Recently, the tasks of interpreters and cultural mediators have been overlapping in many fields. Interpreters convey not only information, but also elements of a culture. After all, language is an inseparable component of culture. In France, Italy and parts of Germany, the terms “interpreter”, “cultural mediator” and “intercultural mediator” may overlap or even be interchangeable. However, in some healthcare fields, these tasks are kept strictly separate but complement each other. For example, in the Irish medical system, the tasks differ very distinctly. But is it possible to deliver comprehensive information without considering cultural differences? We don’t always understand each other at the workplace. We are involved with people we know personally, who move within the same culture, and who speak our language. During business negotiations between two companies, the interpreter points out the cultural features, clarifies customs, indicates the building blocks of correct behavior, and interprets greetings, signs, and expressions of thanks and confidence. Cultural differences are found in speech, in formulating a request, an instruction or a critique, and extend all the way to differences in thought, conversational techniques and negotiation tactics. The interpreter must often be able to explain elements of the foreign culture in order to create successful communication. In the end, these elements may cause misunderstanding in the listener, or evoke negative reactions. Why a cultural mediator? Many think of interpreters as parrots that just repeat words in a different language. This doesn’t account for the fact that an interpreter actually conveys a meaning, a thought, from another culture into the culture of the target language. In his speech, he must factor in cultural features that may cause misunderstandings or even conflicts. These may arise even before business negotiations — such as when the cultures understand time differently. An American always arrives at a meeting on time. But a Spaniard? A half-hour delay isn’t unusual. Our article on faux pas will go into these differences more intensively. To show the influence a culture has on vocabulary, we point to Slovakia as an example. The Slovak language distinguishes between citizenship and nationality — why would this be? Do you know the difference? Citizenship is affiliation with a government. It describes the relationship between the individual and the state. This word is expressed in English as nationality and in Spanish as nacionalidad. Nationality is membership in a nation, a tribe, so to speak. In Spanish, the term nacionalidad is used for this, also. At the time when Czechoslovakia existed, members of two nations lived in one country — Slovaks and Czechs. But both were also citizens of the Czechoslovak state. These experiences affected their view of the world. Countries like France or Spain know only one concept — state citizenship. But what does a translator do when a legal text calls for the word nacionalidad to be translated into Slovak? Does he translate it as citizenship or nationality? He has to convey the concept from a language that doesn’t make this distinction. He therefore has no appropriate term for this. Even legal experts don’t agree in this realm. One of the first cultural mediators Maybe you’ve already heard of her. She was called Doña Marina, and she accompanied the conquistador Cortés in his exploration of the New World. Today she is spoken of as the first interpreter. As a woman, however, she was given little importance, and there is little information about her. She was a mediator in discussions with Native Americans who spoke Nahuatl. She started by interpreting into the Mayan language, and another interpreter conveyed her words to Cortés in Spanish. She is considered to be the first cultural mediator — and after all, the cultures of Spain and the Americas differed considerably. Malinche, as she was also called, interpreted from a language that is known for its juxtaposition of two or even three metaphors. Two to three sentences were needed to express one thought. For example, if one says in Spanish, “The king is dead”, the sentence might be expressed in Nahuatl as, “The king is dead, deceased, gone”. She expertly knew her way around the linguistic differences. So, despite the cultural gap and differing perceptions, communication in the New World went successfully. Interpreters in business In business, interpreters are now indispensable as intercultural mediators. They are part of negotiations, meetings and business travel. Many international companies employ their own interpreters and translators. Smaller companies engage external providers. However, in business, this can be a trap for many companies. They don’t put enough trust in someone they don’t know. For the company, there is potential danger in revealing their business plans to an interpreter who needs to prepare himself. This is why many companies do not bring in interpreting services, but use internal employees with enough language knowledge to serve as interpreters. But not everyone can come up with a substitute with adequate language skills for each situation. Negotiations are not only encounters between representatives of companies, but between different cultures. There are different modes of thinking and understanding of concepts. Interpreters and “false friends” in healthcare