Intercultural Communication and Translation News

Don’t ask a tourist’s age or wage, steer clear of sex and avoid religion: what many Chinese consider idle chit-chat has now become the latest area of censure in Beijing as it prepares for an influx of Olympic visitors.

Posters displayed on bulletin boards in the neighborhood which includes tourist magnet the Forbidden City, and which will host Olympics boxing events, counsel locals against a wide range of potentially awkward conversation topics with foreigners.

The list of “eight don’t asks” was issued by the Dongcheng district Propaganda Department as a guide for locals about how to show proper hospitality, a department spokesman said.

“Don’t ask about income or expenses, don’t ask about age, don’t ask about love life or marriage, don’t ask about health, don’t ask about someone’s home or address, don’t ask about personal experience, don’t ask about religious beliefs or political views, don’t ask what someone does,” the Olympics logo stamped poster advises.

Several etiquette guidelines have already been issued in the run-up to the Games, as China prepares to put its best foot forward with a faultless event.

The government has campaigned to curb queue-jumping, spitting, littering and even speaking loudly in public, fearful such behavior could mar Beijing’s image.

Read more >> Olympics 

> Cultural Diversity

Canada is culturally diverse. This goes back to the 1890s when it began inviting people from all over the world to settle in the country to help it develop and grow. Canadian immigration policy was historically open, welcoming and egalitarian in its philosophy. This has also manifest into the psyche of the nation where people are encouraged and to retain their cultural identities, traditions, languages and customs.

> Individuals concerned with the group

Canadians are generally a tolerant, polite and extremely community-oriented people. Although they are individualistic in terms of their basic cultural traits, they nevertheless place a great deal of emphasis on the individual’s responsibility to the community. This is seen as giving balance and a good quality of life.

> Regionalism

Most Canadians have a strong allegiance to their province or region, sometimes more so than to the country. There are some broad differences between regions, which can generally be summed up as follows:

* Atlantic Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland): The people are somewhat reserved and provincial, to the point that they are seen as old-fashioned.
* Ontario: This is the business hub and the people tend to be business-like and conservative.
* Western Canada (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan): The people are open, friendly and relaxed.
* British Colombia: The people are less conventional. This province is often viewed as the Canada of the future.
* Quebec: The French region, has a distinct cultural identity. The people are extremely regionalistic/independent.
* North: The people have a strong pioneer spirit.

Read the full guide >> Canada: Culture & Customs 

Imagine this: You walk into your local Wal-Mart and see a pool filled with live turtles, cages of live chickens, and an aquarium with live fish. Are you in the pet department? No, you’re in the grocery section – these animals are for your dinner!

In Western culture, this would be shocking. You might even see protests, or consumer outrage. But in Eastern cultures, this is typical. Why? Wal-Mart conducted market research before expanding into China, and discovered that people in these cultures don’t like food wrapped in plastic. It gives them the impression that the food is old, and they won’t buy it.

So, Wal-Mart’s solution for the East was the complete opposite of what they do in the West. They decided to sell live animals. As a result, the company has been very successful in Eastern markets.

Read more >> Mind Tools 

Local dishes like “Husband and wife’s lung slice” or “Chicken without sexual life” conjure lots of furrowed eyebrows on famished foreigners.

So, with the Olympics a few short weeks away, China is giving its cuisine a linguistic makeover.

It is proposing that restaurants change the names of exotic, but bizarrely named, delicacies to make them more delectable for the estimated 50,000 visitors arriving in August for the Summer Games.

The appetizer “Husband and wife’s lung slice” is taking on the more appetizing “Beef and ox tripe in chili sauce.”

“Chicken without sexual life” has been transformed into “Steamed pullet.”

The government has put down more than 2,000 proposed names in a 170-page book that it has offered to Beijing hotels, according to state media.

“Thanks to the pamphlet, we do not have to struggle to come up with the English translations of dishes any more, which is usually time consuming,” a senior manager at the four-star Guangzhou Hotel in downtown Beijing told the Xinhua news agency.

Read more >> China

Macedonia on the face of it is still a fairly formal society. This reflects in the rather proper and reserved nature of initial meetings. Within the business context a firm handshake, direct eye contact and the appropriate greeting for the time of day suffices. The hierarchical nature of Macedonians results in an emphasis on rank and position. As a result if people have official, educational or work titles ensure you use them. If you are unsure then simply use Mr or Mrs followed by the surname. Only friends and family address each other with first names. One should always wait for their Macedonian counterparts to determine when it is appropriate to become this informal.

