Online travel booking has become an international trend. New research from multilingual search engine optimisation (SEO) company Oban Multilingual confirms that most people from all over the world book their travel tickets online.
People from over 40 different countries took part in Oban’s Face of Global Search competition, which ventured to uncover trends in their online travel search behaviour.
Ninety-nine percent of the entrants said they have booked holidays online. The majority of entrants (19 percent) book holiday tickets online once a year. Only slightly fewer respondents said they book online two and three times per year, at 13 and 11 percent respectively. The remaining entrants said they book online four, five and even more times per year.
“This reflects the fact that globally, people are becoming increasingly familiar with booking their travel online,” says Greig Holbrook, international SEO expert at Oban. “It’s a big change from last year, when people everywhere, but particularly overseas, were less trusting of the internet because of fraud concerns.”
Read more > Oban
Microsoft has announced the addition of new translation technology to its search and instant messaging services.
Users can now access Microsoft’s translation offerings through the Live Search, Internet Explorer 8, the Windows Live Toolbar and Windows Live Messenger applications, the company said in a post on the Live Search blog.
Maasai warrior Lempuris Lalasho went to Kenya’s tourist haven Mombasa to find a white woman to marry, but he ended up working as a hairdresser, a profession that is taboo in his culture.
His story opens a window on the strains faced by this ancient tribe as it adjusts to modern life in east Africa’s largest economy, whose Indian Ocean beaches lure thousands of tourists, including women seeking sex.
Maasai warriors, or moran, are a familiar sight on Kenya’s beaches and in its renowned safari parks — dressed in distinctive red robes and wearing beaded jewellery, they often act as guides or work in security.
But sometimes, the eager young men who flock to the coast hoping to make their fortunes — some with dreams of marrying a white tourist — have to go against their traditions.
Lalasho’s status as a moran means he is charged with protecting and providing for his people, and it makes his transgression all the more serious.
Maasai warriors are not allowed to touch a woman’s head: it is regarded as demeaning in the patriarchal culture. Moran who become hairdressers risk a curse from the elders, or could even be expelled from the community.
A true story: when a US telecoms giant decided to replace its manager in Thailand several years ago, it chose an ABC - American-born Chinese - in the belief he would be more culturally attuned to doing business in Asia.
He was not shy about telling his colleagues how to behave and one evening berated a couple of European rivals who had been caught engaged in financial shenanigans.
They decided to play a joke on the new arrival. They told their driver to follow him and tell him he was going to be killed. A crude jest, but the young manager was panicked into ringing his head office saying his life was in danger.
The head office told him to stay calm, stick to the business district and take precautions.
What they did not tell him was that they had hired a security firm that uses ex-CIA agents - at some considerable cost - to watch his back.
When the security outfit made its report to the conglomerate a week or so later, it turned out the first-time-in-Asia manager was doing lots of cultural homework - spending every night in at least one bordello. His career wilted.
The conglomerate had made a mistake. The manager may have been competent, but - appearances notwithstanding - showed no special talent or experience for operating in Asia.
Google looks set to launch a beta test of a document translation service, a new move in the company’s efforts to break down language barriers.
With the service, the company will connect people who need documents translated with humans who will be paid to do so, according to the Google Translation Center information page. The site was spotted by sharp eyes at the Google Blogoscoped blog.
“Google Translation Center is the fast and easy way to get translations for your content. Simply upload your document, choose your translation language, and choose from our registry of professional and volunteer translators. If a translator accepts, you should receive your translated content back as soon as it’s ready,” the site said.
Google prefers to rely on computer algorithms rather than humans, so at first glance the Google Translation Center looks somewhat anomalous, even though Google is only playing a middleman role. But it’s possible that the human translators might be gradually improving Google’s machine translation technology as they work, in effect helping to put themselves out of a job.
Commerce has historically been a force for cultural cross-pollination. From Marco Polo’s tales of the Chinese court to the CocaColanisation of the world by American exporters, the flow of trade has promoted cultural insight and understanding between the people of the world.
Today business is more international than ever before, with not only goods but business processes and IT systems effortlessly crossing national and continental borders.
But the globalisation seen in the past two decades has been so rapid and on such a scale that the concomitant cultural familiarisation has been unable to keep pace. While technological developments have overcome the geographical distances between workers on different sides of the planet, in many cases the cultural distance is still pronounced.
And that has a genuine impact on performance. Not only is a lot of communication lost if the subtleties of intonation and reference in speech are not understood, it is also nigh-on impossible to manage individuals without understanding their attitudes towards work, towards each other and towards their managers.
The level of globalisation seen in the last 20 years is not going to go away. Companies need to operate worldwide businesses, and they will continue to do so. Because so many multinational companies receive substantial revenues outside their home country, they cannot withdraw their current management, operations and resources without huge consequences. Substantial planning and structural changes are necessary before such decisions can be made.
In the short term, some companies might retrench and repatriate their people early. But with the current economic downturn, there may be no job opportunities back home! Other companies may choose to move their people out of ‘risky’ areas and relocate them to perceptibly ’safer havens’.
