Negotiating Cultural Encounters

Discusses the challenges of intercultural communication in engineering, technical, and related professional fields Given today's globalized technical and engineering environment, intercultural communication is an essential topic for engineers, other technical professionals, and technical communicators to learn. Engineering programs, in particular, need to think about how to address the ABET requirement for students to develop global competence and communication skills. This book will help readers learn what intercultural communication is like in the workplace which is an important first step in gaining intercultural competence. Through narratives based on the real experiences of working professionals, Negotiating Cultural Encounters: Narrating Intercultural Engineering and Technical Communication covers a range of design, development, research, and documentation projects offering an authentic picture of today's international workplace. Narrative contributors present firsthand experience and perspectives on the complexities and challenges of working with multicultural team members, international vendors, and diverse customers; additional suggested readings and discussion questions provide students with information on relevant cultural factors and invite them to think deeply and critically about the narratives. This collection of narratives: Responds to the need for updated firsthand information in intercultural communication and will help us prepare workplace professionals Covers various topics such as designing e-commerce websites, localizing technical documentation, and translating workplace safety materials Provides hands-on studies of intercultural professional communication in the workplace Is targeted toward institutions that train engineers for technical communication tasks in diverse sociocultural environments Presents contributions from a diverse group of professionals Recommends additional material for further pursuit A book unlike any other in its field, Negotiating Cultural Encounters is ideal for all engineering and technical communication professionals seeking to better communicate their ideas and thoughts in the multicultural workplaces of the world.

Discusses the challenges of intercultural communication inengineering, technical, and related professional fieldsGiven today's globalized technical and engineering environmentintercultural communication is an essential topic for engineersother technical professionals, and technical communicators tolearn. Engineering programs, in particular, need to think about howto address the ABET requirement for students to develop globalcompetence and communication skills. This book will help readerslearn what intercultural communication is like in theworkplace--which is an important first step in gainingintercultural competence.Through narratives based on the real experiences of workingprofessionals, Negotiating Cultural Encounters: NarratingIntercultural Engineering and Technical Communication covers arange of design, development, research, and documentationprojects--offering an authentic picture of today'sinternational workplace. Narrative contributors present firsthandexperience and perspectives on the complexities and challenges ofworking with multicultural team members, international vendors, anddiverse customers; additional suggested readings and discussionquestions provide students with information on relevant culturalfactors and invite them to think deeply and critically about thenarratives.This collection of narratives:* Responds to the need for updated firsthand information inintercultural communication and will help us prepare workplaceprofessionals* Covers various topics such as designing e-commerce websiteslocalizing technical documentation, and translating workplacesafety materials* Provides hands-on studies of intercultural professionalcommunication in the workplace* Is targeted toward institutions that train engineers fortechnical communication tasks in diverse socioculturalenvironments* Presents contributions from a diverse group ofprofessionals* Recommends additional material for further pursuitA book unlike any other in its field, Negotiating CulturalEncounters is ideal for all engineering and technicalcommunication professionals seeking to better communicate theirideas and thoughts in the multicultural workplaces of theworld.

Preface xiA Note from the Series Editor xiiiINTRODUCTION 1Han Yu and Gerald SavageCHAPTER 1 Changing Times, Changing Style Guides 17Jennifer O'NeillCHAPTER 2 Concinnity of Assorted Nuts 41Marina LinCHAPTER 3 Learning Curve 61Vaishnavi Thogttluva VijayaramCHAPTER 4 Lost in Translation 81Elena GroznayaCHAPTER 5 Collective Learning in East Africa: Building andTransferring Technical Knowledge in Livestock Production 103K. Alex Ilyasova and Cheryl BirkeloCHAPTER 6 That's Worth Waiting For: GLDD's Spanish JSA Booklet123Christina SchulzCHAPTER 7 Making Excellence a Habit across InterculturalBarriers 143Saurabh KudesiaCHAPTER 8 Crash of Cultures 167Sam RacineCHAPTER 9 Collaboration on a Pan-European Project Spanning 35National Research and Education Networks across the European Union185Warren SingerCHAPTER 10 Are Chinese Documents Ready for Global Audiences?209Melanie G. FlandersCHAPTER 11 Subject Matter Expert Meets Technical Communicator:Stories of Mestiza Consciousness in the Automotive Industry227Angela M. HaasCHAPTER 12 My Life as an EFL Trainer/Technical Translator inShanghai, China 247Huiling DingIndex 263