As writers, we often do not realize that what we write includes not only the words of our language but also more deeply embedded aspects of culture. As long as our audience shares the same culture, that does not matter. When we write for different audiences, however, the cultural baggage we bring to our writing can create serious problems. In this presentation, Alan Brender will discuss cultural, religious, and frame of reference influences that could cloud our writing for people of other cultures. Included in the discussion will be references to pop culture including fads, sports, slang, television, movies, comic books, and icons of pop culture.

Alan Brender is director of Writing Programs and Temple University Japan and teaches journalism courses there. A regular contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Brender has published more than 2,000 magazine and newspaper articles as well as over 20 books, including Three Crucial Words: An Approach to Teaching Articles, Writing Effective English Resumes, most recently, Chart de wakaru a to an to the: kanshi nabi (Kodansha International).

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