Writing Around the World: A Guide To Writing Across Cultures

Cultures use different writing strategies because they strive for different goals. Some cultures rely on writer responsibility while other cultures rely on reader responsibility. Writer responsibility emphasizes clear and concise prose, actions over subjects, practical implications, and follows a deductive logical structure. Misunderstandings are the writer's responsibility. Reader responsibility emphasizes flowery and ornate prose, subjects instead of actions, theoretical implications, and follows an inductive logical structure. Misunderstandings are the reader's responsibility. The differences between writer responsibility and reader responsibility help explain why some cultures prefer clarity when other cultures prefer complexity. The problem is that both writing styles are perfectly acceptable, but only within their given context. And this is why global writers need Writing Around the World.