This document summarizes suggested edits to an email from a boss welcoming new employees transferred from the company's Hong Kong branch. The assistant recommends removing the acronym "ASAP" and phrases like "high time", "pleased as punch", and "my level best" since those idioms and colloquialisms may not be understood by the Hong Kong audience. Removing them would make the message more direct and audience-centered. The assistant also suggests showing interest in employees' families or health to be more culturally sensitive according to Hong Kong business norms.

1. Donielle Paxson
ENC 3250.794 Professional writing
Message for Analysis: Adapting to Cultural Differences Page# 82
Assignment Instructions:
Your boss wants to send a brief email message welcoming employees recently transferred to your department from the company's Hong Kong branch. These employees, all of
whom are Hong Kong natives, speak English, but your boss asks you to review his message for clarity. What would you suggest your boss change in following email message-and why? Would you consider this message to be audience centered? Why or why not?
o
I wanted to welcome you ASAP to our little family here in the States. It's high time we shook hands in person and not just across the sea. I'm pleased as punch about
getting to know you all, and I for one will do my level best to sell you on America.
I would first suggest that my boss remove the acronym, ASAP, from the message. We cannot assume that the people from Hong Kong fully understand our language, especially
when we try to use shortcuts. I would suggest my boss take out the phrases, "high time", "pleased as punch", and "my level best" in order to make this a more 'audiencecentered' message. It is currently not audience-centered. In this situation our audience is English speaking people from Hong Kong, China. They will not understand these
phrases. People who speak Hong Kong Chinese usually use direct words when speaking, and this message would sound more direct without those phrases as well. Some
websites suggest to ask 'open' questions when talking to English speaking people from Hong Kong, unless more is needed. Another tip would be to show a bit of interest in the
person's family, or health. This is something that is normally done within Hong Kong's business world