As mentioned at the beginning, in Irish healthcare, the tasks of an interpreter and a mediator are not identical. Moreover, the profession of interpreter is not legally specified — any family member, including children, friends and the cleaning lady, can perform the task. It is enough that communication can occur. It is exactly the opposite in the United States: There, a foreigner in the healthcare system has the right to a professional interpreter. Often, there is no awareness of the risk to both sides. In such a situation, it must be ensured that the communicator is aware of what are called false friends. These are words that sound similar in both languages but have completely different meanings. Maybe you’ve already heard of the tragic case of Willie Ramirez, a basketball player in Florida. When he was brought to the hospital, he was already in a coma. His family member told the interpreter that he was “intoxicado”, which in Cuban Spanish means
CHALLENGES WHEN TRANSLATING CAD DIAGRAMS
Part of DTP localization includes working with a wide range of software The policy of our translation agency is to accommodate our customers as much as possible in the field of software processing. In short, this means that what the client sends us for translation is exactly what we return to them. This is carried out to the same quality, usually even better (e.g. with scanned, faxed or older documents). We address the challenging task of translating documents created with CAD systems below. The translation of documents created with any CAD program could be described as the nightmare of any DTP employee involved in localization. Whether it’s for project planning, drawing or modelling, creating documents with CAD (computer-aided-design) covers a very wide range of activities. This may include, for example, different types of software, software extensions, plug-ins, 2D or 3D graphics, working with objects, embedded tables, illustrations or links to other drawings or documents. CAD systems no longer have much in common with traditional DTP software (InDesign, FrameMaker, etc.), not least because localization work with DTP is primarily focused on text formatting. Our biggest obstacle is exporting the text to be translated in such a way that it can be processed with the required CAT tool. There are not many ways to do this. As a result, we have only managed to find a more or less practicable method over time. Here, we rely on very useful software that literally splits a dxf file into a text part and a data part and can “merge” this file into a usable dxf file again once the translation is complete. Working with such a txt file (a tagged txt file that is created after the export) is still a complicated process and a large number of “locked” segments are created. The reconversion does not allow any data to be changed or deleted (except for the translation, of course). Otherwise, it would not be possible to reconvert the file. However, even this procedure does not guarantee that all the texts to be translated will actually properly “go through” the conversion process. It is therefore essential that the source text and the resulting text undergo a visual examination. At the same time, inverted texts are also output during the process that are not visible in the scheme itself. We do not touch such texts in our work. We could remove these texts at this point. We do not, however, process them any further, in order to avoid completely mixing up the structure of the document (and we really don’t want that). During the drawing and project planning itself, it is rarely expected that the document will eventually be processed, i.e. translated, externally. DWG/DXF files are often too complicated and intricate and the range of programs used to create them is too wide. And here we face another challenge, the problem of compatibility. As mentioned above, there are many CAD programs. For example: AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, DraftSight, IntelliCAD, TurboCAD, ZWCAD, CATIA, Solid Edge and OrCAD. Each program has a special feature making it specific and unique. We obviously do not have all of these programs and certainly cannot be experts in each of them. AutoCAD from Autodesk is without doubt the market leader. It is also, however, the price leader (if the scaled-down light version is not considered). This is why we chose the ZWCAD program, which is more cost-effective and relatively compatible. It goes without saying that we cannot select the program that was used to create the source file, but that wouldn’t be necessary either. In light of all of the circumstances mentioned above, we cannot avoid converting and splitting documents when processing them, which at times may even prove extensive, in order to create the required text and achieve the desired effect. In the end, however, there may be instances where we cannot process CAD documents as desired. In such cases, we can offer the translation of a PDF document as an alternative, provided that the customer can use the PDF format as the result format. This presupposes the fact that the customer is not required to further edit and modify the file.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS AND THE COMPANY’S CODE OF ETHICS