Twenty years ago employees were expatriated primarily to export their knowledge and skills to other countries. In today’s environment, fewer expatriates are needed because companies have built up capabilities in production, marketing, technology, and management, to serve a global network which no longer has a specific home location.
As a result, the number of expatriates represents the core number of employees needed to support globalisation on a worldwide basis. Terrorist threats will not change the need for the development, exchange, and placement of key personnel globally.
The argument for increased intercultural understanding has never been greater. Working successfully in/or managing multicultural teams is a growing focus, along with long-distance management and effective communication strategies.
Regional Language Network (RLN) London has launched a toolkit to share motivating activities and ideas with businesses and schools interested in working in partnership to encourage language learning.
The toolkit includes samples of activities carried out by recognised Business Language Champions, together with supporting materials and advice which can help in building long-term partnerships between schools and businesses.
The toolkit is the latest addition to the Business Languages Champions programme, which highlights the value of language skills in the workplace for young people. The programme recently earned praise from Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who invited a group of pupils and teachers from Hornsey School for Girls in North London to meet with him to share their experience of working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Business Language Champions organiser, Pinky Sidhu, said ‘With our toolkit and future activities we expect to inspire and motivate more and more partners to get involved and make a difference.
Neil in action at the recent International Horseback Archery Championships in Sokcho, Korea
A leading expert in language and cross cultural issues, Neil Payne of Kwintessential, is translating his skills in a new international arena by representing the UK in the first ever European Championship of Horse Archers taking place next week in Germany.
The event brings together horse archery enthusiasts from all over Europe and as far a field as Korea, Japan and Mongolia to compete, share information, network and build a strong international brand for the sport, the history of which goes back to Mongolian steppes and early warfare.
Somerset based Kwintessential is a main sponsor of the European Open Championship of Horse Archers with Neil Payne, managing director, acting as advisor for intercultural affairs.
Neil, chairman of the British Horseback Archery Association is a keen horseback archer and recently returned from participating in the 2008 World Championships in South Korea. He is thrilled that Horse Archery is being recognised now on a competitive European stage.
Neil explains: “The European Open Championship is a real cross cultural event and I have been able to offer mine and Kwintessential’s specialisation in intercultural awareness training and translation to ensure clear communications in the organisation leading up to and during the Championship.
“Horseback archery is a highly exciting and thrilling participative and visual sport.I am delighted to be actively involved both on and off the field to help ensure this first Championship is a resounding success.”
Horseback Archery is widely regarded an art, rather than a skill or merely a sport. Whereas horseback archers in Asian countries, e.g. Koreans, Mongolians and Japanese, have guarded their initial tradition well over centuries, Horseback Archery in Europe is a melting-pot of various techniques and styles, mainly influenced by the heritage of the ancient Hungarian tribes, the Turks, the Scythians, the Sarmathians and the Huns. 70 competitors are expected in Hummelhof, near Bamberg in Germany on the 6th & 7th September, to compete in the 2008 European Open Championship of Horse Archers.
Kwintessential is the South West’sleading provider of cross cultural solutions for today’s businesses and organisations supplying bespoke intercultural training, translation and interpretation services. The company was set up in 2003 by Neil Payne to fill a gap in the market for tailored cross cultural solutions to help firms competently negotiate the “cross cultural” business to business minefield and provide cost effective training, translation and interpreting services.As a well respected expert in language and cross cultural issues, Neil is regarded as an authoritative voice on topical cultural and language issues affecting business.
Few successful businesses are now mono-cultural in their make-up. Even if a business or organization is not dealing internationally the chances are that they employ people from foreign countries. At a higher level globalisation has meant companies are having to look further a field for new revenue streams, products, services, etc. This requires working and dealing with people from different cultures.
The leaders of today’s organisations and businesses need to be adept at managing people of different cultures. They need to be able to grasp the essence of each culture quickly, because culture is so important in shaping customer or employee behaviour. Leaders must also learn to shape culture (at least that in their own organisations) so that it is positive, and aligned with the direction the organization is taking.
For those looking to the subject and wanting some quick tips on how to improve their intercultural leadership qualities, the following simple tips can get you on your way.
1. Learn about the cultures of people that you work and interact with. Start from scratch and forget your assumptions and stereotypes. There are many free online resources.
2. Get a book about intercultural communication and learn about the subject from an academic level. Noted academics such as Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars and David Hall have all published books that will go a long way in unravelling the intricacies of cultural differences.
3. Take some formal training from intercultural experts. For very little outlay a day course can go a long way in helping you understand how culture impacts you and your work.
4. Try and attend events or occasions where you can submerge yourself in another culture. Use the opportunity to observe how people communicate and interact with one another. If you get the chance to travel abroad do the same when there.
5. Start listening and paying more attention when dealing with someone from another culture. You will be surprised how much you pick up by slowing down. Don’t jump to conclusions and think actions and behaviours through.
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