Managing Plain English Gets Harder In Global Era

[SirLancelot]

Beware of your humor--particularly sarcasm--as your SO will most likely not get it.

 

http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print...8009682064.html

 

Managing

Plain English

Gets Harder

In Global Era

 

By PHRED DVORAK

November 5, 2007; Page B1

 

Computer Sciences Corp., a U.S. technology consultancy with offices in 49 countries, last year made a peculiar request to the company that teaches English to its employees around the world. CSC wanted the company to give them lessons on detecting sarcasm.

 

Bente Holm Skov, CSC's European director of learning, says even employees who understand their colleagues' English are often stumped by their senses of humor. One French worker took offense when a British colleague jokingly referred to a fellow Brit as "not too clever" on a conference call.

[Don]

Beware of your humor--particularly sarcasm--as your SO will most likely not get it.

 

http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print...8009682064.html

 

Managing

Plain English

Gets Harder

In Global Era

 

By PHRED DVORAK

November 5, 2007; Page B1

 

Computer Sciences Corp., a U.S. technology consultancy with offices in 49 countries, last year made a peculiar request to the company that teaches English to its employees around the world. CSC wanted the company to give them lessons on detecting sarcasm.

 

Bente Holm Skov, CSC's European director of learning, says even employees who understand their colleagues' English are often stumped by their senses of humor. One French worker took offense when a British colleague jokingly referred to a fellow Brit as "not too clever" on a conference call.

 

Humor does not transfer cross culture very well. Most of my coworkers and most of my customers are all Asian. I was even sent to business Japanese training, one thing always stressed do not tell jokes in a business meeting. Especially sports jokes. Keep communications simple, small words and no side references. In the sciences we always joke that we speak the international language; broken English.