At Tetras Translations, a company with an international clientele, we try to act pro-socially every day, both toward our customers and toward each other.Generally speaking, few employees can describe terms such as ethics or code of ethics.Today, every profession requires the observance of many laws, standards, and regulations applicable to its performance.This mainly involves technical, economic, operational, and labor law areas.In the area of ethical conduct, the law does not stipulate hard and fast rules … In the past, members of a particular profession have evolved established patterns of behavior in a natural manner.Gradually, many of them were also written down, into a “code of ethics”.All members of a particular profession were required to become acquainted with it and to obey it (guilds).Today’s companies take their own approach to implementing moral principles into their work.Many of them rely merely on employees having learned proper and ethical behavior as part of their education and upbringing.We rarely encounter the implementation of a sophisticated code of ethics at a particular company and its real-life practical application.Codes of ethics contain principles of ethical behavior that apply to the entire entity.The current situation regarding the application of ethical and moral principles in business is unsatisfactory.The predatory nature of a company that focuses chiefly on profits and consumption leads many workers to forget the moral and ethical principles of communication and behavior of their vocation.As a result, relationships between the company and its customers are also disrupted.People became used to not trusting each other in verbal communication, which is why they require a written agreement declared in applicable laws.This is precisely why it is important that companies, which depend on their good name, directly or indirectly, insist that their employees behave ethically.The result is eventually reflected in business results and a good reputation with clients, and becomes a natural marketing tool that attracts new customers.For this reason, it is useful for everyone to identify with the idea of ethical behavior in society.By developing a code of ethics and adhering to it, you will be able to improve and enhance your corporate culture. Code of Ethics The Code is an expression of ideal behavior and adherence to principles within a particular type of profession.Its written version contains orders, prohibitions, and recommendations for professional conduct, in prescribed form.It is a plan to perform tasks in a particular vocation, as well as instructions on how to for example behave in a given situation and in professional relationships.It serves as a measure for the evaluation of the actions of those working in a particular profession.When creating a code of ethics, one should not forget that every profession affects a person’s life.An important aim in adopting a code of ethics is to protect the rights of both the company’s customers and its employees.Individual points must not conflict with generally applicable laws and general ethical standards in the given country’s society.If the principles of the Code of Ethics are breached, the Ethics Committee will resolve any infringement of individual standards in accordance with predetermined sanctions. The UN Global Compact and the Code of Ethics The predecessor of the Global Compact are the Caux Round Table Principles, which were adopted in 1994 in Switzerland.It was the first set of business ethics rules based on the ideal of human dignity and the ideal of kyosei.This set of rules was developed by business leaders from Europe, Japan, and the US.These principles were then used to create the UN Global Compact.This UN initiative provides unlimited opportunity for discussion, change, and sharing of ideas.In individual countries, participants are creating solutions and contributing to the overall vision of the UN Global Compact.New incentives and basic rules are updated in the Memorandum of Understanding at https://www.globalcompact.de/wAssets/docs/Deutsches-Netzwerk/MOU_2014_Germany-Signed.pdf. Companies that have signed the UN Global Compact have had to adopt a code of ethics, a set of core values in the fields of human rights, working standards, the environment, and anti-corruption, in their sphere of influence.Here are examples of some major companies operating in an advanced economy:Aldi Süd, Deutsche Börse, Deutsche Telekom, Hochtief, Nestlé, SAP, and many others.Industrial companies in the energy sector and coal producers also support the demands of the Global Compact, including Siemens, EnBW, and E.ON.All of these companies have their code of ethics and the UN Global Compact available on their website. Ethics and Tetras A company that wants to be successful and remain in business over the long term should institute a code of ethics.It follows from the UN Global Compact that a code of ethics is a basic document declaring professional business ethics.Tetras Translations is fully aware of the importance of a code of ethics.This is precisely why the our code of ethics will be on our website in the near future.In this day and age, it is not only a description, but also a practical guarantee of and support for business success.Wherever employees and customers feel satisfied, there is a strong likelihood that the company will still be around a very long time from now. The question of moral conflict was described succinctly by Mahatma Gandhi: “Doing a thing we are afraid of is the first step to success.”
