Asian Cultural Differences

As any student of languages can tell you, there are a variety of ways that the cultures of the Far East and the West differ. These differences manifest themselves in various ways including how one greets another person, how business is conducted and how much physical contact is allowed. While the nuances of every Asian culture would take an entire book to explain, here are some of the basics for seven of the most popular Asian destinations:

China – Social relationships are highly formalized and involve a very ritualized sense of reciprocal obligation. For the unwary, gift-giving can be quite confusing so obtain the services of a local before presenting anyone with a gift. Direct confrontation is also considered poor etiquette and negotiations will usually last far longer than a Westerner expects.

Taiwan – Although rooted in Chinese culture, Taiwan is far more westernized. Still, there are some distinct cultural differences from the West. In particular, handshakes are rare except among friends. Instead a slight nod of the head when introduced by a third party – yes, that’s the etiquette – is all that is required. Finger pointing is a no-no as is touching anyone’s head. Lastly, be restrained in your actions and you will offend no one – loud and boisterous behavior is considered uncommonly rude.

Japan – The simple act of handing or receiving a business card in the Land of the Rising Sun is fraught with the possibility of insult. If handed a card, you must study it for at least two minutes and remark upon its qualities or you will be guilty of rudeness. On the other hand, once the business day – usually a very long one – is concluded, you will be expected to be entertained by your hosts for many more hours of drinking and singing.

Thailand – Bhumibol Adulyadej, king of Thailand, is very respected. Concerning this subject, it is probably best to bypass this topic so a harmless statement is not mistakenly taken out of context. The people of Thailand are otherwise generally friendly, outgoing people. It is custom to enter a home only after removing your shoes, to return a friendly gesture, such as smiling, and also never to touch someone’s head.

Philippines – While Filipinos can be fairly obtuse when speaking, they are much more physically oriented in person – at least for members of the same sex. Do not be alarmed if a Filipino man whom you have just met puts his arm around you and guides you to your seat. Also, refrain from pointing at a person as it is considered rude. Filipinos are far more cognizant of eye contact and a simple nod will get their attention.

South Korea- Like many Asian cultures, bowing is a common way to show respect. Being introduced to a group of people, meeting someone for the first time, and leaving a room or gathering should all be accompanied with a bow. It is also important to remember that in South Korea, eye contact is seen as a threat and/or challenge and should be avoided.

Indonesia – Propriety is considered sacred in the Muslim country. Always be on time, never use your left hand to receive a gift or touch another person and always greet people with the word “Selamat.” The country is also quite crowded so physical contact is to be expected and one’s personal space will be far smaller and may make the unprepared Westerner uncomfortable.

The top 5 worst translation mistakes in history

Working in an environment of multilingual employees presents unique challenges that can be difficult to anticipate. Problem solving can be one of the most difficult aspects, but also the most rewarding. Being able to help overcome issues that stem from different cultures and languages at work is something that all employees need to learn, but it is particularly important for managers.

When confronted with a problem at work, regardless of what that problem is, the employee or manager should take the time to fully understand what the problem is before trying to resolve it. Even when employees all speak a common language, their understanding of a second or third language will be influenced by their culture. For example, an employee may come from a culture where people are very direct. To some this approach may seem to be critical or offensive. The best approach to take when there are multilingual employees is not to be easily offended. Strive to see the problem from multiple angles, and it will be easier to understand how an employee or manager arrived at a certain point of view.

When working with multilingual employees, think of several different ways to provide instructions. Take the time to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and projects will go faster and more smoothly.

It is easy to think that because multilingual employees can generally speak one language that they can understand any information presented to them. One of the biggest problems facing multilingual employees is that native speakers of the language often forget the limitations of having to constantly think in a second language at work. At the end of a presentation or meeting, take the time to address questions and concerns. Allowing employees the opportunity to get clarification will help avoid problems.

How to Be A Problem Solver with Multilingual Employees

Working in an environment of multilingual employees presents unique challenges that can be difficult to anticipate. Problem solving can be one of the most difficult aspects, but also the most rewarding. Being able to help overcome issues that stem from different cultures and languages at work is something that all employees need to learn, but it is particularly important for managers.

