Navigating language differences

- I was excited to speak for a large group virtually as they were primarily located in another part of the world. The topic was relevant and the interest was high. I assumed, wrongly in hindsight, that the group's English comfort level was high, and I didn't budget for the insightful questions and clarifications interjected in the chat. Let's just say that my presentation was neither stellar nor effective, as I ran out of time. To communicate effectively across cultures, we need to pay attention to the way the local language is spoken around us and also adapt our way of speaking, if we use English. A side note for English speakers. Even though English is being adopted as the global language for multinational companies and is spoken at a base level by 1.75 billion people worldwide, it doesn't mean that we don't have to adapt and be sensitive. Here are a few tips for navigating language differences with English as the denominator. Observe tempo, pace, and use of silence. Before you start communicating in English in another country or a multilingual virtual meeting, listen and observe. Are natives respectful of long silences in their conversations, like in Japan? Is the speaking rate or tempo different from your native language? For example, the comfortable conversation rate in English is 150 to 160 words per minute, but in Spanish, Hindi, and Swahili, it's much faster, well over 200 words per minute range. Avoid all sports idioms. As a non-native English speaker, I had no clue what happened when someone hit it out of the ballpark in a presentation or ran interference in a meeting. That's because, where I come from, we don't play as much baseball or American football. Pay attention to your language and either strip sports metaphors, or if you use them, add a little line explaining what they mean. Simplify. Just the other day, I was introducing students to a CEO where we were working on the scope of their academic project with her company. One of the students started and said, "How would you characterize your market penetration strategy when expanding to the Balkans?" Since I was the academic liaison on the case, the CEO quickly looked at me for help. I repeated the question, but I simplified the translation. Still in English, I said, "When you entered the Balkans, like you mentioned Bulgaria, how did you first get into the market? Did you use distributors or retailers?" She perked up and quickly answered my question. Fancier, formal, or higher technical English does not translate well outside of the United States. Drop any terms that leverage, enterprise, synergize, or retarget anything. Simplify as much as possible. Adapt your directness. The level of directness in language connects to levels of familiarity in a relationship, level of formality and urgency in a culture in overall context. In a business setting, when you are new to a conversation and you have a question, always consider building rapport or adding a credibility statement before you ask your question. Let me give you an example. Instead of asking, "Why did you decide to grow in this market?" you can say, "Based on our research, we learned that your industry ranks third in this specific data point. What was your specific growth strategy in this market?" Or you can compliment when it's applicable. "Your annual report celebrates a 20% growth in this market-congratulations. Tell us more about your strategy." Like with nonverbals and being attuned to new cultures, all language nuances are helpful in communicating across cultures. My virtual seminar would have gone a lot better if I had taken more time to prepare according to the audience's language needs and styles. Recognizing and adapting around language differences is key.