EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

ALBERS
ENGL 6715

Thinking Globally
Communicating Locally
Globalization and the Future of Technical
Communications
Melissa Lamaffar
12/12/2014

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

Introduction
Globalization within technical communications is inevitable due to the explosion in international trade
coupled with the rise in transnational corporations and growing potential for legal culpability on an
international scale. In 1960, the total value of imports and exports in the US equaled $48.72 billion
dollars, by 2013 that value had grown to $5,036.78 billion dollars, in the course of a little over 50 years
the value grew $4,988.4 billion dollars (US Census Bureau, n.d.). Even unadjusted that is a phenomenal
amount of growth in a relatively short period of time. After adjusting for inflation, the value of imports
and exports in 1960 would still only have tallied $380.48 billion in terms dollars in 2013.

Now, due to the Internet and various other forms of communication technology, we have entered an
era in which interactivity, communication, collaboration and the transfer of products and services takes
place instantaneously. Consequently, as the use of such technologies increases globally, the value of
trade and rate of globalization should only speed up further. Along with globalization and increased
trade in services and consumables we will see a growing need for competent technical communication.
A common, assumption has been that technical documents need only be translated into the appropriate
language to be effective. However, this assumption is far from the truth, and fails to address the basic
needs of the global audience, as well as neglecting the ethical and legal obligations on the part of the
writer. In order to successfully communicate on a global scale, technical communicators must be aware
of the expectations and norms of various cultures and seek to build relationships with our international
counterparts.

The Changing Face of Technical Communications

Globalization has become a highly disputed term with many different and often ideologically charged
meanings. The term itself is often defined by multiple perceptions, including economic, ideological,

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

cultural, or political perspectives (Starke-Meyerring, Duin & Palvetzian 2007). However, regardless of
perspective, it has been characterized by a sweeping shift in the means of production, as goods and
services are no longer necessarily consumed where they are produced. With this shift in production and
consumption, the need for culturally relevant communication is more important than ever. For
technical communicators must seek not only to address the needs of a localized audience, but the needs
of global audiences as well. To collaborate with colleagues on an international scope, it is necessary to
appreciate the varied social, business and communication cultures which exist and have varying
expectations in discourse. In order to communicate successfully with people in other cultures, we must
be aware of these expectations, and seek with purpose, ways in which to build and maintain
intercultural relationships.

Modern American society has a clearly stated preference for linear, analytic documentation, however
this preference is not necessarily translatable on an international level nor would it necessarily be
considered good documentation in another culture (Barnum & Li, 2006). Furthermore, it is important
to note how culture strongly affects how different individuals may view and understand the same
document. In order to be effective technical communicator, it is necessary to engage in comprehensive
research about the cultures with whom we communicate and collaborate. Making assumptions that
other cultures approach documents in the same way as those in the West is nave and potentially
dangerous to both clients and the reputations of technical communicators.

One of the ways in which cultures differ that can affect their preferences in technical communication, is
whether the culture is considered to be high-context or low-context. Low-context cultures, such as the
United States, tend to prefer direct, linear discourse, whereas high-context cultures, such as Mexico and
China prefer digressive, indirect rhetorical styles over more direct styles (Barnum & Li, 2006). As Hayoe
stated in 2006, a report prepared in the style for a low-context culture would be considered blunt, or

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

even rude to an individual from a high context culture, as documents often have other purposes then
simply transmitting information about a project. Rather documents are often written to establish and
strengthen personal and business relationships between the writer and his audience. People who live in
high context cultures such as India, China and Mexico, tend to not only have a more uniform world view,
but also to share overarching attitudes, feelings, and values. Consequently, communicators in high
context cultures do not need to provide a great deal of background information, nor do they need to
provide explicit details as is required by those living in low context societies.

Another factor which affects the development of documentation in technical communications is the
concept of communication responsibility. In the US it is assumed that the writer bears responsibility to
convey the information in a manner that best suits the needs of his/her audience. However, in a culture
such as China, the expectation is that the reader is supposed to read every word of any document
considered important. Failure to do so is considered a moral and ethical failure on the part of the
reader. Consequently, Chinese technical communicators often do not take into account that the reader
may not read the document in its entirety, nor do they tend to make use of page element designs, as the
concept of writing with the audience in mind is unfamiliar to those writing technical documents.

