Business English meets culture
An expert interview on language, culture, and successful international cooperation
In our interview series “Intercultural Dialogue”, Anna Weidlich talks to experts who build bridges between cultures and know from their own experience what really makes for successful international cooperation.
Our guest today, Zhong Li, has been living this connection for over 30 years. Born and raised in mainland China, her professional career has taken her across Asia and Silicon Valley to Germany.
Today, Zhong is an experienced intercultural consultant and lecturer for Business English who helps companies worldwide leverage cultural differences as a strength. Her clients include renowned companies such as AMD, BOSCH, Chanel, Google, Lego, Novo Nordisk, Philips Health, and Tiffany.
In this interview, she shares with us her experiences from three decades of intercultural work—about misunderstandings and moments of realization, about the subtle differences between East and West, and about how mutual understanding becomes the basis for successful cooperation.
Overview of findings
✔ In the global business world, good business English alone is not enough—cultural understanding is just as crucial.
✔ Communication styles, values, and nonverbal signals shape how statements are interpreted.
✔ Misunderstandings often arise when cultural differences are overlooked—such as between German directness and Asian indirectness.
✔ To operate successfully on an international level, you need sensitivity to context, hierarchy, and relationship dynamics.
Genuine intercultural competence comes from curiosity, preparation, and understanding the “why” behind cultural behavior.
Reading time: 7 minutes
Reading between the lines: Why true communication requires cultural sensitivity
Why is it not enough to simply speak good business English in the international business world?
A host of various intercultural factors are constantly at play under the surface of words and sentences to inform and dictate people’s interpretation of verbal communication. The same statement may be understood completely differently depending on the cultural background of the speaker and the listener.
To what effect can cultural sensitivity contribute to more successful international business partnerships or negotiations in English?
In the highly globalised business world of today, intercultural competence is crucial to minimize misunderstandings and conflicts and to maximize successful business relationships and successful negotiations. Understanding and managing cultural factors, such as language nuances, nonverbal cues, communication styles, business customs, values, and social norms is as important as mastering vocabulary and grammar.
How do cultural differences influence communication in a professional environment—even when everyone involved speaks the same language?
Very often literal English translation from the mother language can lead to misinterpretations due to different forms of directness, formality, context, and also the use of silence and nonverbal cues. Underlying cultural values and social norms such as risk tolerance, hierarchical structures, and attitudes towards individualism versus collectivism are often lost in translation. Mere use of online translators can also lead to misinterpretations and therefore communication breakdowns.
Between directness and politeness: How cultural differences shape communication
Can you give specific examples of how misunderstandings arise when cultural differences are not taken into account when communicating in English?
Communication style is one major factor of cultural difference that influences business communication outcome. The signature German directness and the Chinese indirectness are well demonstrated in the following conversation at work between Mr. Neumann, a German and Ms. Liu, his Chinese colleague.
Mr. Neumann: We will need to work on Saturday to complete the D4 design.
Ms Liu: I see.
Mr. Neumann: Can you come on Saturday?
Ms Liu: Yes, I think so.
Mr. Neumann: That’ll be a great help.
Ms Liu: Yes, Saturday is a special day.
Mr. Neumann: Why?
Ms Liu: It’s my daughter’s birthday.
Mr. Neumann: That’s wonderful. I hope you all enjoy it.
Ms Liu: Thank you. That’s very kind of you.
Mr. Newmann walks away appreciating that Ms. Liu will come to work overtime on Saturday, assured by her seemingly positive answers of ‘yes’, while Ms. Liu goes home feeling grateful that she has received Mr. Neumann’s permission to stay at home for the birthday celebration from ‘reading between the lines’.
What really shapes successful communication
What aspects of culture should you be aware of in order to speak and act successfully in English in international business?
While some cultures prioritise personal relationships at work, others place importance on efficiency through task-oriented interactions. Some cultures mainly rely on clear verbal communication, while others achieve understanding of the situations partly if not mostly through ‘reading the air’, which refers to prior information and unspoken messages and cues in the current context.
Time orientation, role of social hierarchy, attitudes towards tradition and changes, gender difference are also some of the main factors to be mindful about.
Words in context: Why understanding requires cultural sensitivity
What role do cultural values and norms play in the interpretation of language, gestures, and communication style in everyday business life?
Let us take Japan as an illustration. Group harmony is a fundamental value there. Therefore they tend to keep to themselves their true personal opinions that are different from the norm or that may disturb others. By this token, a ‘yes’ from a Japanese business partner needs to be analysed in light of relevant contextual factors and the specific verbal and non-verbal manner adopted to come to the true meaning behind it, which can range from ‘a firm yes’, to ‘probably’, ‘maybe’, to ‘likely not’ and not surprisingly ‘an absolute no’.
What practical tips are there for strengthening intercultural skills for communication in business English?
Here are 3 high-level tips for effective culture-savvy English business communication.
First and foremost, do not be misguided by the ‘surface’ and always be aware and alert to the fact that under the smooth business English language are always diverse cultural currents at work, be it of age, profession, gender or geographic location.
Second, do the homework. A better understanding of the history of the country can well inform the understanding of their social values, norms and communication styles, which will in turn smooth out the potential communicative road blocks in daily work settings, whether in the same office or across borders.
Third, inspired by an old Chinese saying, ‘learn to fish for yourself rather than just be given some fish by others’. Lists of ‘dos and don’t’ are practical and can often offer some quick fixes, but without true understanding of the whys and the hows behind the tactics, you may be at a loss time and again in similar situations.
Anna Weidlich
Expert for intercultural communication and cooperation (M.A.)
Anna Weidlich, founder of Interkult Training, is an experienced expert in intercultural communication and cooperation with international roots in Russia, Korea and Germany. With multilingual expertise and extensive experience abroad, she supports companies in international cooperation. She acquired her in-depth expertise through a three-year Master’s programme at Munich University of Applied Sciences.
Anna Weidlich
Expert for intercultural communication and cooperation (M.A.)
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