WHISPERED INTERPRETING
For some, it is simply strange; whereas for others, perverse enough. Still, whispered interpreting is a popular and cost-effective interpreting technique. Have you heard about it yet? In general, two main interpreting modes are acknowledged – consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. In consecutive interpreting, the interpreter starts interpreting when the speaker stops and lets him do so. It is quite time-consuming. On the other hand, in simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker, 2-3 seconds behind. This is possible thanks to specialized technical equipment, especially headsets, microphones, and interpreting booths. So, the costs are higher. Whispered interpreting means that the interpreter interprets in whispers simultaneously or consecutively directly into the ear of the delegate. Somewhere within Cortés and Nuremberg trials Interpreters were very appreciated in ancient Egypt, Babylon and other territories where people from different cultures, ethnic and language groups lived together. They facilitated communication in the spheres of trading, army, diplomacy, and religion. Neither headsets nor microphones were known by pharaoh Horemheb or conquistador Hernan Cortes in their times. Dialogs might have been interpreted sentence-by-sentence or in short stretches. Gradually, the vision of the interpreter as a profession significantly changed. During the 20s, ethics did not allow the interpreter to interrupt the speaker. The speech might have taken two hours. A properly trained memory and a special note-taking technique represented their tools. And when there was no paper left, they used the sleeves of their shirts to help. Only in the Nuremberg trials was the first simultaneous interpreting as we know today used. And yet, during the period up to the origin of simultaneous interpreting, whispered interpreting had been started to be used. Whispered interpreting – when, where and why Whispered interpreting or whispering is the technique also called chuchotage, from French. The interpreter whispers into the ear of the delegate. Let me give you an example. If there is a conference in Slovakia and the participants speak English, simultaneous interpreting is booked. Two professional interpreters and the necessary technical equipment are hired. One of the participants is from Spain and does not understand English. Therefore, the organizers hire a professional interpreter to do whispered interpreting. The interpreter is seated behind or next to the Spanish speaking participant at the conference. He leans to the delegate and whispers directly into his ear. This way, the information is transferred. Most often whispered interpreting is used exactly because it is cost-effective for the client. It would be useless to hire two more interpreters (there are two in every booth who switch) who would interpret for only one participant. Whispered interpreting is used not only during conferences, but also in community interpreting – during court proceedings, prosecutions, by authorities, by police officers, in hospitals – or in cinema and theatre. Many consider it to be only a subtype of simultaneous interpreting. Yet the United Nations Organization and European Union acknowledge it as one of the main types of conference interpreting. It is a technique that is also recognized and employed by the Directorate-General for Interpreting and European Parliament. However, it is quite interesting that whispered interpreting is not taught during the studies of future professional interpreters. Study plans include the two, according to some, main modes mentioned – simultaneous and consecutive interpreting – but the students have to cope with chuchotage on their own. Translation and interpreting agencies offer simultaneous and also consecutive (segment-by-segment) interpreting. Some theoreticians agree that whispered interpreting is different enough to constitute a mode of its own, as the interpreter: interprets in whispers directly into the ear, sits in the audience, has no time to do note-taking, has no place for dictionaries or other materials, has no technical equipment. Whispered interpreting also demands special skills. There is no soundproof barrier between the whispering interpreter and other participants. Just as the audience could disturb the interpreter, the interpreter could be disturbing. It happens quite often that the audience does „psssssst“ quite loudly to quieten the interpreter. In some cases, it is impossible to separate the target audience from the non-target one. Whispered interpreting in real life I remember my first experience with whispered interpreting quite well. When I leaned towards my friend in the operating room, she stopped looking at the doctor and looked at me with her eyes saying, Why are you whispering into my ear? She was confused and did not know whether to listen to me or the doctor, although she did not understand him. The doctor seemed to be confused, too. There was a moment when my friend and I were looking at each other and did not pay attention to him. My friend expected that I would start talking after the doctor stopped, as she saw it in movies. Finally, everything was ok. Something similar happened to my friend at a conference. She was the interpreter seated next to the Spanish participant and provided whispered interpreting. After about ten minutes, the Spaniard turned to her and asked where the technique was taught, how she can do it, and how it is possible to do it so fluently etc. She was more interested in whispered interpreting than the theme of the conference. The interpreter smiled a little, finished interpreting and the chuchotage theme was discussed after the event. Not every interpreter is willing to do whispered interpreting. Interpreting itself is one of the most physically and mentally challenging professions. Moreover, imagine you have to whisper for two hours, and have others gaze at you as you disturb them. Let´s respect the work of people in our surroundings, and do not be afraid when one day somebody would like to whisper directly into your ear.
