6.+Editing+for+International+Audiences

= **6.**   **Editing for International Audiences**=

**6.1 Introduction**
As you have undoubtedly heard it said, we are “going global.” What does this mean for the editor? It makes an editor’s job as project manager even more critical during needs assessment for a project. An editor should assess who the audience is – not just by job definition and other common factors, but also by where the readers are located, what culture and customs they follow, and how they will interpret what they are reading. Whether the writing project is for writing correspondence, reports, or manuals, an editor must consider the global audience.

**6.2 Culture and Communication**
Varner and Beamer (Rude p. 348) describe categories of differences in culture and how they affect communication, including: §  ways of thinking and knowing (linear and logical or dualistic); §  attitudes toward achieving and activity; §  attitudes toward nature, time, and death; §  sense of the self; and §  social organization.

As an editor, consider cultural expectations of formality (e.g., addressing a recipient by first name). Look beyond grammar and style handbooks to edit well. Learn about the customs and cultures to be effective.

**6.3.1 Globalization**
At the beginning of a project, audience analysis is an important consideration. Part of that consideration may be the native language of the audience. Globalization, also known as //internationalization//, involves making a document or product usable around the globe. To do this, a single language is used, to be understood by all – a //lingua franca//. This approach is often considered easier, cheaper, and more accurate than translation. English is often chosen as a lingua franca, but writers and editors should be aware that there are different varieties of English around the world //(e.g., from America, Great Britain, Scotland, etc.)//. Depending on the audience for the documentation, editors may tend to opt for British English. If the documentation is primarily for an American audience, that decision would most likely be to use American English. See Rude Table 20.1, p. 253 to view a pairing of American/British words and their differences.

When the approach of globalization is decided upon, an editor may decide to implement methods to help make the content easily understandable to a wide audience. This includes //terminology management//, which means that the familiar terms are used and are used consistently; and //controlled language// refers to assigning a single definition to a term. This helps alleviate ambiguity for readers. Rude suggests that language tasks for an editor engaged in globalization are to: §  create a glossary in which terms are defined, §  catalog where these terms have been used before, and §  permit only one definition per term.

**6.3.2 Localization**
Localization refers to adapting material for the local culture. This can include changing the spelling of words to match a particular variety of English. More often, this may include changing currency type, time/date format, acronyms, etc. For a list of categories for cultural editing and a checklist for localization, see Rude, pp. 356-357.

**6.4 Differences in Content, Organization, Style and Design**
When editing for international audiences, keep in mind that different cultures have different expectations for communication and documentation. Conducting proper audience analysis will help guide these decisions. The following sections discuss content, organization, style, and design parameters relevant to global audiences.

§  Focus on long-term benefits, not short-term gains §  Tendency in business to trust relationships above all, leads them to look for facts in documents and dislike overt attempts to persuade || §  Common for family-related issues to be mentioned in public relations, advertising, and documentations §  Business relationships and meetings often start with exchanges about families and personal interests || §  Interpersonal relationships and prior experiences can sometimes even trump empirical evidence §  Contextual cues can be more important than content (i.e., how someone says something may be more important that what he says) ||
 * Table 1 Content (Johnson-Sheehan p 56) **
 * **Country** || **Expectations of Content** ||
 * China || §   Fact based
 * Mexico, South America, and many African countries || §   Family and personal backgrounds are of great importance
 * Middle East || §   Arabs often put a premium on negotiations and bargaining, especially when it comes to the price of a service or product. As a result, it is crucial that all the details in documents are spelled out exactly before the two sides try to work out a deal ||
 * Asian countries || §   Reputation of writer or company is essential for establishing the credibility of the information
 * India || §   Business is often conducted in English because the nation has over a dozen major languages and hundreds of minor languages ||
 * African countries such as Tunisia and Morocco || §   Business tends to be conducted in French, even though the official language of the country is Arabic ||

§  American tendency to “get to the point” is often considered rude §  Documents rely on repititionto make their points. To North Americans, this might seem like the document is moving one step back for every two steps forward. To Arabs, American documents often seem incomplete because they lack this repetition || §  To some Asians, American documents seem abrupt, because Americans tend to bluntly highlight goals and objectives up front ||
 * Table 2 Organization (Johnson-Sheehan p 57)**
 * **Country** || **Expectations of Organization** ||
 * Arab countries || §   Documents and meetings often start with statements of appreciation and attempts to build common bonds among people
 * Asian countries || §   Often prefer to start out with contextual information about non-business issues. For example, it is common for Japanese writers to start out letters by saying something about the weather
 * India || §   The term //thank you// is considered a form of payment. So, if someone has done you a favor, you should not say thank you in the introduction or conclusion of an e-mail or letter. Saying //thank you// suggests you are paying that person for the favor ||

§  Documents and meetings should be used to build relationships and present factual information §  Strong relationships lead to good business, not the other way around || §  American reliance on “plain language” can rub against the sensibilities of Arabs, who prefer a more ornate style in formal documents || §  Mexicans especially value formality in business settings, so the use of first names and contractions in business prose can be offensive || §  Women as speakers and writers should not be too surprised when people of other cultures resist their directness ||
 * Table 3 Style (Johnson-Sheehan p 57-58)**
 * **Country** || **Expectations of style** ||
 * China || §   Overt attempts at persuasion are often seen as rude and undesirable
 * Arab countries || §   Arabic style may seem overly ornamental to North American tastes, making Arabic documents and presentations seem colorful to non-Arabs
 * Mexico and much of South America || §   Informal style often suggests a lack of respect for the project, the product, or the readers
 * Sub-Saharan Africa || §   Readers prefer a documents’ tone to stress a win-win situation. Your tone should imply that both sides will benefit from the arrangement ||
 * Native Americans || §   Some prefer the sense that everyone had input on the document. Therefore, a direct writing style or presentation will meet resistance if it is deemed to represent just one person ||
 * North America || §   Women are more direct than women in other parts of the world, including Europe. This directness often works to their advantage in other countries, because they are viewed as confident and forward thinking

§  Scan pages differently than Americans and Europeans || §  In some Asian cultures, the white flower or white dress can symbolize death. A photograph of white flowers or white clothing can signal a funeral or mourning || §  Americans often find the small margins in European texts make the documents look crowded and cramped || §  Graphs and charts that seem to have obvious meanings in your culture may be confusing to readers from other cultures. Seek someone from the reader’s culture to confirm whether the visuals will be understood ||
 * Table 4 Style (Johnson-Sheehan p 59)**
 * **Country** || **Expectations of Design** ||
 * Arabic and some Chinese countries || §   Read from right to left
 * South American and Asian cultures || §   Use of the right hand is preferred when handing items (e.g., business cards, documents, products). Therefore, pictures of drawings in documents should show people using their right hand to interact
 * Europeans || §   Find that American texts include too many graphics and use too much white space
 * Native American cultures || §   In face-to-face interaction, hand gestures should be limited and eye contact should be minimized. ||
 * General || §   Be careful of icons that show hand gestures (e.g., OK sign, pointing finger, or a peace sign with the back of the hand facing outward. These can be highly offensive in some cultures

//For more information//, refer to Rude pp. 347-366 and Johnson-Sheehan pp. 51-59.

1. Overview 2. Technical Editing 3. Working with Writers 4. Types of Editing 5. Editing Technologies and Proofreaders' Marks 6. Editing for International Audiences
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