Business English should help cultural interaction

Simon Marcus Gower, Jakarta

Everyday it seems that we are reminded that we live in the age of globalization and there is undeniably much truth to this. If the economy of the United States of America so much as sneezes, economies around the world may well go down with the flu and weaken. It is, then, in this climate of integration and shrinking of the world that business must be done and it is generally accepted that the language of business is English.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that professionals in Indonesia, out of necessity, must be equipped with the business tool of the English language in order to survive and hopefully succeed in the business world of the twenty-first century. It is clear that businesses generally are investing in their human resources by incorporating Business English programs into their training roster. Only the most shortsighted would not be so engaged and considerate of their staffing needs.

But for Business English programs to be really successful there ought to be a cultural component within them. There ought to be the opportunity for learners of Business English to gain understanding and appreciation of cultural subtleties that will make their ability to succeed communicatively much greater.

Typically Business English programs examine typical business scenarios and consider appropriate expressions and vocabulary for each. Consequently learners will look at the likes of -- formal meetings, answering telephone calls, taking messages, making appointments, memos and letters. In addition they may consider dealing with interviews, informal discussions, social conversations, and teamwork in problem solving.

In scenarios such as these common phrases and expressions are presented, practiced and hopefully learnt. But there is always a danger that learning of this kind lacks vitality, lacks reality and a natural responsiveness in the act of communication that leaves the learners unnecessarily thoughtless or even misled.

Business English learners are more mature and sophisticated and they need to be, and should be, led to be more adept at handling more challenging concepts in the language.

Indeed, the need to rise to the advanced levels of these challenges is critical if learners are to be effective communicators in the business world. One of these challenges is the appreciation of the idiomatic nature of the language that can create idiosyncrasies that no depth of grammatical knowledge or practice of typical expressions within typical business scenarios will ever account for.

Take this example of a successful Indonesian businessman's experiences. In his late thirties, this entrepreneur had gained competence in the language and had attended no less than three English for Business courses but still admitted to being mystified having attended a meeting with American counterparts. He noted that "there were times when I could not really understand them and their expressions were sometimes funny to me".

What were these "funny expressions"? Well they seemed to concern the nose and throat and yet were used in the context of business prospects. First, he reported -- seemingly enjoying himself, that the speaker told of clients not being able to "turn their noses up at these proposals", and went on to claim that more investment would have to be "coughed up to support the plan" and concluded that the kinds of profits that could be secured were "not to be sneezed at by anybody".

The Indonesian businessman that found these expressions funny could clearly figure out their meaning and it is quite likely that he himself was just having some fun in looking at these expressions. But it is a common experience for native speakers to often use the language in an idiomatic way and appreciation of this can be very helpful.

Similarly, cultural differences and not being aware of them can undermine the degree to which successful communication and interaction takes place. Such considerations are, then, useful in advancing Business English learners. For example -- one Indonesian businessman found himself almost overwhelmed by the manner in which subordinates would consistently challenge, question and even strongly disagree with their bosses. The strength of their expressions was not something that he had learnt or expected. His learning, rightly so, had always emphasized politeness, so for him to sometimes see quite heated exchanges was something new and even odd.

Alternatively looking at cultural differences that English speakers notice of Indonesians can be useful for Business English learners. For example -- personal space -- English-speaking businesspeople consistently note that they feel that their personal space is being impinged upon when they talk with Indonesian people. This may be a peculiarly "English-speaker" trait but it is still worthy of note for Indonesian businesspeople.

Similarly worthy of note is the usefulness of developing skills in interpreting true meaning -- or the ability to "read between the lines" to determine true intent. The English essayist Oliver Goldsmith once noted that "it is usually said by grammarians, that the use of language is to express our wants and desires; but men who know the world hold, with some show of reason, that he who knows best how to keep his necessities private, is the most likely person to have them redressed; and that the true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them."

These ideas may be particularly true in the hardnosed trading of the business world and thus learners of English for business purposes would benefit from learning about interpretation and filling in the gaps "between the lines" to elicit true meanings. In this regard there may be little or no substitute for experience but often English speakers' deference towards politeness conceals true meaning or intent and learners can learn of this and recognize it.

Business English courses in Indonesia should not be allowed to descend into little more than artificial role-playing or games. By maintaining realism and sophistication in appreciating the real use of English now and the cultural contexts that shape English, learners may gain useful experience and important insights that will allow them to more quickly develop into proficient and efficient communicators. In our age of swift changes and developments, proficiency and efficiency in the communication and use of information will be ever increasingly critical to business success.

The writer is Executive Principal of the High/Scope Indonesia School. The opinions expressed above are personal.