Intercultural Communication and Translation News

 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 6^th & 7^th September, to compete in the 2008 European Open Championship of Horse Archers.

Kwintessential is the South West’s  leading 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.

Read more >> Ten Tips for Intercultural Leadership 

The Mary Rose, pride of Henry VIII’s fleet, may have sunk because of poor communication between its English officers and foreign crew members, researchers said on Friday.

The sinking of the 16th century warship is one of the biggest puzzles of British naval history, with many theories put forward to explain its sudden loss during a battle with French invaders in July 1545.

One leading theory says it sank after it dipped its side low in the water during a tight turn, allowing water to flood in through unsecured gun ports.

Now researchers have come up with a new explanation for the failure to close the covers: there was a crucial delay between the order being given by English-speaking officers and it being understood by foreign crew members.

New forensic tests on the teeth of 18 crewmen suggest up to 60 percent of the crew may not have been British. They were more likely to have come from warmer parts of southern Europe.

Read more >> Mary Rose 

Google does a decent job translating Web pages from other languages, but machine-based translation is still not good enough for when you need a truly accurate translation. A new service called the Google Translation Center looks like Google is making its machine-translation technologies available to human translators. If you have a document that needs translating, you can upload it and request a translator to work on it, according to the marketing information on the site. The service can accommodate both professional and volunteer translators, and will let them use Google’s automatic translation tools and dictionaries to do their work. This could make translations a lot easier to do because the machine translation tools could take a first pass at the documents, meaning the translator would just have to correct any mistakes instead of starting with a blank screen.

Read more >> Google

Switzerland will hold a referendum on whether to ban building any more minarets in the Alpine country, the government said on Tuesday.

A group of politicians from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and Federal Democratic Union gathered more than 100,000 signatures to support the initiative, saying the minarets threaten law and order.

Switzerland has two minarets, in Zurich and Geneva, which would be unaffected by the vote. Neither issues a Moslem call to prayer.

“The Federal Chancellery checks of the signature list showed that of the total 114,137 signatures turned in, 113,540 are valid,” the government said in a statement.

The proposal has to be discussed by parliament before being put to a popular vote and the process could take several years.

The SVP previously ran an anti-immigration campaign featuring three white sheep kicking a black sheep off a Swiss flag. The campaign was condemned as racist by rights groups and the United Nations.

Read more >> Switzerland