Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine from London about what we were planning for the upcoming weekend. I mentioned we were hoping to have a big family breakfast with scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits.

That’s when she looked at me with a strange expression on her face.  “Biscuits?” she asked. “For breakfast?” 

You see, in the UK and most of Europe, the English word biscuit refers to what Americans would call a cookie or cracker, which is usually sweet, hard or crispy, and often has a cream filling, icing/frosting, chocolate chips, etc. 

In the USA, biscuits are small, round leavened breads – slightly crispy and golden brown on the outside, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside.  They’re not sweetened and are typically a breakfast food, often eaten with scrambled or fried eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, or butter and jam/jelly.  In the south, buttermilk biscuits and white “country” gravy are popular. Is it the healthiest breakfast? Not at all. But oh, so yummy.

Why am I writing about biscuits? Simply to remind you that regional differences in word-choice and phrasing can have a dramatic impact on your business success internationally.

My friend was disgusted when I mentioned having biscuits and eggs for breakfast. We were both speaking English, but our minds had conjured very different images and emotions from just that one word. It was startling, confusing, disconnecting, and it threw off the whole conversation.

We laughed about it, of course. And it was educational. But when you’re writing to customers or business partners online, in brochures, or via email, you don’t get to know immediately if they’ve misunderstood something. You won’t know if they’re thinking or feeling something completely different from what you’d hoped.

In your international marketing and communication, you want to connect clearly, easily, and naturally.

Before you mail your next sales letter, print a new brochure, or click send on your latest email blast, give it a “biscuit test.”  If anything is unclear (based on feedback from native regional English experts), consider creating separate communications for each target region.  It may take some extra effort, but the returns will be worth it.

Yesterday's blog covered the ways weak international business writing can destroy your brand. Now, here's a look at what can make your international communication weak along with ideas for how to strengthen it.

Weak Foundation

Strong international communication starts with a strong foundation. You can't effectively translate and/or adapt information for specific international markets if the original materials aren't written well.

People will question a company's competency — whether international or domestic — if its business communication is difficult to read and riddled with mistakes. This list from my series about how to create more effective business websites includes some important tips for making your business writing easier to read and more effective.

Bad Translation

As we've seen, bad translations can kill your message. That's obvious. So, what makes a bad translation?

► Incorrect spelling, grammar, or word choice

► Wrong style, phrasing, gist, or overall meaning

If you get help from a native-speaking professional writer, this shouldn't be a problem for you.* Yet, I continue to see bad translation examples from otherwise capable businesses. Usually, it's easy to spot the reason: outsourcing to cheap non-native speakers or skipping the human altogether and opting for fast, free translation software.

[The sound you hear is me climbing onto my soapbox.] Let me say this loud and clear: translation software is not accurate enough for your important business communication.

Do I think translation programs aren't useful? Of course not. I use Google Translate when I need quick help with languages. It's a quick, easy, free translation tool. But I have yet to find translation software that can capture the nuances of emotion and appeal in real human speech patterns. (I'll assume I can skip the lecture on why a non-native speaker can't help you.)

* Be sure to find a writer that fits your audience, taking into account the differences in regional dialects and spelling. For example, British English won't work for an American audience and vice versa.

Wrong Perspective

So, if your translation is flawless, your business communication is effective, right? Not necessarily. In fact, probably not. Technically, your translation may be accurate. You may have used all the right grammar, spelling, style, phrasing, etc. But there's a vital element missing: adapting the message to the audience's perspective.

What matters to people in your own country, may not be important to others. Likewise, people in your target audience may have certain viewpoints, concerns, problems, or character traits that you don't give a second thought.

Take the time to understand what matters to your audience. Customize your data, examples, case studies, and anecdotes with locally familiar and applicable ones. Just be sure you're getting the right perspective. Avoid falling into the stereotype trap.

Improper or Awkward Formatting

As you know, design, formatting, packaging, and writing all work together to give an impression of your brand. Your words won't have a chance if people are distracted by your format or, even worse, offended by something.

► Make it as easy as possible for your audience to read, handle, distribute, respond to, and store your communications.

For example, in Sweden the standard business paper size is A4, which is slightly longer than what's used most often in the United States. If you're going to send a proposal to prospective clients or important documents to your business partners, consider their frustration if they can't fit the documents in their normal file drawers, binders, envelopes, or presentation folders. (The U.S. also uses a different standard hole-punch so it's best to avoid pre-punched holes.)

► Use the professionalism, courtesy, and formalities your audience prefers.

It's important to consider differences in formality and manners of address. Some countries use an informal first-name salutation for business letters and other communications, while other cultures find that disrespectful. For example, when making first contact in formal business letters to the USA, you should use Mr., Mrs., or Ms., with the recipient's last name and possibly other titles (such as M.D. or Ph.D.).

