Controlled Language 4-97 (December 1997) by Minna-Liisa Karjalainen by Juha Nordlund Finland

Language reflects the special characteristics of each culture; its conventions, history, tradition, race, religion, and political stand. These cultural conventions do not only concern language, but also the way we view and perceive the world. That is why it is important for technical communicators to learn the conventions of a particular culture, and particularly its language, if they are to write the most suitable documentation for the target group.

Since the 1970s the understanding of culture has gained more recognition as an important component in the study of a foreign language. No matter where we live, what language we speak, and what culture we represent, our cultural background forms the framework through which we perceive the world.

 

Differences in Structure

As native Finnish speakers writing technical documentation in English, we are most familiar with the conventions characterized by the Finnish language and culture. As we researched the topic, we studied a Finnish linguist’s (Anna Mauranen’s) comparisons of Finnish and Anglo-American scientific texts. Her findings confirmed the idiosyncrasies common to Finnish writers that we have also detected in our work. The texts differ not only in grammar and vocabulary, but in structure as well. Finnish writers usually compose their texts by starting from the general and moving into the specifics, whereas Anglo-Americans often state the main points in the beginning. Typically, they elaborate the main points throughout the text. Compared to the American way of writing, the Finnish style may require more from the readers, who themselves have the responsibility of finding the main points of the text. This point received general agreement at Comtec’97.

 

Role of Vocabulary

Another topic addressed in the idea market of Comtec ’97 was vocabulary. For example, in Finnish we have several descriptive words for snow, while American Indians have a similar broad choice in words to describe natural phenomena. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that though we firmly belong to a particular culture and, as such, possess an immense amount of culture-bound ways of behaving and expressing ourselves, we undoubtedly also exist as individuals, and have a particular gender. We therefore also observe the environment around us in our own personal way.

Moreover, as the world widens for people through the use of modern technology, it sometimes appears that people are less aware of their immediate surroundings, and thus, they may know more about everyday life thousands of kilometers away than about life in the neighboring village. We also have to take into account that in addition to the person writing the document, an equally important party is the recipient, that is the person decoding the language. A noteworthy point here is that text production is always culture-bound and the text has a place in two cultures: in the writer’s and the recipient’s.  

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