Some useful phrases to make a good initial impression include:

* Good morning. dobro utro
* Good day. dobar den
* Good evening. dobra vecher
* Hello. zdravo
* How are you? kako si?
* I’m fine, thank you. dobro sum, blagodaram

Business cards are exchanged on initial meetings but there is little protocol to follow in their exchange. As a basic courtesy do not write on the card or treat it nonchalantly. If your company/firm has been established a long time (25-50 years) it is a good idea to include the founding date on the card as this gives credibility. Also add any academic qualifications to the card. Translating cards may not always be a necessity but it would certainly impress recipients.

Read more > Doing Business in Macedonia 

What’s the difference between the rising star whose career is picking up speed and his counterpart who can’t seem to get the engine to turn over?

Often, the star has mastered the nuances of business etiquette — the subtle but critical behaviors that can make or break an important meeting, influence a first impression or impress a potential client.

According to Hilka Klinkenberg, director of Etiquette International, a business etiquette firm, the basics of professional etiquette are really quite simple. First, understand the difference between business etiquette and social etiquette. Business etiquette is genderless. For example, the traditional chivalrous etiquette of holding the door open for a woman is not necessary in the workplace and can even have the unintended effect of offending her. In the work environment, men and women are peers.

Second, your guiding principle should always be to treat people with consideration and respect. Although this may seem obvious, Klinkenberg cites this basic decency as a frequent casualty in today’s workplace.

Read more: Etiquette 

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time – redesigning the UN logo to mark the 60th anniversary of the world’s most translated document, the UN Human Rights declaration.

After a long search for a new design, a South African artist was commissioned after the UN decided to ditch its blue and white logo in favour of one which the high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour, believed would have more resonance in the developing world.

The successful design was unveiled in December last year, when the UN launched a year-long promotion for the 60th anniversary, which is to culminate with ceremonies on 10 December. Nobody noticed any particular significance of the orange and amber logo, showing a person with outstretched arms. When the design was unveiled the artist, Yolande Mulke, said: “I think what the UN likes about it is the continuity of using the wreath device from the UN logo and the feeling of peace and welcoming that the man with his arms wide open projects.”

But four months later, after weeks of protests by the amber-robed Buddhist monks in Tibet as China prepares to hold the Beijing Olympics, the UN has been embarrassed by the logo’s distinctive colours which are also those favoured by the Dalai Lama, the symbol of Tibetan resistance. “It’s a complete accident, we had no idea that the colours were those of Tibet,” said a UN official. The problem for the UN – which recognises China as the ruler of Tibet – is that the logo has been chosen to replace the official UN Human Rights one not only throughout this year but on a permanent basis.

Read more > The Independent 

Britons enjoying Spanish holidays in the coastal resort of Mazarron can now benefit from a new translation system.

Typically Spanish reports that Mazarron Town Hall is now offering linguistic assistance for visitors and town residents - 46 per cent of whom are non-natives to Spain - by use of a headset.

The system utilises a mobile phone and two types of headsets which provide a simultaneous translation in a variety of languages, including English, French, German and Arabic.

Read more > Spain 

The Times Online has released their top ten travel websites for business personnel. Guess who comes in at number 4? Yes - Kwintessential!

See the top ten at > Best business travel websites

Rastafarianism is a religious movement born out of the black slums of Jamaica which harnessed the teachings of the Jamaican born black nationalist, Marcus Garvey and conditionally uses selective Old Testament Christian writings to support its teachings and practices. Born in 1887, Garvey’s influence on the poor black slave descendants in Jamaica came to its peak in the 1920’s where his message of encouragement and calling on black people to take pride in themselves won some fanatical supporters. Although historically Marcus Garvey was a political leader interested in making the black race economically equal with the white, in oral tradition he has become a divinely anointed prophet.

With the crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen on November 2nd 1930 in Ethiopia, many believed Garvey’s prediction of a black king crowned in Africa who would be a redeemer and liberator of the dispossessed black race had come to fruition. Makonnen claimed for himself the titles of “Emperor Haile Selassie I, Conquering lion of the tribe of Judah, Elect of God and King of the kings of Ethiopia.” Ethiopia holds great significance to Rastafaris who believe in a coming judgement day when the righteous will be called home to Mount Zion (identified with Africa) to live forever in peace and harmony. Marcus Garvey, although no admirer of Haile Selassie, as he observed that slavery still existed in Ethiopia, continued to be revered by the fanatical Rastafarians despite being a Roman Catholic by birth who never spoke out explicitly to support the growing movement.

Read more > Rastafarianism