Business English myths

Many widely held views on international business communication are unfounded. Here are some of the most common myths:

1. E-mail has led to the end of faxes and a dramatic decrease in phone calls.

Wrong. Faxes are still common in many companies. Also, the cost of telephoning is now effectively zero, which has led to an increase in the use of phone calls.

2. German-speakers are bad at small talk.

Wrong. Many German-speakers are excellent at small talk in their own language, but often need to use small talk more extensively in business situations in English.

3. Most communication in English is company-internal.

Wrong. Such internal communication is important in large multinational companies, but most people don’t work in these firms. Most communication in English is with external colleagues and partners.

4. Worldwide, around 80 per cent of communication in English is among non- native speakers.

Nobody knows, as there are no reliable figures for this. But German-speakers have to communicate extensively — and well — with both native and non-native speakers of English.

5. Communication problems in English are caused predominantly by native speakers.

Wrong. Both native and non-native speakers cause many problems, though often of different types.

6. Speaking English like a native speaker is the key to effective communication.

Wrong. Other skills, such as the ability to build rapport, to influence people and to work in teams, are more significant than native-speaker correctness.

7. Non-native speaker accents cause problems in international communication.

Not necessarily. Often there is no problem, but very strong accents (including native-speaker ones) can be difficult to understand.