english writing for global communication john scafidi senior english fellow fellow saint petersburg...
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English Writing for Global Communication
English Writing for Global Communication
John Scafidi
Senior English Fellow Fellow
Saint Petersburg
John Scafidi
Senior English Fellow Fellow
Saint Petersburg
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
There are 1.5 billion people in world using English 375 million people in the world whose native language is
English. 375 million people who speak it as a second language. 750 million people who speak it as foreign language
There are 1.5 billion people in world using English 375 million people in the world whose native language is
English. 375 million people who speak it as a second language. 750 million people who speak it as foreign language
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
English remains the most widely spoken foreign language throughout Europe.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
English remains the most widely spoken foreign language throughout Europe.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
"English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, pop music and advertising…
"English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, pop music and advertising…
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
“Over two-thirds of the world's scientists read in English. Three quarters of the world's mail is written in English…
“Over two-thirds of the world's scientists read in English. Three quarters of the world's mail is written in English…
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
“English is the defacto international language of much of the business communication in the world…
“English is the defacto international language of much of the business communication in the world…
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
“Over eighty percent of the material on the World Wide Web is in English…
“Over eighty percent of the material on the World Wide Web is in English…
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Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
English is the language of choice by more people, to learn as a second language, than any other language in the world.
English is the language of choice by more people, to learn as a second language, than any other language in the world.
Role of English in Global Communication
Role of English in Global Communication
Most parents when asked which language they would prefer their children learn as a second language reply, "English".
(All above statistics obtained by British Council)
David Crystal- English as a global language
Cambridge University Press, 1997
Most parents when asked which language they would prefer their children learn as a second language reply, "English".
(All above statistics obtained by British Council)
David Crystal- English as a global language
Cambridge University Press, 1997
Spoken vs. Written EnglishSpoken vs. Written English
The worst part about it was I had a friend sitting up here and she’s saying “ha ha”… And I was saying “Go get the police.. Go, Get someone”. ..I later learned that there are some people who do that in the face of disaster…I mean they just start cracking up as opposed to crying.
Spoken vs. Written EnglishSpoken vs. Written English
My helpful friend, perhaps not realizing that I was serious, began laughing. Sue roared all the harder as my situation became more difficult. She claimed I looked funny, clinging there screaming. I realized that she was laughing because she was incapable of acting: the situation must have been greatly disturbing to her, and so she treated it as if it were another situation..
Spoken vs. Written EnglishSpoken vs. Written English
Face-to-face communication provides individuals an opportunity to express themselves in ways designed to elicit physical and verbal reactions from an audience, which help the communicator determine whether or not specific communication techniques are successful in reaching diverse audiences.
Spoken vs. Written EnglishSpoken vs. Written English
Written documents do not provide this kind of exposure or assurance that what is being conveyed in printed form is understood by a particular audience. Furthermore, when faced with the prospect of communicating to a Global audience, writers and communicators must negotiate the challenge of communicating information across cultural and societal barriers associated with both people and industry..
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally1. Avoid words with multiple meanings1. Avoid words with multiple meanings
1. present (SOMETHING GIVEN) noun something which you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you: ex. They gave me theatre tickets as a present.
2. present (NOW) noun the present, the period of time which is happening now, not the past or the future; now
ex. The play is set in the present.
3. present (PLACE) adjective [after verb] in a particular place:
ex. The whole family was present.
4. present (GIVE) verb to give, provide or make known:
ex. The winners were presented with medals
5. present (INTRODUCE) verb
ex. She presents the late-night news.
1. gift (PRESENT) noun a present or something which is given:
ex. The guests all arrived bearing gifts.
2. gift noun INFORMAL something which is surprisingly easy or cheap:
ex. $100 for a good leather coat? It's a gift!
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally1. Avoid words with multiple meanings1. Avoid words with multiple meanings
Other ambiguous words:
fix, get, go, put, run
Use difficult instead of hard
Ex. It was very difficult to understand what he meant.
Use repair instead of fix
The IT technician repaired the computer malfunction.
Use after instead of once
After they arrived, the meeting began.
Use context or extra words to make meaning clear
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally2. Use lots of subheadings2. Use lots of subheadings
Easier for readers to find most relevant sections.
A heading can summarize contents below.
Use a heading that is a whole sentence.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally3. Write concisely3. Write concisely
Don’t waste words.
