Intercultural Communication and Translation News

Don’t ever sleep in a bear’s bed: not baby bear’s, not mummy bear’s and definitely not daddy bear’s. That is what Goldilocks has taught us. And never steal their porridge.

But it seems that bears are more sensitive then their big gruff exterior suggests; all they really want is a bit of appreciation. As local officials in Syktyvkar (Russia) compile a handbook of bear etiquette, we look at how you should treat your neighborhood Pooh.

So without further ado here is what you should do if you have a close encounter of the distinctly furry kind.

1.    Remember that every bear wants to be treated with respect. No one likes name-calling; no one wants to have a club waved at them. If one approaches you on the street asking for directions to the nearest post box, don’t turn up your nose at them. Seriously, you try keeping all that hair odour free.

2.    Don’t turn your back on a bear. I mean honestly have some common courtesy. You wouldn’t tell your Grandmother to Shut Up now would you.

3.    Speak firmly to a bear. They have feelings too, they don’t want to be made fun of or feel that you are afraid of them. Give them that reassurance that you understand what they are…roaring.

4.    If you want to take it outside sometime, the bear beat you at pool, then remember to give as good as you get. They don’t like cowards. “Shout angrily and look it straight in the eye” (well maybe step on a little box first).

5.    If push comes to shove, quite literally, worse case scenario and your best bear turns hostile, act like a champion wrestler. You tell that bear who is boss, act aggressive, they like assertion.

6.    And handily it is always important to realize that “any encounter with a bear is unsafe for humans”. Hold off on those ideas of reconciliation over dinner, they really don’t give a hoot if you serve caviar or cheese on toast, the only person on the menu tonight is you.

Just remember these rules, because if you go down to the woods today you…
…really want to go without strife?
…really want to still have a wife?
…really want to leave with your life.

Nb. In all seriousness don’t make friends with a bear. There are a nightmare at parties –eat all the fruit and nut nibbles- and to be quite honest couldn’t care less about throwing sticks in a river…

Reuters News Tokyo published an interesting idea from the Japanese National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) this month: provide tourists with a ‘free’ trip to Japan, find out what difficulties they experience and then try to fix them.

The plan would roughly enable one hundred English, Chinese and Korean tourists, all non-speakers of Japanese, to visit the major cities of Japan. They would enjoy to all extents a normal holiday: staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, shopping in the cities and ‘seeing the sites’. All internal expenses would be paid for and one third of the flight costs subsidised.  After the trip the ‘road-testers’ would advise the JNTO about the problems they faced as non-speakers in Japan.

The element of the article most interesting is the JNTO’s discussion of it being “hard for us to judge” the experiences of foreign visitors. Every culture is guilty of taking for granted the various colloquialisms of its language and everyday practices, this statement cuts straight to the heart of where many countries can go wrong. It is fairly easy for most people to imagine the difficulties of travelling a country, like Japan, and being unable to find an item decipherable on a menu or a specific destination when you cannot converse in the local dialect. But beyond these obvious things are those everyday parts of life that can make or break your enjoyment of a holiday.

Would you know how to use a bath in a traditional Japanese inn? And would you realise that it is etiquette to bathe in the evening rather than in the morning? Would you be comfortable crossing the road amidst the large crowds of Shibuya Tokyo? Could you put up a Japanese ‘clothes dryer’, bearing in mind that most people do not use dryers? These small practical things can really make a difference in terms of comfort, atmosphere and of course making the most of the limited time you have.

The idea of finding ways to minimise these problems would clearly help to make Japan a positive experience for travellers, yet it also would undoubtedly be an asset to the Japanese economy. The global notion of Japan as a centre for science and technology has led the JNTO to anticipate that the number of ‘high-spending’ tourists from China alone this year will total 1.5 million. Therefore improving the experience for all visitors would be advantageous for both the long- and short-term financial future of Japan; if the country builds up a reputation as accommodating foreigners then it could easily gain an increase in tourism, as people are drawn to its ‘accessible’ culture. The popularity of Spain as a destination for UK ex-pats over the last 20 years is evidence for this idea. Furthermore by including the Chinese and Korean in the initial sample, Japan is helping to combat its increasing emphasis on Western visitors at the expense of other nations. Despite the fact that both China and Korea are geographically close nations, there is still a tendency for English language schemes to dominate over other language schemes in tourist areas.

In trying to improve the experience of tourists in Japan this study, which will compiled as part of a survey on ‘tourism preparedness’ next Spring, will surely be beneficial for both the image and economy of the country; whilst no doubt will provide an enjoyable (and cost-effective) trip for the lucky one-hundred ‘road-testers’ who get the opportunity to go.

With the well publicized case of Dr Daniel Ubani earlier this year has come the question as to how many other EU GPs practicing in the UK are ‘lost in translation’. Dr Ubani had “unlawfully killed” UK patient David Gray in 2008 after mistakenly giving him a large overdose of diamorphine.

