What are the best practices for adapting messages to different languages and cultures?

In Swedish, the phrase "Hålla tummarna" is used to wish someone luck. It translates to 'hold one's thumbs.' If you're a native English speaker, you may instead be more familiar with the term 'crossing one's fingers.' I learned this delightful fact while working for a global company headquartered in Stockholm. Both phrases are wonderful ways to indicate your support of others while serving different audiences. When lucky enough to work with a global team, embrace learning about your colleagues and their cultures. Not only will your life be more enriched by you new knowledge, but it will elevate your communication methods and show your respect for your audience. Lean into a new way of crafting relatable messages. Hålla tummarna!

When talking to people from different places, it's like having friends who speak different languages. To make sure they understand you and feel comfortable, you need to be like a language detective. Learn about their customs and the way they like to talk or share information. It's not just about translating words; it's like using their favorite colors and telling stories that make sense to them. Work with friends who speak their language every day, so they can help you get things just right. And don't forget to be respectful and follow the rules—like making sure your messages are legal and won't get you into trouble in their home. It's all about being a good friend and making everyone feel welcome!

Understanding Cultural Nuances: It is crucial to have a deep understanding of the cultural nuances, traditions, values, and social norms of the target audience. This includes knowledge of non-verbal communication, etiquette, and cultural taboos. By understanding these aspects, communicators can tailor their messages to resonate with the cultural context.

In a diverse group setting, active listening becomes a crucial skill. To truly understand the nuances of the discussion, it is essential to go beyond spoken words and pay attention to non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, pauses, and body language. This skill is particularly valuable in environments where language barriers exist or in situations marked by cultural, geographical, and social differences. Additionally, adapting your message to resonate with the diverse perspectives within the audience ensures that your communication is inclusive and effectively reaches everyone present.

#SAP Certified SD Consultant, #SAP Content Creator, I Have Experiences in Implementation, Rollout, Support Projects. Helping others to Guide in #SAP Careers. Looking For Better Opportunities.

Always consider you will not have the option to use written communication. If you are in that situation often the best form of communication is with visuals especially when describing projects or landmarks.

Your medium can also evolve on basis of what you have to convey and the tone of the message. For personal communication, consider direct messaging. For a cohort, consider common groups or emails. But always be mindful of the make-up of the group, and do your research on the dominant culture.

Pero sobre todo, debes elegir el medio de comunicar que mejor se adapte a tus características como ponente, en línea con el contenido que se quiere transmitir. Un gran orador lo es siempre y en cualquier idioma. Y a pesar de las dificultades que el idioma pueda presentar, o de las barreras culturales, un buen orador se va a saber desenvolver bien en cualquier entorno y circunstancia, manteniendo la atención de su audiencia y siendo capaz de transmitir el mensaje. Siguiendo el ejemplo de la ponencia en EAFIT, recuerdo que la humildad, la naturalidad y la cercanía me hicieron conectar con la audiencia a pesar de llevar mis primeras horas en la ciudad, y a pesar del acento, tal y como me hicieron saber. Esto valió para superar las barreras.

In Africa where we have thé orality tradition writen message might be thé Best Chanel to communicate have an expected reach

Communication is an art which if used adequately on the required subject shall make people understand & implement the idea or strategy intended to grow or resolve the problem or to improve the performances. A good communicator is a person whose perspectives and perceptions are understood. One must communicate to their respective team, colleagues friend's relatives & family in soft & understandable language.

In my experience one thing that has always helped while communicating is to follow the KISS rule. KISS - keep it simple and short Most often we keep using technical jargon and complex words while communicating simple things. If you would keep your sentences short simple and meaningful it will always be easy to translate and communicate. My personal opening is communication is successful when you are able to pass not just the message but the intent too.

The most important thing to bear in mind is that not everything translates perfectly from one language to another. What may mean one thing in English, can mean something entirely different (and sometimes distasteful) in another. Don't solely rely on translation tools. Instead, conduct enough research to ensure that your message translates well and can be understood by your audience. Ask yourself: - Who is going to read this? - How much background knowledge do they have? - Is there a way I can communicate this in a more straightforward manner?

I concur.. talking to the point and avoiding cultural or geographical metaphors in your talk, avoiding body language that is local to your culture is crucial to get through the message.

I recommend direct messaging. The way the message is articulated or not emphasizing words can change the entire meaning of the dialog. Once the presenter established more frequent communication touch points it will give the speaker more confidence during their presentation. Also listen for queues like laughter or watch for smiles. The speaker will know that they are connecting with the audience.

Utiliza un lenguaje sencillo, preciso y comunica con calma, además de jugar con los tiempos adecuadamente para captar la atención y asegurar que el receptor entiende el mensaje, incluso a pesar de las barreras lingüísticas y culturales. Modular la voz y utilizar un lenguaje corporal adecuado al mensaje y el momento, son igual de importantes a la vez que necesarios. Recuerda el consejo: si tienes dudas con alguna de las expresiones utilizadas o que quieras utilizar, acuérdate de ser humilde, natural y cercano, y tómate un tiempo para explicar el sentido de tus palabras en tu país o región. Esto no solo te puede sacar de un atolladero, sino que además, tu audiencia lo va a valorar positivamente y te va a permitir conectar más con ella.

Be sure to conduct advance research on the audience and location you are presenting. As the speaker you are a guest and want to show up being your best self. Bring informed on current events and what is important to the audience will help make a spectacular presentation.

Agreed. I work in international aid and development with a focus on the Pacific Islands and am married to a Tongan. I recently surveyed a number of high level Pacific Island professionals and asked them if they could say just one thing to their development partners, what would it be? 80% said, “Listen”. The rest said variations on that theme. Point taken.