SWORN TRANSLATOR
In the course of our longstanding practice in the field of technical translation, we have come across many interesting issues. Because the world is opening up, national borders are gradually disappearing. However, every country has its own laws that must be obeyed – this is where translation services are required. It is a difficult process to translate official documents into the respective target language. Errors or minor changes in expressions may have disastrous consequences. And, of course, the translation content should be faithful, transparent and in accordance with all special requirements and regulations. That is why it is safer to ask a translation service provider or sworn translator to do the translation. It is important to invest the money necessary to obtain a high-quality translation. Official translations are high-risk and sensitive not only for the individual but also for every company involved. The role of the sworn translator is to do a proper official translation of the official documents, certificates, securities and other regulations, provisional accounts, tax returns, audits and other types of documents. The prerequisite for good results is to handle basic legal terminology and apply knowledge of legal systems and trials. In addition, it is necessary to have practical experience in the legal field. And of course to have a degree in the language or languages into which one translates is a MUST. Taking into account financial costs and time, it is not easy to become a sworn translator but only they have the right to have the stamp put on the translation. The specific requirements for sworn translators differ according to the legal systems of the countries. Different requirements for sworn translators What is the system of sworn translators in the European Union? During the institutionalization of the European Union, it was challenging to incorporate the EU into the membership of international organizations. The main problem was the absence of a legal personality. Only the Lisbon Treaty changed opinions about legal autonomy, as it removed any doubts about the fact that the EU is an entity that possesses a legal identity. According to the data of the European Commission “the services provided by sworn translators are organized differently in every member state with individual professional frameworks (heterogeneous systems and practices). The difference is caused by the existence of civil and common law. In Great Britain and Ireland the profession of a sworn translator is not regulated while in the countries with civil law such as Spain and Greece, there are various rules concerning the access and work conditions if talking about the status, charges or qualifications.” The registers of sworn translators are available in national databases of translators but these are not created in every member state. In the following text, we explain how the system of sworn translators works in Spain (civil law), Italy (common law) and the United Kingdom (common law). No single database of sworn translators Spain, with its civil law system, is characterized by the absence of specific regulations concerning sworn translators, although the right to have an interpreter or translator is stated in their criminal law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has the authority to grant certification to sworn translators who then are authorized to do sworn translations. Due to the fact that there is no single national database of sworn translators in Spain, the list of the persons who have passed the examinations for sworn translators is published on a regular basis by the Language Interpretation Office. Another possibility to become eligible for sworn translation is to study Translation and Interpretation at a university that could provide the student with the necessary extra credits. But this system did not work. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation follows market demand and the exams are offered only to translators whose language combination is needed. Time-consuming job of a sworn translator There is a completely different situation in Italy. The whole process is very time-consuming and sometimes even more expensive than in other countries. Why? The sworn translator must personally bring the original text and its translation (or an authenticated copy of it) to the court. In addition to that, they bring the sworn translation report stating that the translation has been executed “correctly and faithfully… for the sole purpose of ascertaining the truth”. By signing the report, the translator accepts official civil and penal responsibility for the translation. The signature and date must be written in the presence of a Court officer or Justice of the Peace. The translated document can only be legally used in Italy after legalization. Legalization certifies the origin and status of those who have signed the document. In practice, the notary official countersigns the report of the oath of the translator. Sworn translations without sworn translators And what about the United Kingdom? Most of the clients in the market for translation services still believe that professional translators must be certified or sworn to be able to process their translation faithfully. However, the common law system in the United Kingdom does not use the sworn concept. In spite of that, there are circumstances when certified translations are needed, such as when required by public authorities. The job of the sworn translator does not influence the quality, it serves instead to identify translator and his or her qualification, since ultimately the translator is the only one responsible for the translation. If the translation is identified as sworn, the lawyer (or notary in Scotland) does not verify the quality of the translation but rather it is enough that the identity of the translator is sufficiently verified. Yet the certification reinforces the importance and credibility of the translated text. If the document was intentionally mistranslated or carelessly translated, the translator would be accused of contempt of court, perjury or negligence. The Institute of Translation and Interpreting is the association for translators and interpreters with the appropriate linguistic and technical skills. The members of the association are considered to be sufficiently qualified and have the right to verify their translations. Apostille Don’t forget that… For translations to be
SCAMMERS IN THE WORLD OF TRANSLATION. REALLY?!