Alongside this case came a public cry for language competency tests, which was supported by both the British Government and the General Medical Council (GMC). Yet a recent investigation by Pulse Magazine, a magazine for GPs, suggests that Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are not only failing to administer these tests to all foreign doctors but also fail to keep a record of who has completed a test and who has not. In just a quarter of PCTs in England over 300 foreign doctors were found to be on ‘performer’s lists’ without ever having undergone language competence testing.

But why is such language testing so important? The reason is that medicines are not given standardized names that are used globally, between countries or languages a drug may be given a completely different name; so hypothetically a doctor could be proficient in one European country but, for this reason, incompetent and dangerous in another. Take Dr Ubani, who himself admitted to never having heard of diamorphine before administering the fatal dose to Mr Gray. Without a global categorizing system it is imperative that doctors can read, write and speak proficiently in whatever language that the country or countries they practice in requires.

The problem is that European law prevents the GMC from making such testing mandatory for all EU doctors registering in the UK. The GMC and the Government can but “remind” PCTs of the need for effective testing. There is no central body that can ensure that every doctor coming into the UK is linguistically proficient enough to practice here.

Instead the responsibility lies with the PCTs, of which there are 152 in England. Yet these sub-divisions are strained already, under pressure from both reduced economic funding and problems with the quality of out-of-hours GP services. Thus they are pushed further towards using foreign doctors at weekends or in the evenings, when previously UK GPs might have been used. These cut backs have been imposed by the government and yet it cannot legally intervene to ensure that the use of non-UK doctors is safe.

The case in question highlights the dangers of relying on PCTs, as they often fail to communicate their concerns to other trusts. Dr Ubani himself was denied NHS work in West Yorkshire before being employed by the NHS in Cornwall and later fatally in Cambridgeshire. Further afield the communication between different European health care systems is also troubling, as GPs can be struck off in one country but can immediately take up a position elsewhere.

Surely there needs to be a standardized language aptitude test to ensure that foreign doctors, who are an important part of the NHS, do not place any more patients “at risk”. Moreover, there needs to be a defined structure in place to conduct these tests, record how each doctor does and then store and communicate this data across the UK. A facility that just doesn’t seem possible within the geographical and financial limitations of PCTs.

As someone in the intercultural field, a Muslim and having spent many years living, working and travelling throughout the Arab world, I am always keen to scrutinize literature aimed at business professionals seeking to improve their knowledge of the region. Donna Marsh’s “The Middle East Unveiled” is a recent edition to such literature.
With an experience of the region spanning some 30 years, Donna worked within sales, marketing and new business development across the region. Today she acts as a trainer and consultant advising companies on how to work more effectively in the region.
The major positive of the book is summed up in the title’s sub-heading, ‘a cultural and practical guide for all western business professionals’. The topics covered are very comprehensive. Ranging from the usual business practicalities and etiquette to safety and security through to what to do at the weekend. One could suggest that the author was over ambitious in the range of subjects covered however the informal and succinct writing style help the reader get straight to the point thus lightening the experience. The format of the book further allows the reader to ‘dip’ into topics rather than having to wrestle with long chapters.
I find chapters on Islam intriguing. It is not uncommon for “Western” authors to misrepresent the religion, fuel expat stereotypes or simply offer their gloss of a highly complex and colourful religion. Donna however has managed to tackle a sensitive topic with an impressive amount of clarity, accuracy and balance. The key, it appears, is her straight-talking approach to the topic and a deep appreciation of what the religion actually says on certain matters plus the various practices across the region. In short the section gives anyone a great introduction to Islam and Muslims, increasing awareness and therefore reducing the ‘fear factor’.
Any review would not be a review without some nitpicking. Two major factors stand out for me when looking for the negatives of the book.
People love case studies, anecdotes and the like when it comes to cultural information. It gives people real life examples, context and a way of applying information to situations. Each chapter could have done with an anecdote from the author’s library of experiences to help readers along the journey. This neatly brings me on to my second point.
As a woman, such anecdotes would have had even greater impact. Donna’s advantage with this book was her gender. At a time when we are fed stories of stonings, burqas, forced marriages and honour killings this was an opportunity for a woman to bring across her story of the Arab world. Women in business tend to shy away from the region; a real and honest assessment of a Western woman’s role in the Arab world could have had a great impact on this perception. Although the book does cover topics around gender differences in a useful manner, that little bit extra in terms of a woman’s viewpoint would have meant added value to the reader.
In conclusion, Donna has successfully managed to encapsulate her knowledge and experiences in this great little publication. It is current, comprehensive and most importantly useful. A ‘must-have’ for anyone looking to better their understanding of working in the region.
By Neil Payne, Kwintessential Ltd

Rising through the ranks of any company today increasingly includes the prospect of a period of work outside of your home country. The culture shock of this experience is the topic of an October 7th article on website ‘Marketing Week’.

Placements can vary from marketing research in China to an office-based role in the USA. To many people the former example seems the more culturally challenging, yet a shared historical and linguistic background does not equate to a shared culture- according to Allyson Stewart-Allen of International Marketing Partners. Being able to understand the language someone uses does not necessarily mean you understand the meaning of what they are trying to convey. Wherever you work, being “cross-culturally” aware is important.

