March Meeting: Going Global or
Going Native? GILT edged, or guilty…

by Jim Korth, PR Committee member

Are you creating material for customers not in the United States or users for whom English is not their primary language? Can you recognize the sometimes subtle differences between American English and British English? Did you know that there are sharp cultural differences between consumers in China, Japan, and Korea, such that product documentation often must be carefully customized for each audience? Mark Clifford, an authority on international technical communication, will provide significant insight on the opportunities and pitfalls of this growing field. He is the incoming President and the speaker for the March 13 th program.

Details Thursday, March 13, 2008, 6:15-8:00 p.m. Crowne Plaza Hotel North Dallas-Addison 14315 Midway Road, Addison, Texas Need directions! Reservations (Reservations made after 5pm on March 10 are subject to a $5 penalty) Click to register for the meeting now! Dinner (with reservations): $20 STC members/ Students with ID $25 non-members Program Only Attendance (with reservations): $5 for STC; $10 for non-members FREE for students with valid student ID

Economic globalization is an inevitable trend as many large U.S. companies earn half of their revenues from overseas operations. Product designers and the documentation writers who support them must make effective decisions about visual design for diverse audiences as well as be aware of and sensitive to cultural differences between customer groups. Documentation professionals must decide when to use controlled languages, wherein the grammar and vocabulary in a technical communication is restricted to reduce or eliminate ambiguity and complexity.

Technical writers creating material for non-English speaking users must often understand and assess translation methods. Writers may need to be knowledgeable about language localization, the process of translating written material into different languages, or adapting a language for a specific country or region. Different national varieties of widespread languages have evolved. Linguistic differences include pronunciation, spelling conventions and grammatical patterns. It is important for companies to consider such differences, for example, when creating Web sites for specific regional markets.

Mr. Clifford will provide a look at international technical communication and the need to design the communication about products, services, and business processes to address the global marketplace. He will discuss the main issues around globalization—cultural diversity, media, audiences, tools, and the impact these issues have on the technical communication profession.

Mr. Clifford is a consultant and manager with Clifford Sells, Ltd., an information design and recruitment firm in Bedford, United Kingdom. He is a graduate of the University of Luton in the UK and has worked as an editor, writer, manager, and recruiter, primarily with publications consultancies and service companies across Europe.