It is important to be respectful this is why you must know ahead who your audience is. Addressing mature and experienced people is not the same like addressing youth and younger professionals.

Intercultural communication is challenging. You will never be able to fully grasp all intricacies of a culture that is foreign to you, even if you try. Keep 3 aspects in mind: 1) Be respectful. Communicate with care and try to establish a connection with your counterpart. 2) Ask. It is ok to ask questions - who knows better what is appropriate than the person you are talking to? 3) Elaborate. Where are you coming from? Don't assume that's clear, make sure you draw the picture. The supreme discipline of communication has to be intercultural communication. The risk of misunderstandings is higher than ever - but so are the returns! Someone from a different culture will be able to give you a completely new perspective. Good luck!

Respect means different things to different languages so make sure to research those practices. Whether it's what colors mean or if you should 'interrupt' or not, every culture defines respect differently, so figure that out first.

During my time working overseas in non-English speaking countries, I found this to be helpful to avoid miscommunication: Clarifying understanding and seeking feedback and confirmation. Asking "what would be your next steps?" or "how would you go from here?" can help check if instructions given were clearly understood. I also found it useful to set milestones to review deliverables. This would help identify and further check for possible miscommunication and misunderstanding.

The best gift a speaker can give is their time. Make a point to stay after for questions. Or schedule a pre or post meet and greet with audience members. The promoter of the event will be able to set up these accommodations.

Seeking feedback and confirmation is a leadership trait that ensures alignment and understanding. Leaders actively listen, encourage questions, and use non-verbal cues to gauge comprehension. Following up with gratitude for participation reinforces a culture of open communication, making the team feel valued and understood. In essence, a leader's perspective on adapting messages across languages and cultures is rooted in empathy, adaptability, and a commitment to fostering a harmonious and productive work environment.

Especially when we collaborate with globally diverse dream, it is important to get the inputs “how it goes” or getting confirmation of “how the message has been understood”!! By getting these points it’s required to clearly indicate the message we would like to convey . Also usage of simple words with context setting would be great help .

La interacción con la audiencia es importante por varios motivos. Permite conocer de forma rápida a tu audiencia y su estado de ánimo, lo cual es fundamental para captar su atención y conseguir el objetivo de tu ponencia. Pero es importante también porque facilita ese punto de improvisación necesario dentro de toda ponencia para establecer el curso de la misma con éxito. Por supuesto, interpretar el lenguaje corporal de la audiencia es necesario para evaluar el grado de comprensión, resolver dudas si fuera necesario antes de seguir avanzando, o cambiar el curso de la ponencia si no se estuviera conectando adecuadamente.

Localize your messages based on the first-hand experiences of your audience. When planning your talk or during revision, try to find a person of contact from your target audience, like the person who commissioned the talk, a colleague from the country you are to speak in, or friends who live there. Ask them to give you examples and stories about your topic from their experience. Alternatively, ask them about pain points and needs they want to address in your talk. Then, use this information, in combination with your expertise, to tailor the messages.

I agree that reviewing and revising your message is the final and crucial step in adapting your message to different languages and cultures. You also provide some helpful tips on how to check your message for accuracy, clarity, consistency, completeness, grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, tone, style, and appropriateness. #CommunicationTips #GlobalAudience #e-learning #audience'sLanguage

Avant de publier tout contenu, je procède à plusieurs révisions pour assurer sa clarté, son exactitude et son adéquation avec l'audience visée. Je sollicite également des avis externes pour m'assurer que le message est culturellement sensible et efficace. Cette étape est cruciale pour garantir la qualité et la pertinence du contenu diffusé.

C’est évident… les réseaux imposent l’adaptation permanente. Les algorithmes changent, le public est volatile! La génération A n’aura pas les mêmes envies que la Z et les millenials sont déjà presque dépassés par l’évolution des utilisations de canaux de diffusions

C’est évident… les réseaux imposent l’adaptation permanente. Les algorithmes changent, le public est volatile! La génération A n’aura pas les mêmes envies que la Z et les millenials sont déjà presque dépassés par l’évolution des utilisations de canaux de diffusions

I think that adapting messages to different languages and cultures goes beyond following best practices. It requires a human and natural approach that values understanding, respect, and open-mindedness. By embracing these principles, we can foster effective communication, encourage cultural exchange, and build stronger connections with others.

Visibility & Rapport: Show yourself, engage with your community, and build relationships so when it comes time to convey/deliver your message that you can be sure that it will be well received.

Be aware of the cultural context of your message, of gestures, nonverbal cues, and local customs.. Communication techniques, formality, and expectations differ by culture. A message that fits one culture may not fit another. Being aware of these distinctions means that your communication is both linguistically accurate and culturally sensitive, which makes performance reviews more thorough and sympathetic. One highly recommended book on the topic of cross-cultural communication is "The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business" by Erin Meyer.

Central Europe kills productivity over politeness. USA kills work culture over productivity. Hispanics have a fun work culture, but zero productivity. Those are not "cliches" or "stereotype", it is well proved. In addition, you need to put in perspective personality type, personal traits and age range. Diversity & Inclusion, and Intercultural communication is a HUGE challenge in the workplace, and those who can master it, are indeed champions. But how can master this complexity? My best advices: Keep your work-process as easy as possible. Excess of meetings and internal conflicts are just a result of a complicated work-process where people get frustrated. Leaders need to have a systemic approach and shape it all the time. Keep it simple.

For me the most important thing is to be open minded, genuine in our interactions and open to learn what works best for the person we are working with. Not all rules will apply for every situation and every person. For example, just because we heard that people in Asia are not open to direct feedback it does not mean that is true for every person in Asia. This can easily lead to bias, even if we were trying to avoid it in the first place.