What techniques can businesses use to breach the gap?
Companies take two main approaches to this question: initially selecting culturally inquisitive employees and training employees once a placement is announced.

Companies such as Reckitt Benckiser (RB) and Diageo particularly select those people they feel will adapt well to living and working abroad. RB uses its graduate scheme to sample from universities with a high ratio of international students, whilst Diageo looks for people who have the “sensitivity and willingness to take an extra step”. So starting with those who are open-minded to cultural change is clearly important, although encouraging less confident employees to “take an extra step” must also play a part.

Taking practical measures, such as arranging childcare, housing and language lessons (as RB does), helps employees to “settle in” in a new country and focus on the job at hand. Will Harris, Marketing Director for Nokia, emphasizes the need to immediately accept your lack of cultural knowledge and continually work to bridge the gap. Significantly Diageo’s Chief Marketing Officer, James Thompson, also states that “you can’t just learn a culture in a couple of years”. Perhaps suggesting that there is only so much preparation that can be taken before you have to ‘test’ a culture out for yourself.

What cultural differences are you likely to encounter?
Not all differences are explicit, expected or directly related to business.

Etiquette and Behaviour
How you greet a colleague could include a kiss on each cheek, but beware of countries like the USA where such informalities are deemed inappropriate at work. Similarly your means of address are essential for ensuring you are socially respectful, Cristina Diezhandino of Diageo reports that even in casual situations an African Chairman was addressed “Mr Chairman”.

Working Relationships
Generally, Western countries tend to take an opportunist and individual approach to tasks, whilst more Eastern countries (such as Japan) prefer a slower paced and highly group-orientated approach.

Country Structure
Some countries may not work at specific times of year (in Scandinavia a month is taken off in the summer), whilst others may have government schemes that make your product or service unnecessary (Swedish children have state-funded lunches until the age of seven so packed lunch products would be difficult to market at this age group).

Organisation
In some countries meetings may be conversational and free (such as the in Spain), whilst other countries have highly structured and target dominated boardrooms (like in Germany and the USA).

With the 11.5% rise of the Yen against the Dollar in 2010, many Japanese businesses face the problem of how to communicate their ambitions within the culturally distinct market of the West.

Is the solution to make English the compulsory language of communication for all global businesses or to implement ‘Globish’- an interlanguage variant on English that aims only for a basic understanding between its users?

This dilemma arises from the proclamations of Monex Group Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, Oki Matsumoto, within a September 8th article posted on online news platform Bloomberg. Matsumoto, in order to maximise his company’s global prospects, has invited all ranks of employees to converse in ‘Globish’ at regular parties. This promotion of English within Japanese businesses is not a new one and is also popular with businesses such as Rakuten Inc. and Fast Retailing. It certainly does seem a sensible idea that enables Japan to seize upon the internationalization of the global market (propelled in a large way by the growth of the internet over the past ten years). Yet surely the best way to communicate with Western markets would be through the learning of ‘Pure English’, for as Globish creator Jean-Paul Nerriere admits his language only extends to the “just enough” approach towards communication.

The decision to make English the ‘language of business’ could potentially be, in the long term, the most economical method of communication for businesses across the globe. It would enable all businesses to freely communicate on whichever plane they needed to, saving time and money. Moreover it would not be restricted by the cultural parameters of Globish (which uses just 1500 common words of English’s 200,000 strong vocabulary); these limitations mean that the connotative meaning of conversations may not always be apparent. For Japanese businesses to be able to be progressive and ‘think outside the box’, both taking and bringing ideas to the Western market, then a linguistic understanding beyond the pragmatism of Globish must surely be sought.

However, despite encouraging a global pluralistic attitude, the consequence of relying on English might be the indirect downgrading of other languages. This could potentially result in a sense of lost cultural identity within Japanese – and other countries’- businesses. Honda Motor Co.’s attitude definitely leans towards this view, with its Chief Executive, Takanobu Ito, calling an enforcement of English in the workplace “ridiculous”. He argues that English should be used only when absolutely necessary and when other languages become impenetrable within business conferences. In this light, the ‘just enough’ mantra of Globish would seem the perfect alternative, a parsimonious language used only when needed. It would cost less and be quicker to teach than English and would enable all countries (including English-speaking ones) to continue using their own language for domestic dealings, whilst on a global plane one united linguistic platform could be used.

Furthermore with China overtaking Japan as the world’s second largest economy, the adoption of Globish might prevent the foreseeable need for Japanese employees to learn both English and Mandarin, in order to be up-to-date with their companies’ expansion prospects in both cultural sectors.

With the enthusiasm for this idea in Japan, it remains to be seen if Western countries will overlook the limitations of Globish and embrace a global communication. Perhaps if they did, it would create not only stronger links between the economies of the East and West but improve the relationship between these distinct global sectors as a whole.