Tetras Translations has its own database of translators we work with. Before translators are accepted into this database, they naturally have to meet certain requirements. This involves verifying the translator’s skills and language knowledge with a test translation. “What day do I get paid on?” Payment for a test translation? “For every translation, I want you to pay 50 percent on delivery and the rest in a week.” Without the slightest trace of courtesy, Ms. (or as we later found out, Mr.) Ewa Madsen began sending e-mails about payment conditions. This is very suspicious behavior. So we decided to investigate the whole thing and find out more about Ewa Madsen from available sources. The first search result took us to Twitter. It said the following: “Translation scammer – Ewa Madsen – forged résumé – ewa0madsen9@hotmail.com.” We recognized her from her e-mail address and immediately ceased contact. On Twitter https://twitter.com/tsdirectory/status/726834363179110400 we also discovered other translation scammers who use phony names or assume the identities of real translators. They do not bother creating their own résumé, but just steal ones that are available online. Why? Their objective is to take work away from translators, ruin their reputations with a bad translation or a machine translation, and laugh their way to the bank. Most of them set up free e-mail addresses and “accept payment only through PayPal”. SCAMMERS OR REAL TRANSLATORS? Out of curiosity, we compared our whole database with the database on Twitter. This yielded five matches for translator names (the e-mail addresses differed). We decided to inform the affected parties using their real e-mail addresses in our database. They already knew that someone had stolen their résumé. On the portal, one translator even cited her communication (http://www.translator-scammers.com/images/scammer-500usd.jpg), which also contained the reaction of the scammer after she contacted them. A Finnish translator wrote us the following: “And yes, other companies have also alerted me to the fact that scammers are trying to make money in my name. It’s sad, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” The translators feel that they cannot protect themselves, because misuse of résumés is not a criminal offense. So what can translation agencies do to prevent swindlers from doing damage to real translators? THAT IS A TRANSLATION SCAMMER Thanks to the Translator Scammers Directory (http://www.translator-scammers.com/translator-scammers-directory.htm), any translation agency can uncover translation scammers. They have various common characteristics: Free e-mail addresses: Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, etc. One résumé — several e-mail addresses Translation in both directions Poor English, despite always e-mailing in English Phony address Phony profiles on translator portals Payment only through PayPal Contradictory information and varying fonts within the very same résumé A perfect specialist with maximum experience and a convincing practice SCAMMERS DO NOT WANT TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION Translation scammers are trying to refine their tactics. They attach résumés to phony profiles on ProZ.com and TranslatorsCafe.com, they constantly set up new free-of-charge e-mail addresses, but they do not want to be the center of attention. Translators and translation agencies should therefore use the option to publish the e-mail addresses, false résumés and/or phony names of scammers, or to verify identity through a video conversation on Skype. We would like to thank the portal Translator Scammer Directory for their efforts to “uncover the (falsified or true) identities of scammers and to damage or disrupt their activity to the greatest possible extent” and for maintaining the registry. EVERY DAY A NEW SCAMMER OR SPAMMER They are motivated and cannot be stopped. If they are discovered, they assume a new name, steal new information and set up a new e-mail account. Dozens of spammers with falsified résumés fill our e-mail box every day. We already know their tricks. We successfully filter unwanted e-mails out. This problem affects us all. Direct clients get catastrophic translations from scammers, agencies lose money on retranslations, and translators wind up in the registry of translation scammers. TETRAS AND THE TRICKSTERS In this case the strict criteria set forth in ISO 17100 for confirmation of translators are a wakeup call against any thought of superfluousness, intricacy or absurdity. Thanks to it, we work only with trustworthy people, just like any agency that complies with the procedures of the aforementioned standard. And how can customers protect themselves? By entrusting their translations to certified translation agencies. This is how to prevent problems with poor-quality translations and loss of money paid for translations that are not delivered. It hits the translators harder. They do not have many options for protecting themselves. How can you protect yourself from theft? You can follow the scammer lists and if you find your own name, draw attention to your own profile and publish the scammers’ e-mail addresses. Point things out, publish, and spread awareness of this problem! Uncover fraud right at the beginning, so that the scammer has no room to operate. We currently see this as the best way to fight it.
