– Globally: 600 million speakers as second

language

• Main language of books, newspapers, airports, science, technology– 2 out of every 3 scientists speak English

Downside of English Dominance

• Portrays English as being superior language

• Force people to compromise own language and customs– Sacrifice of own language

• Ethical dilemmas and power struggles– Need to teach and bring awareness

Strive for Clarity

• Use of common words and phrases– Remove: Latin origin words

• “Accomplish” and “Utilize”

– Replace with: Germanic words• “Fill in” and “Put off”

• Use of “Plain English”

“Plain English” is Not Clear

• Use of Plain English is not always clear– Unfamiliar idioms

• Some speakers preferred Latinate words

Globalization of Awareness

• Intercultural communications is a necessity– No longer assume everyone knows English

• “We-are-the-world Syndrome

• Other languages are on the rise– Mandarin

Localization

• Individually address a multicultural audience– Microsoft

• Write towards a specific community

• New technique used more recently

Translation

• Adapt to different discourses in terms of a translatable document– Word selection

• Avoid metaphors

– Provide contextual information

• Help prevent cultural hegemony

Dangers of Localization

• What constitutes a culture?

• Excessive generalization can cause stereotyping

• Can instill hierarchy of language

• Expensive and time consuming

Conclusion

• Technical writers need to be trained in intercultural communication

• Learn how to use different writing styles

• Ethically decide which style is appropriate

• Be aware of one’s surroundings

Works Cited

• Heitzman, Lisa. "Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences." Orange: A Student Journal of Technical Communication (2005): 10. Web. 23 Nov 2010. <http://orange.eserver.org/issues/6-4/heitzman.html>.