Avoid using too many adjectives or adverbs, unless the meaning of the words you are using are too ambiguous.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally4. Avoid metaphors4. Avoid metaphors
The teacher got to the bottom (source) of the problem.
My dad was boiling (very angry) mad.
His idea was difficult to swallow (accept).
The homework was a breeze (easy to do).
My memory of the event is foggy (unclear).
If I were you, I would steer (stay away) clear of that topic.
After graduating from college, William decided to market (present) himself as a computer specialist.
Alice was thrilled when her idea began to bear fruit (produced
results.)
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally5. Avoid slang5. Avoid slang
Do you know where the action(excitement) is in this town?
I really need some antifreeze (liquor) in me on cold days like this.
After working all day I am really beat (exhausted).
That was a hairy (dangerous) plane trip. I am glad the storm is over.
Can you give me a gentle prod (reminder) next week so I won't forget?
Your idea is really red hot (important).
If you screw up (make a mistake) one more time, I will fire you.
'll give the puzzle another shot (try).
I am glad you got yourself out of that jam (trouble).
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally6. Repeat important points using different
words.6. Repeat important points using different
words.
"This lifeboat is designed to hold no more than 20 passengers”.
“The maximum number of people in this boat is 20”.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally7. Keep sentences short7. Keep sentences short
Don't try to express more than a few ideas in one sentence.
25 words is about the limit, and an average of 10 to 15 words is good.
If you want to vary your writing, one can vary the length of sentences within a paragraph.
Ex. short/medium/medium/short/long
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally7. Keep sentences short7. Keep sentences short
Ex. The Fixed Securities Fund portfolio has reduced the term of its investments to match the average length to maturity of the government bond market as a whole.
The Fixed Securities Fund portfolio has reduced the term of its investments. The term now matches the average length to maturity of the whole government bond market.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally8. Avoid variation of synonyms8. Avoid variation of synonyms
Unwritten rule in English that you must not use the same word twice in a paragraph.
This practice often confuses readers whose native language is not English
Other languages, without so many synonyms, don't vary words in this way.
If you are to use synonyms, use a simple one if it captures your meaning just as well.
Ex. “ameliorated the situation”
“improved the situation”
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally9. Use bullet points - but they should be
full sentences9. Use bullet points - but they should be
full sentences
•Bullet points are often only a few words, which is not enough to convey meaning without being ambiguous.
•Therefore a bullet point should be a whole sentence.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally10. Use plenty of punctuation10. Use plenty of punctuation
Some sentences are hard to understand, because you can't work out where the punctuation should go. To make long sentences easier to understand, insert commas and dashes between parts of the sentence.
An alternative to punctuation symbols is to use "punctuation words" - which act as punctuation, but add meaning at the same time. These are linking words, such as subordinate (because, since, although, etc.) and coordinate conjunctions (or, for but yet, etc. and transitions words (for example, however, therefore,, furthermore, in fact, that is etc.)
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally11. Use words that are common - but not
too common11. Use words that are common - but not
too common
Your writing will be clearer if you replace words that are very common (but ambiguous) with words that are less common (but have only one meaning). For example, "difficult" instead of "hard.
But if the replacement word is too uncommon, the readers won't know it.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally12. If you use a rare word, either explain it
or provide clues12. If you use a rare word, either explain it
or provide clues
Place the word in a context that helps to make the meaning clear.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally13. Make sure that "it" is unambiguous13. Make sure that "it" is unambiguous
Some languages don't have this concept - and peoplewho speak those languages have trouble with "it" in English. So when you write "it" make sure there's only one noun it can refer to.
Ex.The cat ate the mouse and it died shortly thereafter.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally14. Avoid using nouns as adjectives,
specially several in a row14. Avoid using nouns as adjectives,
specially several in a row
Many nouns in English can also be used as adjectives. When a noun is preceded by several adjectives, and some of those adjectives are normally nouns, confusion can arise.
low income tax offsetadj + n/adj + n/adj + n
low income-tax offset (offset for low income-tax) or low-income tax offset (tax offset for people with low incomes)
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally15. Try to avoid the passive voice15. Try to avoid the passive voice
Use active language and avoid the passive voice.Avoid to be verbs and try to replace helping verbs such as have, had, has, do, does, did and other vague verbslike get and got.
Ex. I had opportunities to develop my skills. I sought opportunities to develop my skills.
I got the promotion. I earned the promotion.
She did well in the competitive environment. She thrived in the competitive environment.