Intercultural Collaboration
While globalization is often seen as inescapable fact in modern life, it has become readily apparent that
one possible consequence is that technical communication jobs can also be outsourced. However,
rather than view our international counterparts as rivals we should view them as collaborators in the
technical communication discipline and seek to connect them. By using the knowledge and skills that
international collaborators have technical communicators can work to improve the discipline as a whole,
as well as improve own their skill sets and base of knowledge. Further it is important to note that
technical communicators participate in the global society not only as members of their professions and

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

their communities, but increasingly as employees of transnational corporations. Transnational

Corporations, especially in the service industries, have grown both in numbers and in economic power;
allowing some to have larger economies than most countries. (Starke-Meyerring, Duin, Palvetzian
2007). As a result, they exist as important members of many local communities around the world,
actions taken by these corporations must occur with great forethought as the potential ramifications
can have lasting consequences within that society. And the work completed by the technical
communicators within these corporations must strive to meet the needs and expectations numerous
societies.

In collaborating with their increasingly diverse colleagues, technical communicators must be

able to build shared virtual team spaces, exploring and weaving together a diverse range of local
cultural, linguistic, organizational, and professional contexts in ways that allow for developing
trusting relationships and for sharing knowledge across multiple boundaries (Starke-Meyerring,
Duin & Palvetzian 2007, p142).

Traditional Communication Issues

Managers have traditionally commonly assumed that to overcome intercultural communication issues, it
is only necessary to use basic linguistic code properly. However this is a simplification of true issues and
while localization in formatting technical documents may result in nothing more than surface level
changes, it also may require more substantive changes to the types of examples, graphics, choice of
colors, expressions, analogies, used within the document. In attempting to create usable documents
some companies have taken steps to internationalize their documentation by establishing guidelines for
content creation that result in the absence of country or culture-specific references, eliminating the
need for localization efforts. Other companies, have resorted to wordless manuals to save money,

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

utilizing graphics as a means of instructing their audience. However, these types of steps are not
necessarily a remedy for cultural linguistic differences. Even within countries with a common language,
differences can arise in how a phrase or word is understood.

With the indiscriminate use of language, failure is almost an inevitability. In Zhus 2010 article on Cross
Cultural Blunders he noted that the use of false friends or words or expressions which have the same
form in two or more languages but convey different meanings can have disastrous consequences. As
Zhu cited in the article, take for example a word such as preservative (English), preservative
(French), Prservativ (German), prezervativ (Czech), preservative (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese),
and prezerwatywa (Polish). While all are derived from the Latin word praeseruatiuum, in every
other language but English the meaning of the word has become condom. However false-friends can be
found even within the same language. In the US the term table the motion means to not discuss the
item, within Great Britain it is the opposite and actually means to bring the item up for discussion. In
these previously discussed examples we find that technical communicators or translators who serve
across-cultural audience need to focus their attention not only on the words themselves, but on the
particular meanings within the relevant culture.

Ethical and Legal Factors

Technical communicators in completing research on an international scope need to be aware of laws,

regulations, and practices, not only in their own work, but in awareness of the potential risk they are
placing on those that they are interacting with. Communication content that may be permitted in one
country, may be prohibited in another. Technical communicators and by extension corporations
themselves must be aware of these limitations and operate within the boundaries of the scope of the
law. As an example, Google, in order to operate in China, must work within Chinese law in regards to
censorship. In response to criticism regarding Googles compliance with censorship bodies, Googles

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

CEO Eric Schmidt stated "I think it's arrogant for us to walk into a country where we are just beginning to
operate and tell that country how to operate." (Wired, 2006). To violate the laws and norms of those
societies, we may not only cause harm to ourselves or our client, but to our international collaborators.
While it may be readily apparent that Chinese and American censorship laws may vary greatly, other
legal differences amongst various cultures may not be so readily apparent. Even in countries with
shared cultural traditions such as the European Union, the United States, and Canada, differing
traditions exist in regards to areas such as privacy protection. In the US, privacy protection is essentially
liberty protection, i.e., protection from government, however for Europeans, privacy protects dignity or
their public image. Regardless of how privacy protection is viewed, it is an ethical duty for technical
communicators to ensure the security and privacy of information. For amongst the tenets of the Code
of Ethics of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, technical communicators are expected to
protect the security, confidentiality and privacy of information that they are entrusted with (ATTW, n.d).

