Re: TECHWR-L Digest - 14 Jun 1998 to 15 Jun 1998

[Richard Guziewicz <rkg -at- WORLDNET -dot- FR>]

> Date:    Mon, 15 Jun 1998 11:47:48 -0400
> From:    Hope Cascio <hope -dot- d -dot- cascio -at- US -dot- ARTHURANDERSEN -dot- COM>
> Subject: Re: say please--cultural differences?
>
> I'm not speaking from experience, only the sort of "by the way"
> information
> I've accumulated.  Presumably, all businesses have common goals of
> creating
> goodwill, having a positive image, delivering quality product,
turning
> a
> profit, taking advantage of opportunities, growth, etc.  However,
> businesses in different cultures will still conduct business in very
> different ways as a direct result of their culture, not different
> business
> needs.  For instance, in some cultures, no matter the business need,
> correspondence will still open with inquiries on family and health.
>
> It seems to me these differences will carry over into technical
> documentation.  Purely out of curiosity, I would like to hear replies
> to
> Jessica N. Lange's question, "Does anyone take these cultural
> differences
> into account when writing
> documentation?" from people on this listserv who've worked in
> localisation.
>
> Hope Cascio
>
I supervised a project in 1997 involving the translation, rewriting,
and layout of a software manual aimed at the general public. The
original was in German, and we were producing a French version. The
original was written in a very relaxed, tongue-in-cheek style, with
copious humorous quips. It was, in fact, a pretty good read in the
German: a rare thing to find in a user manual, you'll have to admit.
Unfortunately, the French and the Germans differ greatly in their
appreciation of humor. We had to decide whether to reproduce the style
in the French version, reworking all the humorous bits into something
the French would find funny, or to simply trim it down to the
essentials. We chose to do the latter, mainly because of cost and time
requirements. Layout and Design had to be reworked, too.