Globalization has opened up opportunities and challenges for freelancers working with foreign clients. One of the leading perks is access to a much broader client base, which leads to more income and growth opportunities.
And one of the biggest difficulties is cross-cultural communication. Succeeding in a globalized environment takes more than expanding your reach. Understanding the mechanisms of effective cross-cultural communication is key to long-term success in international freelancing.
And that’s when this guide comes into play! Read on to find answers to these questions:
- What is cross-cultural communication?
- How can different backgrounds affect your client relationships?
- How can intercultural communication help you get better at freelancing?
- How do you improve your cross-cultural communication skills?
What is cross-cultural communication?
At its core, cross-cultural communication involves more than language differences and the effort to grasp word meanings. It’s about understanding the context behind those words – what they mean based on the client’s cultural norms, values, and practices.
Cross-cultural communication refers to how people from different cultural backgrounds adjust their interactions to improve mutual understanding. It’s recognizing, understanding, and effectively interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. It’s paying attention to the cultural nuances shaping how your clients think, work, and communicate.
Cross-cultural communication in connecting with a new client
Freelancers who want to collaborate with clients from various cultures should take care of effective cross-cultural communication from day one. Here’s how to build intercultural understanding right when you lay the fundament of your client relationship.
Welcome message
Suppose you browse an international job board like Useme and find an interesting freelance position. Now, it’s time for the first message to your potential client, who may bring different cultural norms and values.
Before you start typing, do a little research about your client’s cultural background, if possible. Some cultures prioritize formal language and clear, straightforward structure in their communication, while others prefer a casual, conversational, indirect, and highly polite tone. Friendly and approachable communication can be considered unprofessional in some cultural groups.
Need some help with your welcome message to a new client? Check out our 12 tips on how to create a proposal that wins clients every time.
CV and portfolio vs. cultural differences
You should consider cultural differences even when creating documents such as resumes or portfolios. You can either make it as universal as possible or adjust it to a specific culture you want to target.
Here are a few things that might be significant in other cultures but aren’t in yours or the other way around. In some countries:
- Including your portrait might be considered standard, while in others, it’s often omitted to prevent bias;
- Academic achievements and certifications are significant, while in others, hands-on experience and measurable outcomes are priorities;
- Clients expect formal and detailed cover letters, while in others, a brief, informal note may be enough.
Don’t have a portfolio yet? Check how to build a freelance portfolio from scratch.
Expectations for response times
Cross-cultural communication refers to practicalities like time zones and punctuality. For example, clients in fast-paced environments might value quick responses, whereas clients in slow-life cultures might appreciate a more measured and relaxed approach.
To balance it, politely and professionally communicate your responsiveness right from the start. You could, for example, mention in your initial message that you’ll always strive to respond within 24 hours, considering the time difference.
Diverse cultures, one mission: building relationships
Once you effectively engage with a client, your next step should be to nurture the relationship to ensure long-term collaboration. Working with people from different countries requires a deeper understanding, adaptability, and respect for cultural diversity.
You certainly can gradually overcome cultural barriers, and here’s how to do it.
Trust in cross-culture communication
Like in any communication, the aim of cross-cultural communication is to foster trust between work partners – you and your client. The trust-building process might look different, depending on the cultural context.
To raise trust in clients who value relationship-building, engage in small talk, ask about their family or interests, and demonstrate empathy. For results-oriented clients, focus on your track record, deadlines, and transparency in communication.
Private vs. professional
When working in multicultural settings, it’s important to balance professionalism with friendliness. Some cultures welcome blending professional and personal interactions, while others prefer keeping a clear line between the two.
Read digital social cues
Freelancers communicate with their clients mostly online, meaning you can’t recognize their facial expressions, voice tone, or body language. That’s why you need to be able to read digital social cues.
Digital social cues are the subtle signals and indicators we use to communicate and interpret messages in digital interactions, such as emojis, punctuation, capitalization, response time, message length, language style, or the use of GIFs and videos. They help convey tone, emotion, and intent when face-to-face communication is impossible. Once you understand and correctly interpret these cues, you will improve your cross-cultural communication.
Communication preferences across countries
If you’re aware of a given country’s predominant cultural landscape, you can mediate cultural differences and ensure effective communication. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall introduced the concept of low-context and high-context cultures to help explain differences in communication styles across nations.
Low-context cultures
Countries such as the US, Germany, Scandinavia, and Switzerland.
They prioritize explicit and word-based communication. They rely less on situational context or non-verbal cues and value clarity and precision with no unnecessary embellishments. People expect messages to be unambiguous and derive meaning from words.
Tips:
- Use clear, concise, and direct language to express your ideas.
- Avoid relying on non-verbal cues or implied meanings.
- Stick to facts, details, and logic to build your arguments.
- Provide all necessary information upfront to avoid misunderstandings.
- Be punctual and deliver on promises, as time and deadlines are valued.
High-context cultures
Countries such as Japan, China, and the Arab countries.
They use subtle, indirect, and implicit communication styles that rely heavily on the interaction context. They share non-verbal cues and nuanced messages, referring to relationships between the people involved.
Also, clients from high-context cultures prefer subtle and indirect manners of communication in which suggestions, context, and shared understanding are more important.
Tips:
- Pay attention to non-verbal cues like tone, gestures, and expressions.
- Be patient and give time for relationships and trust to develop.
- Avoid overly direct or blunt language, which may seem rude or disrespectful.
- Use storytelling or metaphor when appropriate to convey ideas subtly.
