Cultural Considerations of Doing Business Internationally

A Manufacturing Month webinar presented by the US Commercial Service

Any new market opportunity means strategy and planning, logistics, and human resources. Yet even the experienced business leader can forget to consider culture, language, and inclusion. Lacking an intentional plan, companies have seen minor and MAJOR setbacks due simply to unintentional cultural missteps within a target market.

Presenter Wendy Pease, global marketing expert and President of Rapport International, a multilingual communications company, provides real-world experiences – her own and those of the people she’s met along on the way – that illustrate how simply “staying curious” can work to embrace a local culture and provide a meaningful entrée into a new market.

Learn how a simple framework for relationship-building and culturally adapted communications can be applied within any industry-country combination, through these simple steps:

• RESPECT Your Audience: Cultural differences can trend by country, according to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. These are the preferences that have a direct impact on how people do business.

• UNDERSTAND the 8 deadly sins of communication. Our cultural leanings inform every aspect of how we live and communicate and acknowledging those differences strengthens the interpersonal relationships essential to global outreach and growth.

• REALIZE that English is not the global language. Ninety-five percent (95%) of consumers live outside the US. Only about 20% of those consumers speak English, and less than 5% of them are native English speakers. Worldwide, while 1.35 billion consumers speak English, at least 3.5 billion consumers speak 9 other languages.

Building your global marketing strategy upon this simple, solid foundation speaks volumes to customers and prospects alike, generating new leads and building brand loyalty. Even within the US, more than 20% speak a language other than English at home – the U.S. Census reports that an estimated 120 million Americans (of 332 million total) identify as multicultural. In this light, “staying curious” simply means embracing our diversity to create an international opportunity all your own.

Growing up internationally – China, Taiwan, the Philippines, the US – taught Wendy that diversity inspires exceptional creativity and learning; that belief is reflected in Rapport International’s mission of connecting people across languages for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Rapport International specializes in multilingual communications, providing language translation and interpretation services that are accurate and culturally appropriate. We use the right voice and the correct terminology to avoid liability, customize services to your needs, and deliver on time and within your budget. With our 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can trust that it’s done right. Contact us today if you would like more information or to get a free quote.