UKTI South West is committed to helping businesses in the South West effectively trade with international markets, and it can often be the case that businesses struggle to effectively communicate in written, verbal and electronic format with their overseas customers and agents/distributors. A country’s cultural practices, which can be very different from those in the UK, also play a huge part in overseas business communication, and a little preparation and knowledge can go a long way.

Remember:

•Taking the time to understand your overseas market is always a worthwhile investment

•Whilst a country may appear to be accessible and familiar, there may be nuances that you are not aware of which could influence how you and your products/services are received

•Whilst your products/services remain the same, each country may need a different approach

To help South West businesses deal with immediate advice on language and cultural issues, UKTI South West offers a free Language and Culture Advisory Service, which includes the following:

•Telephone and email advice for all language and cultural enquiries, including costs and turnaround time for translation and interpreting

•Signposting to a provider database, which includes translation providers, interpreting providers, country information and cultural briefings

•Language podcasts – learning just a few phrases of your customer’s language can help oil the wheels and cement a good business relationship

•Advice and support with accessing business, marketing and translation/interpreting students for short and longer term placements

Contacts

For all your language and cultural questions, please contact:

Susan Roe

Language and Culture Advisor

Tel: 0779 621 2570

Email: ser.languageandculture@googlemail.com