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International Business Communication Practices

Western Carolina University

One hundred major corporations, selected through a systematic random sampling technique, were surveyed to identify current practices in international business correspondence. A questionnaire was constructed to determine the foreign countries with which American companies correspond, the languages used in international business letters, the techniques used in translating foreign languages, the differences in letter formats and writing styles, and the communication skills needed by business people who correspond with foreign companies. In addition, samples offoreign business letters received and sent by these firms were analyzed to verify questionnaire responses and to determine technical differences between foreign correspondence received and sent. Sixty-six percent of the questionnaires were returned. Sixty-eight letters were analyzed.

Information elicited from the questionnaires was grouped into the following three categories: language, writing style, and skills needed by foreign correspondents. Letter samples were examined for format, writing style, and technical differences. Curricular implications were identified from the analysis of the questionnaire data.

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