The salesman told the audience about his products. The salesman promoted his products to the audience.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally15. Avoid new words that aren't in
dictionaries - unless they are very common
15. Avoid new words that aren't in dictionaries - unless they are very common
Dictionaries take years to add new words, and many people in developing countries use old dictionaries. So if you use a fairly new word, and your readers don't have fairly new dictionaries, they won't be able to look it up.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally16. Abbreviations: avoid them or explain
them16. Abbreviations: avoid them or explain
them
A high proportion of abbreviations can make a document almost unintelligible.
Write obscure abbreviations out in full.
Another way of increasing readability is to mark abbreviations clearly - either writing them all in capital letters, or ending them with full stops - unless those full stops could be confused with the end of a sentence.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally17. Avoid using contractions17. Avoid using contractions
Don’t .. I mean do not use contractions. At times they are a challenge for people who read English as a foreign language.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally18. Avoid phrasal and modal auxiliary
verbs18. Avoid phrasal and modal auxiliary
verbs
Phrasal verbs: call up (draft) , pull in (attract),
drop down (decline)
Modal auxiliary verbs: should, could, can, would, might, may
ex. A representative should contact you within 48 hours.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally18. Avoid phrasal and modal auxiliary
verbs18. Avoid phrasal and modal auxiliary
verbs
Ex.
We are looking at all possibilities.
We are considering all possibilities
I suggest we wrap up the project by July.
I suggest we complete the project by July.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally19. Avoid sentences that start with a ‘false
subject’. ‘It is’ ‘There are’Ex. It is extraordinary how warm the weather
is for July. The weather is extraordinarily warm for
July. It has been observed that a certain
ambivalence prevails. We have noticed that most people are
ambivalent.
19. Avoid sentences that start with a ‘false subject’.
‘It is’ ‘There are’Ex. It is extraordinary how warm the weather
is for July. The weather is extraordinarily warm for
July. It has been observed that a certain
ambivalence prevails. We have noticed that most people are
ambivalent.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally20. Avoid Negative questions20. Avoid Negative questions
Ex. You don't have the courage to acknowledge that your allegations have no factual basis whatsoever, do you?
Do you admit that you made false allegations?
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally21. Avoid Double Negatives21. Avoid Double Negatives
Ex. The 1995/96 turnover is not displeasing.
The 1995/96 turnover is pleasing.
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally23. Avoid Negative Words23. Avoid Negative Words
1. Negative words: No, not, nobody2. Words with negative implications: only, unless, without, excluding, despite, default, etc.3. Words with negative feeling: cancel, reject
Ex. The shipment will not arrive until late January. The shipment will arrive in late January.
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How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally24. Avoid Ambiguous dates24. Avoid Ambiguous dates
February 3, 2008 3 February 2008
USA 2/3/08Europe/Russia etc 3/2/08Others 08/2/3
How to Write GloballyHow to Write Globally25. Sums of Money25. Sums of Money
US$100 CHFCAN $100 CFAAUD$100 CFPHK$100NZ$100S$100NT$100
SummarySummaryAvoid: words with multiple meanings
metaphors slang
variation of synonyms nouns used as adjectives
ambiguous “it” abbreviations
new uncommon words passive voice contractions
phrasal & modal auxiliary verbs sentences with ‘false subjects’ negative questions double negatives
negative words ambiguous dates
Avoid: words with multiple meanings
metaphors slang
variation of synonyms nouns used as adjectives
ambiguous “it” abbreviations
new uncommon words passive voice contractions
phrasal & modal auxiliary verbs sentences with ‘false subjects’ negative questions double negatives
negative words ambiguous dates
SummarySummary
Use: repetition of important words
short sentences
full sentence bullet points
punctuation
linking & transition words
Use: repetition of important words
short sentences
full sentence bullet points
punctuation
linking & transition words
Большое спасибоБольшое спасибо
REFERENCES Scholes, Robert and Comley, Nancy R., The Practice of Writing, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1985 Samuels, Marilyn Schauer The Technical WritingProcess, Oxford University Press, New York, 1989 Coward, Nancy Caswell, Cross-CulturalCommunication: Is It Greek To You? TechnicalCommunication 39, Society for Technical Communication,Arlington, Virginia, 1992www.audiencedialogue.net/english2.htmlwww.stc.org/confproceed/2001/PDFs/STC48-000022.PDF
John Scafidi [email protected]