Globally Speaking

When talking with someone whose native language is not English, it's a good idea to avoid double negatives. For example, use likely instead of not unlikely, and probable rather than not improbable.

It's also a good idea to steer away from vague words, phrases, and idioms of the sort that we often use to soften statements. By this we mean such hedges as rather, quite, somewhat, basically, sort of, seems, appears, and not really. Native speakers of English accept hedges as normal usage, but non-native speakers can find them confusing.

In international communication, the risk of arousing disagreement with a clear statement is usually a better gamble than the risk of causing confusion with an unclear statement.

An example of cloudiness:
     We're not really saying "no" because we're still somewhat uncertain.

A clearer version:
     We're not sure yet.

Negotiations will sometimes require you to be indirect as part of your strategy for winning the best deal. Make sure, however, that your indirect statements are clear statements: they should be easy to understand, or at least easy to translate.

Consider the differences among the following three statements:

     We were hoping that you would play ball with us. (indirect, unclear)

     We would like you to suggest some ways to reduce the total cost of our order. (indirect, clear)

     The cost is too high. If you do not reduce your prices, we cannot buy the goods. (direct, clear)