How is it reasonable or even possible for widely different cultures to communicate on issues of bias, using the same language?

A recent post by a non-native English speaker will inspire negative reactions that have nothing to do with his intended topic. Dollars to doughnuts the writer didn’t know he was stepping into anything more controversial than correctly formed English grammar. You could even argue that posting an article like this is a form of spam, ripe for the delete button, but our moderators spotted potential for discussion and moved the post to our members-only social area. As is often the case when a post gets under someone’s skin, there are wider issues at stake.

Excerpt:

6.If you are a family man,it will be blessing for your children.Your constant touch will make them healthy,sociable and abandon behavioural disorder.
7.In case,your wife is a serving woman,the responsibility of family towards childrens will not be diminished

Whatever was meant by “abandon behavioural disorder,” and wife as “serving woman,” highlight two core issues of the international Internet.

1. The web is multilingual, though both writers and readers have one native language at a time.
To speak with an authentic voice and reach an audience, writers need to speak as if the language they use is their own.

2. The web is multicultural, though both writers and readers have one native culture at a time.
What we write is available internationally, to readers who have extremely different social norms. What is desirable or normal in one culture may be offensive in another.

I have an evangelist’s belief in the web’s capacity to help us get to know each other. However… it’d help if we didn’t insult each other in the process.

It’s reasonable that the cultural norms of native English speaking countries be more strongly reflected in English language media. Where does this leave ebusiness in countries with cultural norms that are in opposition to what is acceptable in most native English speaking areas? Remember that we (whoever “we” may be) are already connected through media and economics - the world is increasingly flat. The other guy is our neighbor in digital land. Our home turf is at once a mouse click apart and a world apart. How can “we” connect in a respectful, non-exploitative and yet productive way?

Connecting to an audience requires context and voice. Without the bias of voice, content can easily slide into a primordial soup of “keyword rich” mush. And, communication across cultures can be like trying to shake hands with a tar pit: sticky, surprisingly sticky.

Pull up a chair and join the discussion in Cre8asite’s After Hours forum.