We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Reading Ease of Bilingual Annual Reports.
- Authors
Courtis, John K.; Hassan, Salleh
- Abstract
This is the first bilingual readability study reporting on different language versions of narrative disclosures within corporate annual reports. Specifically, the study examines reading ease between the English and Chinese versions of 65 corporate annual reports in Hong Kong and the English and Malay versions of 53 annual reports in Malaysia. The same passages from the Chairman's Address in both languages were scored using Flesch and Yang formulas for Hong Kong and Flesch and Yunus formulas for Malaysia. Results provide some tentative impression that the indigenous language version is easier to read than the English-written counterparts. In addition, evidence suggested that the English passages in Malaysian annual reports are easier to read than the English passages in Hong Kong annual reports. Taken overall, the results suggest that different language versions could produce different reading behaviour and may have resource allocation decision-making implications.
- Subjects
MALAYSIA; CHINA; READABILITY (Literary style); BILINGUALISM; CORPORATION reports; BILINGUAL communication in organizations; ORGANIZATIONAL communication; RESOURCE allocation; DECISION making; LITERATURE translations
- Publication
Journal of Business Communication, 2002, Vol 39, Issue 4, p394
- ISSN
0021-9436
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/002194360203900401