When technical writers create documentation that meets the needs of international consumers, they
also meet the ethical standards of utility, rights, justice, and care. As technical communicators are often
charged with producing well written instructions, in doing so the benefits are optimized for the most
people by keeping consumers safer, and by protecting businesses from liability litigation. Time again it
has been shown that when a perception exist that consumers are injured by products from another
country, domestic measures are put in place to block trade in said goods. As such the ethical obligation
to protect the consumer and client is doubly so, as competent technical communication maximizes
benefit while minimizing risk.
One particular area of concern for both technical communicators and corporations is the area
intellectual property and copyright law. Working within this area, striking differences about in the laws
and customs of countries, such as China, where intellectual property is viewed more communally, versus

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

those in the United States, where it is viewed more individualistically. While governments have made
extensive inroads in copyright law with regard to the authors moral rights, full copy-right protection
does not yet exist on an international scale.

Suggestions for Addressing an International Audience

In addressing audience needs on a global scale, technical communicators must first examine traditional
reliance as well as structural frameworks of documents in order to overcome obstacles which prevent
the creation of accessible technical documents. In technical writing, American writers may have a
tendency to rely on analogies and examples to relate new material to concepts and objects that are
familiar to the reader. Further, the writer makes decisions about how much detail and explanation to
put in a document based upon analysis of what the intended reader already knows. However, these
types of typographical crutches are a liability in writing for a multicultural audiences as it is difficult for
writers to predict what the readers will know due to differing life experiences and cultural perceptions.
It is not only our life experiences which defines our ability to comprehend information, but it is in our
thinking patterns as well. American technical documents tend to reflect the preference for an analytical
thinking patterns, based on Cartesian logic, in which documents are broken down for easy analysis.
Because the American mind is educated and trained to dissect information for analysis in such a manner
American writers tend to frame an argument and then divide the presentation into chunks of
information in support of the argument. (Barnum & Li, 2006). However, as technical communicators it is
necessary to transcend these limitations to create documents that meet the needs of the reader based
upon cultural expectations.
Another area of consideration in the creation of technical documents is the literacy level of the intended
population. In creating documents for populations that do not have high literacy rates, graphics serve
the additional purpose of helping clarify the information. However, at all times the graphics must be

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

culturally appropriate, as symbols commonly used in the West are not universally relatable. Even the
use of color can have culturally significant connotations, and its use by technical communicators must be
relevant to the cultural expectations of the applicable culture.
In Lipus 2006 article on writing for instructions for a global audience, helpful suggestions were offered
such as:

Prioritize the information; organize the content based on audience needs and expectations.
Keep in mind that cultural expectations vary regarding how information should be arranged.

Kept in mind that text directionality (the direction of text on a page and in a document) varies
among languages.

Use culture-appropriate headings and use them consistently throughout the instructions.

Use design elements, including typographical conventions, familiar to the target audience.

Use clear graphics that are appropriate for the expected users, pay special attention when
portraying people, body parts or when using color.

Once the technical documents are prepared, usability testing completed by a member(s) of the target
audience. However it is important to note that recent experiments in usability testing indicate that
cultural backgrounds influence usability test results and feedback. In Lipus 2006 article she noted that
certain testing methods are more effective with some cultures than others. In one example, she noted
that the plus-minus method (where participants record their experiences using plusses and minuses)
appears to be more useful in low-context cultures. Consequently, usability testing methods employed
should be relevant to the culture being tested in order to maximize the accuracy and reliability of the
results.

Conclusion
Globalization is unavoidable in light of the mounting advances in technology, which has made
international trade and collaboration faster, cheaper and more efficient than ever before. As technical

Lamaffar: Globalization and the Future of Technical Communications

communicators we have a legal and moral obligation to make technical communications understandable
to all those reasonably affected by them. To do so, we must transcend our understanding of the
parameters of good technical writing by understanding the culture and audiences we are trying to
communicate with, and use both language and design elements which can be understood. We have a
legal duty not only to our employer, but to our international colleagues to do no harm by ensuring that
the laws, customs and traditions of the culture we are working in are maintained. Respect for context
and privacy must be maintained at all times, however, we must not abandon efforts to assure the safety
of intellectual property and copyright laws are developed and maintained on a universal level.

Furthermore, we must strive to create and maintain relationships with our international counterparts,
rather than viewing them as rivals, for in collaborating we enhance both our work and the discipline
itself. Rather than running fearfully from globalization and its far reaching impacts, we must face and
embrace it. Globalization offers a new frontier in the area of technical communication, to learn from
other cultures and force all of us to become better communicators.

References
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