Global Communication - What's Your Motivation?
Posted on Wed, Feb 17, 2010
BLOG POST BY: Keri, DTP specialist
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I've learned some things about global communication since I've been here at CTS. One of the main things--and probably my favorite thing--is that true communication takes forethought, not an afterthought. If you want to be a class-act communicator, you have to think like your target audience, explore their culture, learn how they learn, tailor your message to meet there needs. This is often called cultural adaptation. For instance, if you want to translate your company's training manual into Japanese and Spanish, you may need to make sure that the tone of your English manual will sit as well with your Japanese-speaking collegues as it does with your Spanish-speaking collegues. If not, you may wish to consider re-writing part or all of your manual using a tone your Japanese readers will respect (for something like a training manual, they would use a formal tone).
How much time you are willing to invest in global communication depends largely on your motivation. Are you translating just enough information to, say, comply with government mandates? In that case, your motivation would be pure and simple bare-minimum compliance. Or, are you at the opposite end of the spectrum where you realize that global is where it's at? You are motivated by the realization that there is a very large world out there that needs to know what you know, to be part of what you have to offer.
In our production department here at CTS LanguageLink, we can recognize projects motivated by the former and by the latter. And we would never judge--we want to translate everything for everybody. But it it a breath of fresh air to get a project where it's obvious that the client did their homework and wants to produce materials that will really reach their target audience on all levels. These are the clients we know are motivated by a genuine desire to communicate. And that motivates us to be just a little bit more excited about our jobs.
As a bit of a side note, I've been interested in this level of communication since about a year ago when one of our business partners, Dr. Andrea Edmundson, CEO of eWorldLearning, Inc., gave a presentation here. What her company does is fascinating, and I say that free of charge--this is not a plug in any way. If you are interested in learning more, her company's website is simply www.eworldlearning.com.
You stay classy, communicators.
Comments or questions? Email blog@ctslanguagelink.com
~Keri