Divided by a Common Language?
While growing up in Africa, I had a friend in the French diplomatic corps with a unique communication problem: while he and his household staff all spoke fluent French, they couldn’t understand each other.
You see, my friend had been educated at the Lycée in Paris and had a lovely Parisian accent, while his staff were from Côte d’Ivoire and spoke a local vernacular. Complicating things further, his new wife was raised in Haiti, and used that country’s unique French dialect. So great were the communications barriers that they may as well have been speaking Greek, German and Mandarin.
It’s a common problem. Many professional communicators at global organizations agonize over deciding which version of a language they should use for their global communications initiatives.
In fact Mr. Gates’ most recent edition of Microsoft Word offers us 21 different versions of Spanish, 18 English dialects, 16 local Arabic options, and some 15 regional French languages.
There are no right or wrong answers. Regardless of which language or dialect your organization chooses, it is essential to formalize the decision and create a style-guide that will be relevant and appropriate for the long-term. The key is to provide a consistent and recognizable voice.
Here are a few basic fundamentals to help you decide which dialect might be the right one for your organization:
- National or local companies should stick to local practice and grammar;
- Global companies should use the language prevalent at their Head Office or that of the country where their shares are primarily listed; and
- Companies looking to communicate in a foreign language should cater to their largest potential market.
However, the best strategy will always be one that recognizes and adheres to local custom whenever possible. Large multinationals may have the bench-strength to customize materials locally, but many organizations will need to maintain a network of regional communicators to provide those services on an ‘ad-hoc’ or as-needed basis.
Winston Churchill is said to have quipped that Britain and America were “two nations divided by a common language”, but in reality there are now more than 80 nations who claim some version of English as their official language. Clearly, not every Anglophone is beholden to the Queen’s English.
Need help customizing your communications tools? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.