- Respect hierarchy and traditions, aligning your communication style accordingly.
Problem solved: cross-cultural communication challenges and how to deal with them
Now you know how different cultures can approach communication in business contexts. To help you succeed in every interaction, no matter the client’s country, we’ve compiled a list of 14 cross-cultural communication challenges along with proven strategies to overcome them.
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Different languages
Language barriers can cause misunderstandings even if you’ve completed a foreign language education. Even when both parties speak the same language, idiomatic expressions, and vocabulary differences can create confusion, leading to project delays, errors, and client dissatisfaction.
Solution: Always use plain language – clear, simple, without slang and overly technical terms. Rely on translation tools like DeepL, Grammarly, and ChatGPT to translate text, check errors, and simplify sentences.
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Different feedback model
Different cultures express feedback differently, some being more direct while others being more diplomatic. You and your client can see two meanings and emotions attached to the same message.
Solution: Instead of taking the feedback personally, ask clarifying questions. Listen actively and summarize key points to confirm whether you’ve interpreted them correctly.
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Differing expectations for response times
Some cultures value immediate responses, while others operate with more relaxed timelines. If your response times are mismatched, both you and your client can be dissatisfied.
Solution: Set clear expectations early about your availability and typical response times. Address any time zone differences to avoid misunderstandings.
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Direct vs. indirect communication style preferences
Misaligning with your client’s preferred communication style can lead to frustration or even misunderstandings, e.g., when one of you is from a low-context country and the other from a high-context one.
Solution: Study the client’s cultural preferences for directness or subtlety before communicating. Look for cues in client communication and mirror their style when appropriate.
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Cultural stereotypes
While stereotypes might stem from some truths, they can still lead to misunderstandings in the working relationship and negatively influence communication.
Solution: Instead of trusting preconceptions, be curious and open when talking to clients. Ensure your biases don’t influence how you interpret their behavior or requests.
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Trust issues in high-context cultures
Jumping straight into project discussions without cultivating trust may alienate potential clients. This is especially true for high-context cultures where trust forms the backbone of professional relationships.
Solution: Provide testimonials, case studies, or examples of past work to enhance credibility. Be consistent, reliable, and patient, as trust takes time to develop in such cultures.
You also need time to build trust with your clients, no matter where they come from. In the meantime, follow these six steps to ensure you get paid on time.
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Appropriate formality level
Professional etiquette varies widely across cultures, with some expecting strict formality and others favoring casual interactions. If you misjudge that, your tone might be seen as either too distant or too casual, especially if you come across a difficult client.
Solution: Start with formal language in initial exchanges until the client sets a more casual tone. Observe and adapt your language style based on how the client communicates.
Download free freelance email templates to improve your communication with clients.
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Setting boundaries in blending the professional and personal
The usual intensity of shared personal information differs from one culture to another. Sharing too much or keeping things too distant can harm the working relationship.
Solution: Start with professional conversations and only share personal remarks if the client shares them first and if you feel comfortable doing it. Respect the client’s choice if they prefer to keep things professional.
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Respecting different countries’ holiday
It’s better not to schedule meetings or deadlines during clients’ culturally significant days, as this can come across as unprofessional or insensitive.
Solution: Research and mark culturally significant holidays related to the client’s region or religion. Confirm deadlines with the client if they overlap with any holiday.
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Non-verbal digital cues in remote communication
Misreading an email’s tone or ambiguity can harm the collaboration. Digital-only communication without seeing the body language can increase tension and prevent effective communication.
Solution: Opt for video calls or voice messages to get context beyond written text. When in doubt, ask the client to clarify ambiguous comments. Use emojis carefully to express tone, but remain professional.
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Time zone differences
Lack of overlapping work hours can delay communication and lead to frustration. A lack of proper time management can also affect productivity and relationship-building.
Solution: Use shared online calendars to identify mutually convenient times. Agree on deadlines that account for time zone differences and suggest asynchronous (at different times) communication tools like email or project boards.
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Deadline flexibility
Some cultures value strict adherence to deadlines, while others see them as fluid. This mismatch may lead to discontent or even frustration for you or your client.
Solution: Discuss deadlines and flexibility early in the project. Include buffer time in your schedule to account for delays. Communicate any concerns about meeting deadlines.
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Compliance with local regulations
Without knowing regional tax or freelance laws, freelancers might violate regulations during international collaborations. Legal conflicts harm their reputations and endanger long-term relationships.
Solution: Use platforms like Useme to handle invoicing, cross-border payments, and legal compliance without knowing your client’s local laws. Alternatively, research rules in every client’s country or consult a professional experienced with cross-cultural agreements.
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Collaborative tools preferences
Popular messaging, file sharing, or online contract signing platforms aren’t universal for every country. While you may have used some tool forever, your client can be completely unfamiliar with it or the other way around.
Solution: Openly discuss with your client what tools they use daily. Switch to the client’s preferred solutions or suggest your own and find a compromise.
Your own learning path to cross-cultural communication
You can’t just “learn” cross-cultural communication once and for all. You develop empathy, cultural awareness, and flexibility with every client and every project you undertake in your freelance career.
As a friendly boost to your communication skills and international collaborations, we encourage you to try Useme – a platform connecting freelancers with their clients. Here, you can legally, easily, and securely invoice your client, no matter the country. It’ll help you build trust and professionalism as Useme handles cross-border payments (including Wise and PayPal), ensures compliance, and protects both your files and your client’s money.
