How Cultural Knowledge and Language are Key to Success Overseas
Expert Language Solutions' Managing Director, Jessica Houghton, explains the importance of understanding the cultural differences for conducting successful business abroad.If you are planning to trade with other countries it's important not to isolate people by not respecting or understanding their culture and language. This could limit you from selling or purchasing a service or product and you could risk loosing credibility with your overseas trading market or partner.
A company needs to address cultural etiquette and language to ensure they manage international relations effectively, for the following reasons.
- It will enable them to converse freely and directly with potential clients; undoubtedly, the English language is the global language for business, but having a good command of your client's native language will enable to personalise your message to give you a clear edge for a successful deal.
- It shows enthusiasm for their culture and language with a polite first impression.
- It reduces the time required for negotiations.
- It allows you to stablish a relationship with other countries.
- It will eliminate poor judgment due to insufficient data; any communication problem, whether personal or business, translates to losses in negotiations and incompetence for global business.
- It will give an edge over competitors in your field of expertise.
- It will greatly enhance career possibilities
As a company you have a few choices to address this need. You can either encourage your team or staff to learn a language, you can employ a member of staff with bi- or multi-lingual skills, or you can work closely with a specialist translation company on a contractual basis.
Languages support our export drive and sales of our goods abroad. Companies can achieve success through wise and enterprising use of language skills, finding new markets overseas and discovering what our competitors are up to. They allow us to foster relationships, eradicate third parties and avoid the resentment that can be aroused by the ignorant assumption that others will always be willing to speak English.
Thinking about the global events that have taken place since the turn of the millennium, languages - that as a result facilitate international understanding - seem more relevant than ever. We need to support the drive for better language skills already amongst employers in globally aware companies to some of our smaller and newer enterprises.
The Pure Linguistic Facts
- Language is obviously a vital tool in business, but it is also a means of communicating thoughts and ideas, forging friendships, cultural ties, and economic relationships.
- Language is an international passport; speaking another language is an essential business asset in a competitive world.
Jessica Houghton is Managing Director of Expert Language Solutions (www.expertlanguages.com), providing transcription, translation, interpreting and language training for a wide array of businesses.
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