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Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences

Explore the ethical implications of interacting with diverse audiences worldwide. Learn about cultural awareness, language dominance, clarity in communication, and the challenges of localization. Discover how technical writers can adapt to different writing styles ethically and effectively.

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Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences

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  1. Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences Presented by: Lucas Horn

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. The Universal Standard • The idea of a “Universal Standard” is a myth! • Visuals images • Colors • Layout of text • Ikea • Attempeted but failed

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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”

  8. “Plain English” is Not Clear • Use of Plain English is not always clear • Unfamiliar idioms • Some speakers preferred Latinate words

  9. 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

  10. Localization • Individually address a multicultural audience • Microsoft • Write towards a specific community • New technique used more recently

  11. Translation • Adapt to different discourses in terms of a translatable document • Word selection • Avoid metaphors • Provide contextual information • Help prevent cultural hegemony

  12. Dangers of Localization • What constitutes a culture? • Excessive generalization can cause stereotyping • Can instill hierarchy of language • Expensive and time consuming

  13. 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

  14. 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>.

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