As one of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), China offers major opportunities for many countries. The current growth rate of China’s economy and production, has attracted many companies from around the world seeking lower manufacturing costs and cheaper labour. To succeed in this competitive market place you need a good understanding of Chinese language and culture.

In Tomorrow’s Markets, a  report published in 2008 by UK Trade & Investment,  UK executives revealed that they intended to increase their expansion plans into China by 49%.  Expanding into China could mean anything from sourcing a new supplier to setting up a new manufacturing plant in China. To do business in China effectively requires an understanding of how the Chinese do business differently  from the UK. In China for example;

• Asking for help is seen as a sign of incompetence or weakness.
• Their view of team working is very different to ours.
• Relationships are important to getting business done.
• You must understand Guanxi which refers to the socio-emotional bond that ties people who do business together.

For help and advice on language training or cultural briefings that will help your move to China or help you do business with Chinese people more effectively, contact us on +44 (0)118 934 6000.

Would it be melodramatic to say that technical translations can be the difference between life and death? What if you needed medical documents translated and the translator misunderstood and mistranslated a vital element; might it then be a life or death issue?

Well all drama aside, technical translations are essential for professions such as law, finance, engineering and medicine. To translate such documents effectively requires a mother tongue translator who specialises in translations in a particular discipline. If you wanted an engineering specification translated from English into Mandarin, you would need a mother tongue speaker of Mandarin who specialised in translating engineering documents. When translation may form part of a contract, research submission or other time-sensitive project, you need to get the translation right first time. This reinforces the need for specialists who completely understand the original document and are educated native speakers of the target language with knowledge of the subject.

Whether you need to translate technical manuals, procedures, journals or information about your products and services, contact us for a correct and reliable translation. To find out more go to Translation Services or call us on +44 (0)118 934 6000.

You’ve seen comedy sketches where two people are having a discussion, get into a disagreement and one person says “it’s not what you said it’s how you said it”. If how you say things can be detrimental between people who speak the same language, Mars and Venus jokes aside, imagine how much greater the problem is between people who speak different languages.

Are there foreign colleagues in your company whose lack of clarity and confidence in Standard English pronunciation causes stress, confusion and loss of promotion to them and waste and loss to the company? I’m sure you have called your telephone company or bank to find that you are connected to a call centre overseas. It is frustrating when you do not understand a non-native English speaker who, whilst saying the right words, hampers your comprehension because of their pronunciation or strong accent.  Do you want your customers to think the same of you?

At Robertson Languages we believe that voice training is important. Our courses not only teach you the correct grammar and phrases but also make sure your pronunciation and clarity is first class. Imagine how more effective your customer services departments, training departments and international call centres could be if your customer understood what is being said.

A large part of our business is providing advanced business communication skills in English and other languages. To improve the effectiveness of communication in your company by helping colleagues write or speak with confidence, clarity, power and authority, give us a call on +44 (0)118 934 6000

Why might you seek a cultural briefing before you go to your new country or take up that overseas posting? Here are some great reasons to take preparatory action.

• To establish credibility and create rapport so that you can build the appropriate level of working and personal relationships you need to be successful with colleagues and customers.
• To understand global communication styles – many cultures and regions have different modes of operation e.g. how they run meetings, how they introduce themselves and others
• To learn about different management and negotiation styles
• To lead and work with virtual teams

“The intent of pre-departure training is to prepare the expatriate as much as possible prior to actually arriving at the foreign assignment to facilitate adjustment, help avoid costly mistakes, and begin the foreign assignment in a positive and productive a manner as possible.” Managing a Global Workforce by Charles M. Vance, Yougsun Park

Cultural briefings before you take up any new assignment can support you in

• Understanding how cultures differ socially and in their values, customs and beliefs
• Understanding how to integrate into new cultures and environments both for business and social occasions
• Applying workable strategies to handle the adjustment process; their own and their family’s.

To find out more about how a cross cultural briefing can help you go to Cultural Briefings or contact us on +44 118 934 6000

However good a translation is, it can always be improved by good desk-top publishing. This should be done by someone who is familiar with the language or you will make wrong decisions about hyphenation at the end of lines. You will be very likely to make silly mistakes such as dropping parts of words or sentences or accidentally combining paragraphs because you do not understand the meaning of the words. Apart from anything else, it takes far longer (and is therefore more expensive) to work in a language you cannot understand.

If your translation is for a document that requires subsequent publishing, electronically, or in hard-copy, Robertson Languages International can give you the finished article.

Uniqlo, Japan’s largest clothing retailer has announced it will train all executives worldwide to communicate, write documents and conduct meetings in English by March 2012 (and not in Japanese as currently).

Tadashi Yanai, President and Chairman of Fast Retailing told the Mainichi newspaper.  “This move is necessary for a Japanese company to survive as a global corporation. 

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/fashionnews/7857217/Uniqlo-drops-Japanese-and-makes-English-official-language.html

With high expectations Fast Retailing aims to become the world’s biggest fashion retailer by 2020.

The rise in growing demand for greater global reach and international business is adding pressure to companies who need to offer something different to its clients, and partnersin order to achieve ROI and business objectives.  If your company needs an international language solution, Robertson Languages have over 21 years’ experience, providing tailor-made language services to a variety of clients covering many sectors. To speak with one of our representatives for further details, please call; 0118 934 6000 or visit; www.robertsonlanguages.co.uk.

Many companies, released from the economic grip of the past 18 months are seeking to expand into new international markets and grab new opportunities: markets where there are language and cultural differences, markets where doing business effectively means having people who can confidently and competently speak and write in different languages.  Such companies need people to…

• have a phone conversation in Mandarin to a supplier in China
• write an email reply in German to a potential customer in Germany
• take an active role in a new product development meeting in Spain conducted in Spanish
• speak English to patients in a hospital

 As the “war on talent” continues to rage, if you are someone looking to move into a global company, you should consider improving your individual skills by adding a language to your CV. If you are in a company and looking to attract exceptional talent, being able to show you offer them continuous personal development through the provision of language training will be attractive to those seeking global capability.

Learning a language is fun and gives you a valuable asset that opens up new opportunities for individuals and companies. Investing in professional training is a good way to expand personal and organisational capability.

Robertson Languages International offers a wide range of intensive language training in all languages courses and we still have some availability for our summer courses. So take a look now and grab a place on a course that will give you something extra, something special and have some fun too. To get more info and to book go to www,robertsonlanguages and choose the menu item “Training in all Languages”. For advice about government support to exporters and the UK Trade & Investment  subsidised Export Communication Review, email bob@robertsonlanguages.co.uk.