"Discourse Strategies across Cultures in ELF Negotiation Simulations. Focus on Europe and the Middle East

Companies today are engaging in an increasing number of international negotiations involving parties from different nations and cultures using English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). ELF participants often have "heterogenous cultural backgrounds and diverse social and linguistic expectations" (House, 2003: 573) which can influence the communication process and the negotiating style. Even when participants possess a native-like competence in the language of the negotiation, they often encounter difficulties overcoming cultural barriers. The present paper focuses on the analysis of the transcript of a face-to-face negotiation simulation in English with three post-graduate students, from Germany, Greece and the United Arab Emirates. It is part of a wider research project which examines role plays and simulations enacted in business negotiation courses held in either English or Italian, with students, managers and employees from different companies and lingua-cultural backgrounds. The purpose is to explore the influence of cultural elements in the negotiation process with a view to designing training materials and raising awareness on intercultural communication.