Intercultural Communication and Translation News

Translation is tricky enough, but an app that turns your spoken English into Spanish in real-time? It sounds like something out of Star Trek, and that’s exactly what the Jibbigo app for the iPhone claims to do. We tried it out, and we like what we see.

At a glance: Jibbigo would be perfect for any iPhone owner who likes to travel to Spanish-speaking countries. It does well with vital phrases you’d need, such as asking for directions for specific things. It also does it all while offline, so you really only need service for updates. Its price is probably its greatest barrier to entry, and there are a few things it won’t do.

Click Continue to find out what.

It’s rare that a $100 billion business can be marginalized, but such is the case with the international arm of Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). As a stand-alone company, it would rank among the top five global retailers. Inside the $401 billion retail giant, though, the business has traditionally received short shrift. Its Bentonville (Ark.) headquarters is underwhelming—a drab, largely windowless, one-story structure named after Bill Mitchell, a former Walmart executive whom nobody seems to remember.

Since venturing into Mexico in 1991, Walmart International has grown haphazardly. During the 1990s the retailer exported its big-box, low-price model. While that strategy worked in North America, the results were so bad in Germany and Korea that Walmart withdrew from those countries in 2006. In response, Michael T. Duke, the former international chief and current CEO, gave local managers more autonomy while instituting more stringent financial goals for each region.

The results are mixed: International sales rose 11.5% in the second quarter (before the impact of exchange rate fluctuations), while U.S. sales barely budged. But over the past few years, operating profit margins have declined on the international side, which now has 3,805 stores operating under 53 distinct banners in 15 markets. As international chief C. Douglas McMillon says, Walmart is “progressing from being a domestic company with an international division to being a global company.”

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In a global economy, it’s a mistake to assume that negotiation strategies are a one-size- fits-all proposition. Understanding the culture of the parties you are negotiating with is vital in order to establish a successful business
relationship.

“Negotiation relies so much on the ability to read a situation and adapt on the fly to the cues that are there,” says David Livermore, executive director of the Global Learning Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of “Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The New Secret to Success.”

With increasing globalization, cultural intelligence becomes only more critical to business success. Livermore points to a study done by The Economist which found that 90% of executives from more than 60 countries said cross-cultural leadership was their top management challenge . “It’s important for any business individual from support services all the way up the chain, but especially for a leader who is trying to figure out how do we strategize to remain competitive in a global economy. … A leader in particular has to be able to adapt on the fly,” he says.

Read more > Intelligence

The equality watchdog is conducting an internal investigation into allegations that a director asked minority employees to join the British National Party (BNP), testing the party’s constitution ahead of a legal case.

A source says the senior manager asked staff in a teleconference to identify employees at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) from a black and ethnic minority background who could be asked to join the far-right BNP.

The EHRC allegedly wanted to gather evidence that the BNP refused minority applicants to the party, in the build up to its legal case against the party’s rules.

Read more > EHRC

“… [E]ffective communication and successful negotiations with a foreign partner–whether with a partner in peacekeeping, a strategic economic partner, a political adversary, or a non-English speaking contact in a critical law enforcement action–requires strong comprehension of the underlying cultural values and belief structures that are part of the life experience of the foreign partner.” – Dr. Dan Davidson, President of the American Councils on International Education

“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini, Italian film director

“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian nationalist and spiritual leader

Learning another language gives the learner the ability to step inside the mind and context of that other culture. Without the ability to communicate and understand a culture on its own terms, true access to that culture is barred. Why is this important? In a world where nations and peoples are ever more dependent upon on another to supply goods and services, solve political disputes, and ensure international security, understanding other cultures is paramount. Lack of intercultural sensitivity can lead to mistrust and misunderstandings, to an inability to cooperate, negotiate, and compromise, and perhaps even to military confrontation.

Intercultural understanding begins with individuals who have language abilities and who can thereby provide one’s own nation or community with an insider’s view into foreign cultures, who can understand foreign news sources, and give insights into other perspectives on international situations and current events. For survival in the global community, every nation needs such individuals. A person competent in other languages can bridge the gap between cultures, contribute to international diplomacy, promote national security and world peace, and successfully engage in international trade.

Read more > 10 Reasons

Foreign Language Lessons London

Exactly a year after Nomura made its successful lunge for Lehman Brothers, the official line in Tokyo is that the merger is running like clockwork.

One or two oddments, though, are still getting lost in translation, despite the availability of native English speakers ready to take a glance over any important company circulars. A recent e-mail politely reminded staff in Nomura’s Tokyo headquarters that “gay colour nail polish and manicure” fell outside the company’s dress code.

The trading floor was also left baffled by guidelines on the correct type of trousers: “Wear the one gives to the ankle to the height of pants.”

Internally, everyone is convinced that the word “gay” was intended in its purely original sense of cheerful and bright. The problem is that many of the electronic Japanese-to-English dictionaries on sale in Japan are occasionally woefully behind the times on the more common usage of some English words. The Japanese compiler of the memo appears to have innocently typed the Japanese word hadena (gaudy) into one such machine and received the translation “gay”.

Read more > Nomura

The following ideas and academic institutions demonstrate the extraordinary educational experiences that are attainable today. As practical experiences, says Dubberke, they best describe the modern, globally-minded professional. In any industry, it is essential to know that an international education is more valuable than ever before.

By Sean Dubberke

Of the many credentials that professionals, experienced or otherwise, exhibit on their résumés and curricula vitae, “global mindset” is not spelled out in the same obvious ways as Ph.D. and vice president. Because it is no simple task to determine the global competency of various candidates, HR practitioners and global mobility professionals require a framework to understand the cultural aptitudes individuals need to thrive in multicultural environments as, among others, new hires, project managers, and international assignees.

What Is a Global Mindset?

Today, an education that allows you to be competitive in the workplace increasingly is about developing a global mindset through studying abroad or collaborating with and learning about people from other cultures. First, what is a global mindset?

Recent research from the Worldwide ERC® Foundation for Workforce Mobility and the Thunderbird School of Global Management, “Global Mindset Defined,” explains it as, “a mix of individual attributes that enable [someone] to successfully influence those who are different from him/her.”

International experience and education no longer are value-added qualities but, rather, are prerequisites for success in the global marketplace. Cultural awareness and cultural knowledge are crucial to being successful in global business, which is why international degree programs are perfect for the development of these assets.

“A global mindset allows you to recognize marketplace opportunities, manage and motivate diverse employees, and tap into a range of alternative ideas about how to run your business so that cultural hurdles don’t take you far off course,” state Charlene M. Solomon and Michael S. Schell in their new book, “Managing Across Cultures: the Seven Keys to Doing Business With a Global Mindset.”

Read more > Mindset

Guido Westerwelle, who is widely expected to become foreign minister in the next German government, admonished a reporter who asked him a question in English on Monday, saying: “We’re in Germany here.”

The head of the Free Democrats (FDP), who are poised to enter government in coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, was giving his first news conference since Sunday’s election when a BBC reporter asked whether he might be willing to respond to a question in English.

“Would you please be so kind, this is a press conference in Germany,” Westerwelle replied in German.

Undeterred, the reporter then asked Westerwelle if he could respond in German to a question in English, only to be rebuffed again.

“In Great Britain people are expected to speak English and it is the same in Germany, people are expected to speak German,” Westerwelle answered.

Using a translator, the BBC reporter then proceeded to ask a question about how German foreign policy would change with Westerwelle as foreign minister.

Read more > BBC