Questões de Concurso

A graduate research project involving the university you work for and a key German partner (whose researchers are non-native English speakers) has stalled due to a series of misinterpreted emails. The German partner found the Brazilian emails too direct and 'unprofessional' (low-context communication style), while the Brazilian team viewed the German responses as 'excessively formal and slow.'
In this case, which strategic action best demonstrates the application of Communicative Competence in an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and Interculturality context to resolve the impasse and provide capacity building to the Brazilian team?

(a)

Issue a formal directive to standardize the team's writing style to formal and indirect English, akin to the German communication model, to prevent future conflicts.

(b)

Provide the Brazilian team with brief training on intercultural communication styles (e.g., high/low context) and the necessity of using politeness markers in English to ensure a formal and professional tone in ELF interactions.

(c)

Suggest the Brazilian team translate all emails into German before sending them, to ensure the partner understands the exact meaning without relying on English.

(d)

Replace email communication with long, in-person meetings translated by a native English interpreter to eliminate ambiguities inherent in written communication.

(e)

Determine that the problem is not linguistic but one of cooperation, and suggest that the German partner be more flexible with the Brazilian writing style, given that the scientific content is accurate.