What would you add to this list? Any other important differences in business writing around the world?

Saboteur #3: Too much stuffing, not enough meat

Should you optimize your website for search engines or people? That questions sparks debate among copywriters, marketers, SEO experts, and web designers. You need to rank high in search results so people can find you. Once they find you, they need to see a well-written marketing message. Ideally, you want to achieve both. But how?

There are many techniques for search engine optimization (SEO), and I'd recommend consulting with a reputable SEO expert to put together the best plan for you. As a copywriter, I can tell you one thing that will NOT help your website achieve the best results (and I think it's safe to say most SEO experts would agree): unnaturally stuffing your copy with keywords.

How would you respond to the following paragraph?

Widget Enterprises of Anytown has been providing widgets to widget retailers in the Anytown area for 25 years. Our knowledge of widgets in Anytown is unsurpassed. Widgets are in high demand in Anytown and we have a larger selection of widgets that any other widget provider in Anytown. Widget retailers in Anytown choose our widgets over any other widget provider in Anytown. We have big widgets, little widgets, new widgets, used widgets, pink widgets, purple widgets, royal blue widgets, and many more widgets to choose from. Call our widget hotline in Anytown for more information about our widgets.

My guess is, you didn't even bother to read that whole paragraph. Is that what you want from your own web visitors?

You may sell remarkable widgets, but when every third word on your homepage is widgets, people will get irritated, confused, or bored. Most importantly, they'll stop reading and click to another, more readable site.

Don't make the mistake of writing your website for machines instead of people: the web crawlers may not respond to it and your prospective clients certainly won't. Registering a million hits per week isn't worth much if none of them bring you what you need ... results.

Some keys to remember:

--> Make sure your web copy has more meat than stuffing. Serve your visitors with useful, valuable information that's easy to read and moves them through your marketing process effectively.

--> If you wouldn't use that sequence of words when talking to a prospect in person, don't put it on your website.

--> Do your research and find out what really works for search engine optimization or hire a proven SEO company to help.

Saboteur #4: Forgetting to Format Your Content for the Screen 

Saboteur #2: Sloppy Writing

OK, being a copywriter, this one ranks high up there on the naughty list for me. Now, I'm not talking about the occasional typo or missed comma splice. Even professional copywriters can overlook things. *Gasp* Yes, it's true. What I'm talking about is a complete lack of regard for the quality and purpose of your content.

A poorly written website is an instant red flag. It indicates carelessness and a disregard for quality — two characteristics you don't want associated with your products and/or services.

Your website is a powerful sales force broadcasting your message to the world 24/7. It should be clear, compelling, and easy-to-read. Copywriting, at its best, should be invisible. Your audience shouldn't be stumbling over awkward sentences, obscure analogies, improper cultural references, and glaring grammatical and spelling mistakes. They shouldn't notice the words at all, but simply the message.

Beyond the obvious no-no's of bad spelling, punctuation, and grammar, here are a few other things to keep in mind as you create your web content.

• Stop the IM (Instant Message) epidemic.

Write real, complete words and sentences. Not everyone knows what LOL means, despite what you may like to think. And even though W00t was Merriam-Webster's 2007 word of the year, it's not appropriate for most marketing copy (unless your website is aimed at online gamers).

• Don't be a jargon junkie.

This is the higher education cousin of IM syndrome. If at least 95% of your audience won't know what you're talking about, avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terms. Plus, it gets BRQ to read TMA. (Boring Real Quick, Too Many Acronyms) Spell it out or state it another way.

• Put down the thesaurus.

Using big words to sound more educated and important can sometimes have the opposite effect. Even worse, it can make your audience feel dumb.

• Don't sacrifice grammar for politics.

Sometimes, when trying to be politically correct, you'll just wind up being grammatically incorrect. For example, the word "they" is not a substitute for "he or she." (Quick reminder: "they" is plural; "he or she," singular.) It is important to avoid sexist language — just do it the right way, the clear way. Even if it takes a couple of extra words.

• Don't just translate — target!

When you need to generate web content in a language other than your own, don't rely on direct translation. And whatever you do, don't rely on translation software. Also, keep in mind regional and cultural differences. British English won't work for a strictly American audience and vice versa.

• PROOFREAD.

As you input or transfer content to your site, all kinds of things can be dropped, changed, or reformatted. Always do a final check online.

• Get help.

Your content is just as important as design — perhaps more. (Shhh ... don't tell the web designers I said that.) After all, what's doing the selling: the words or the format? So, if you're willing to use a professional web designer, consider having a professional writer take a look at your content, too.

Saboteur #3: Too Much Stuffing, Not Enough Meat