A FAUX PAS IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
In our years of work in the translation industry, we have constantly been in contact with customers abroad. In this article, we will concentrate on one faux pas that can sometimes happen within a few seconds, but can affect you or the reputation of your company for many years. Imagine that you have a crucial meeting coming up with a potential business partner. You thoroughly prepare yourself, collect documentation, put together a creative presentation, take care to convey a good overall image, go over what you’ve been able to find out about the potential business partner, and you think everything will come off without a hitch. Suddenly the door opens, and your potential FOREIGN business partner from Saudi Arabia walks in. A smiling manager in an inappropriately short skirt greets him with a gift — a bottle of 90-proof whiskey. Do you still think preparing the content is all it takes for a successful business meeting — and that you can ignore the cultural differences? Well, you can’t. We always have to think globally. At such negotiations, it’s best not to have a woman in risqué clothing hand over a present that violates the guest’s cultural conventions. Just as every country has different laws, each one also has a different code of business conduct. A misstep can be avoided if we pay strong attention to the roles for correct behavior and appearance. Otherwise, your business partner will think that you are frivolous and disreputable. The first seconds of communication are always crucial. This is the exact moment when we set the basic tone for the whole meeting. As they say, there’s no second chance to make a good impression. So do not miss your chance to make a perfect impression the first time! And how do you make sure not to flub your business communication? When first entering a foreign market, we shouldn’t just discover market opportunities, but also get to know the cultural taboos and trade practices of the given country. As they always say: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” In Japan, businesspeople do not shake hands. Upon greeting, they make a deep bow, and they reflect a long time during negotiations. Traditions play an important role in this culture — this also includes climbing the career ladder and the social position of older members of the company. Americans go by the good old slogan, “Time is money.” They like punctuality and avoid superfluous, meaningless conversations. Germans are well known for their precision and perfectionism. They adhere to strict etiquette during meetings and love punctuality. We classify the British among the more conservative nations. They are distinguished by their discipline and precision. For negotiations, they will not consider any language other than English. To a certain extent, business negotiations with Italians and Spaniards tend to be loud, long and loaded with gesticulation. Meetings in the early hours are out of the question, and in the summer you should expect a siesta in the afternoon. The French are tough businesspeople. Their company’s system must function, and they expect the same from their business partners. They consider lunch or dinner to be part of negotiations. What the French can’t stand is lack of preparation. If you’re not prepared for a negotiation, it will come to a merciless end. And what about Middle Eastern countries? Never discuss politics, religion or the family with people from these countries. During negotiations with small companies, the presence of women is neither appropriate nor desirable. Their customs should be consistently observed — especially the ban on eating pork and drinking alcohol. In Russia, on the other hand, it is not a good idea to refuse vodka if offered. It would be like refusing a handshake. Believe it or not, there are many things we routinely do that are seen as a sign of disrespect in other parts of the world. Even Singapore is a country full of bans, instructions and limitations. It is not only forbidden to eat and drink in the subway, but even at the railway station. If you are in Saudi Arabia, and you do not want to spend time in jail for violating the fast, do not eat in public during the month of Ramadan. And in many parts of Asia, it is a severe insult to your host if you stand up from a set table.
THE POWERFUL TOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Many people can’t believe that the most important aspect of interpersonal communication is neither the spoken nor the written word, but the impression we give during communication. Have you ever wondered how we express our thoughts or how people nearby perceive us? What the eyes can detect and no alert observer misses is body language. In many cases, it unintentionally betrays more than we would like about our views, feelings and general nature. Therefore, communication is not really just about words and content. Various studies have shown that only 7 percent of the information we perceive is conveyed by words. Another 25 percent comes from the sound and tone of voice, and a full 68 percent from nonverbal communication: This includes facial expression, gestures and eye movements, touch (haptics), position in space (proxemics), the statement of posture (posturology), how a person deals with time (chronemics), or features of handwriting (graphology). And how does body language work in business? Nonverbal gestures can greatly influence our work life. This generally happens in the following two situations: On the one hand, when nonverbal communication brings business negotiations to a positive conclusion. On the other hand, when nonverbal communication triggers embarrassing situations or causes a faux pas or humiliation. This kind of faux pas or humiliation reveals to our business partner that we lack preparation, are not aware of customs and traditions, are not observing the law or are not interested. If we are not able to notice important information about our business partners, it often leads to a premature end of business talks and sometimes damage to the company’s reputation. The wrong nonverbal communication can expose all of our weaknesses. And that is one more reason why we should not pay attention only to our words, but especially to our mannerisms. Body language mercilessly betrays our secrets. We need to be aware that body language can vary from person to person and among different cultures and nationalities. If we want to get to know someone better, we shouldn’t rely on our first impression, but must know how to interpret the signals with additional issues. We all know the feeling: We are trying to explain something to someone, but the person’s thoughts are somewhere else. If you know body language, you can read a person almost like a book.
