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Know your customers

Are you considering trading with another country or planning to welcome overseas customers into the UK?  It’s vital to know the languages they speak and their cultural background, as well as practical information such as the different time zones, currency and weather.

Which languages do they speak? 

Take note of the official language or languages of the country – as there may be more than one.  Use these languages to talk to customers from that country through your website, promotional literature, product information, workforce management and customer services.   

• Use this list of languages by country on the infoplease website to help you identify the languages used by your target markets and customers. 

• Remember that languages other than the official language may be useful. In Brazil the official language is Portuguese but it helps to know that there are also large English, Spanish and French-speaking communities in the country.
• Check locally for the main language spoken in the exact geographical location of the people you are working with. In India Hindi and English are the most commonly spoken languages, but there are a further twelve official languages including Bengali and Panjabi.

How do cultural differences affect language?

Knowing the language a people speak does not always mean that you understand everything about their language and cultural background.

• The way a language is used varies considerably from one country to another. Spanish is the official language of both mainland Spain and most countries in Central and South America but there are many differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, accents, intonation and slang.  ’Computer’ translates as ordenador in Spain but computadora in Latin America.
• Remember that it does not follow that people share the same culture because they speak the same language.  Cultural and language differences exist between the UK and USA. Here are a few examples: 
• Understanding the importance of using an American person’s job title is key to effective business communication.
• Knowing that a ‘base rate’ (UK) and ‘prime rate’ (USA) mean the same is essential information for businesses in the financial sector.
•  It’s essential for your front-of-house staff to know that American guests quickly move to using first names.

Useful tools and support

Use the tools below to get the competitive edge - your international customers will appreciate that you have taken the time to understand when it’s best to call, can chat about local weather conditions and can quickly convert to their local currency.

Time differences
Currency converter
World weather

Making the most of language and cultural services

Ensure that you are aware of the skills in your team before investing in language and cultural training to improve communication with all your customers and throughout your organisation.    We offer advice on what to consider for language training and cultural training with a range of free business guidesand cultural briefings.