Choosing the right word: Guidelines for our global audience

[Kate Wilcox]

Hello everyone,

 

I've always loved Mark Twain's advice to "use the right word and not its
second cousin." But now that I'm working for a company with a
distributed workforce (writers in the US and India) and a global
audience, I'm starting to question which words are right.

 

This goes beyond the typical spelling differences (color vs. colour) and
clear-cut differences in meanings [jumper (one that jumps) vs. jumper
(dress)]. I'm talking about common English words that have different
connotations to different readers and writers. 

 

Consider some examples:

 

US: Make sure you understand the requirements before you begin.

India: Make sure you appreciate the requirements before you begin.

Issue: The Indian writer considered "understand" to be rude. The US
writer considered "appreciate," and its connotation of recognizing
quality, to be too broad.

 

US: The team is committed to meeting the deadline.

India: The team are committed to meeting the deadline.

Issue: Is team singular or plural?

 

US: We will make a decision tomorrow.

India: We will take a decision tomorrow.

Issue: How do we decide?

 

US: I have questions.

India: I have doubts.

Issue: The India writer considered "questions" too direct and rude;
"doubts" was seen as less confrontational and more appropriate. The US
writer had the opposite response: "Doubts" implied skepticism and
disbelief; "questions" was seen as a simple request for more
information.

 

For discussion:

 

Has anyone else encountered issues like this? If so, how are you
addressing them, and what resources are you using? As writers, how can
we find the right words to speak to a global audience?

 

Regards,

Kate