Spanish evening classes and CD language tapes in the car may not be enough when it comes to talking business in Spain, a survey has recently discovered.  And we should not assume that because everyone appears to speak English they actually understand what we are talking about.

Ian Marriott, vice-president and research director at analyst Gartner says: "English is a very complex language and we don't tend to realise that. The way in which we phrase things can have different meanings and it is not something you can fix that easily.

"I have been involved in contract negotiations and when I've reached the end and asked other people if they fully understood and agreed with everything, I've found everyone had a totally different understanding," adds Marriott.

Similar problems can happen when Brits attend meetings abroad.  One company, looking to move into the market in Spain sent a team of workers over who spoke good Spanish.  It was not so much what was being said as how it was put across: "They came back very confused. There was lots of shouting and jumping from point to point without any clear direction."

Spanish meetings may seem chaotic because they do not seem to conform to the way British do business. But different does not necessarily equate to wrong.

The academic theory behind these conflicting attitudes is that some countries: the US, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK, want matters to be highly explicit. These cultures speak a 'low-context language’ and want an agenda and they want to stick it, usually to the letter. But Latin countries, as well as Asian and African do not need everything laid out in this way. These countries speak what is called ‘high context languages’ where a lot of information is assumed.

Whilst the English might find Spanish meetings chaotic and without an agenda, the Spanish find the Brits constant need to make a joke flippant and un-businesslike. Language experts say that the key to putting your case across in an acceptable way is to take the time to make sure everyone understands what the others are saying and respect the cultural differences.

There are one or two obvious ways that native English speakers can help to move things forward. First, business leaders should ditch the clever rhetoric and strive for simplicity. The simple approach works.

"People need to think simply but a lot of people try to communicate in a way that's complex. Sometimes it is done merely to try and demonstrate how clever they are," points out Marriott.

Keep your sentences short and simple: subject, verb and object are all that you need and avoid using colloquialisms, proverbs and idioms. Keep summarising your point to make sure everyone is up to speed and use your eyes. If someone's expression starts to glaze over, stop and check they have understood what you have just said.

But apparently you need to be subtle and sensitive about how you do that. "Don't assume people will interrupt if they do not understand you," observes Marriott, “people may be too proud, embarrassed or perhaps it may be culturally unacceptable to say they did not understand what was said.”

Joking aside

Using humour is a big no-no. "There is an unwritten rule: never tell a joke when there's an international audience. You hear ripples of laughter go around the room for minutes afterwards as different audiences finally get it," says Marriott.

And our addiction to irony only confuses matters further. You might think you are being clever but your Spanish counterpart will probably just be confused.

Staff handbooks and training can help people get over the initial culture shock. "If a middle manager from Barnsley is going to speak to Spaniards, there is no point in getting him to learn Spanish. But what you can do in three days is to get him to understand what is going on linguistically and get him to speak offshore English," says Andrew Matthews, the communications director of  Serendipity Ltd, which trades in Spain.

”Communication is a tricky business - just look at the mess men and women make of it. If UK companies truly want to compete on a world stage, then they are going to have to mind their language and take their skills a bit further than habla inglés,” says Matthews.