Business Communication – British and German Perspectives

The paper aims to discuss some aspects related to communication in business contexts by taking into account some representative characteristics which define the British and German cultures. As already shown in various studies, due to cultural awareness and acceptance, business people manage to communicate and solve job-related problems despite language accuracy deficiencies. For these reasons, it is essential for any Business English trainer to enable learners to become acquainted with the cultural differences (and similarities) between the most representative actors in the business world particularly nowadays when de-globalization becomes increasingly impending. This process should nevertheless avoid stereotyping. Our paper is limited to the study of two cultures, British and German, thus leaving room for further analysis. We thereby intend to provide a general profile of the two cultures so as to support business English students in their attempt to communicate across cultures. The UK, often referred to as “the empire on which the sun never sets”, has recently decided to drop out the “European dream”. The referendum in June 2016 divided the nation with a 52 percent to 48 percent vote for Brexit. English is still the official language in more than 60 countries, being generally accepted as the language of international business worldwide. On the other hand, Germany is generally regarded as the “guardian” of the “European dream”, both praised and criticized for its attitude towards some of the most controversial issues of the moment. Could these two cultures, based on understanding and tolerance, reconcile and create the premises of a common future in the sphere of business?