ABSTRACT
Transferring information across cultures has often presented difficult and complex communication problems. For example, avoiding cultural mistakes that would prevent or modify the communication has frequently occupied technical communicators, especially because of the international character of their documents, not to mention their importance and the recently enacted guidelines for documentation (in the European Union, for example). Advances in translation and attention to localization have gone a long way to improving these communications. But such translation services are expensive, and many small-to medium-size companies cannot easily afford such costs yet want to participate in the worldwide market. Likewise, the advances in localization come at a financial cost that these companies also cannot afford. And a new problem is beginning to appear: outsourcing of jobs, particularly jobs related to technical translation and localization, and while the costs for both are reduced, many times the quality is lower. One set of problems emerging with outsourcing relate to cultural differences between the author and the reader, magnified by adding another culture to the process.1 One solution is to analyze the recipients of the information better, especially their
culture, and to develop writing strategies that help enhance the value and acceptance of the information.