When confronted with a problem at work, regardless of what that problem is, the employee or manager should take the time to fully understand what the problem is before trying to resolve it. Even when employees all speak a common language, their understanding of a second or third language will be influenced by their culture. For example, an employee may come from a culture where people are very direct. To some this approach may seem to be critical or offensive. The best approach to take when there are multilingual employees is not to be easily offended. Strive to see the problem from multiple angles, and it will be easier to understand how an employee or manager arrived at a certain point of view.

When working with multilingual employees, think of several different ways to provide instructions. Take the time to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and projects will go faster and more smoothly.

It is easy to think that because multilingual employees can generally speak one language that they can understand any information presented to them. One of the biggest problems facing multilingual employees is that native speakers of the language often forget the limitations of having to constantly think in a second language at work. At the end of a presentation or meeting, take the time to address questions and concerns. Allowing employees the opportunity to get clarification will help avoid problems.

What is the Perfect Formula for eLearning?

“What is the Perfect Formula for an eLearning program that targets employees who speak different languages?”

These days, most companies no longer deal with localized employees, many work remotely in different parts of the world. The internet has made it possible for even the smallest company to handle customers and employees all over the world. Having an international client base means that employees need to be able to communicate with clients who might not speak the same language. eLearning has proven to be a very effective way to help employees develop the necessary language skills.

This form of eLearning is a relatively new concept in the business world and everyone is still in the process of trying to figure out what the most successful formula is.

Developers and business owners continue to explore the world of eLearning. In the decade or so that eLearning has been used to help with international business and a diverse employee base, there are some things that seem to lead to higher completion rates.

Using a program that leads to HR certification is a very good idea. Knowing that they’ll have another certification that they can use to help them get promotions and bigger paychecks motivates participating employees to devote more time and effort to the program, increasing the odds of them completing it.

While it’s true that programs that rely on taped tutorials cost less, it’s the programs that have been set up so participants get face to face time and even individual counseling from the instructor in their own language that have a higher success rate.

Employers need to look for programs that don’t have a ones size fits all mentality. Different people respond differently to different teaching styles. eLearning programs that can be adapted to accommodate each student’s individual needs and native language should be sought out.

There are many eLearning programs currently being marketed to the corporate world. It’s in each business owner’s best interest to choose the one that has a history of high completion rates and one that has options in many languages. If you already have an effective eLearning program in English and would like to translate it into different languages, look no further. eLanguages, Inc. is an established and experienced language translation service ready to help you.

5 Tips for Training Coordinators with Multilingual Needs

Translating training and eLearning material is never easy, irrespective of the language or the target market. Training coordinators therefore need proper preparation if they are to create ethical and highly successful translation materials. Here are 5 great tips to help avoid common translation pitfalls when working on eLearning courses, computer-based translation manuals, and handbooks.

1- CREATE CONTENT THAT IS TRANSLATION FRIENDLY

Content includes text, voice and images – both static and motion. Thinking about your translation while creating the material is a great way of planning for the actual translation. For example, talent coordinators should use bulleted lists as opposed to lengthy paragraphs. They should also avoid idiomatic expressions and slangs. Where there are lengthy noun expressions, it is better to break up such content.

Coordinators should also minimize the number of screenshots and are advised to be careful with metaphorical images such as dollar symbols for money or pictures of gestures. Images should also be culturally neutral.

2- USE OF UNICODE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS

All files containing localizable content must support the languages of the target languages. All HTML and XML files can for instance be declared to use the UTF-8 set of characters. Failure to do this usually results in the text being displayed as question-marked diamonds.

3- DO NOT EMBED TEXT IN GRAPHICS OR SCRIPTS

Text placed in graphics cannot be extracted. To get the text back, the source file must be re-created with the text recovered as a separate layer. The translator won’t be able to edit the content if it’s delivered in a static image unless he/she gets the actual source file to translate directly into it.

Embedding localizable content in codes like VBScript and JavaScript may require the localizer to develop special parsers for identifying and filtering the text.

These procedures are both technical and time consuming.

4- BEWARE OF EXPANDING TEXT

Translated content is in most cases longer than the English equivalent. This can pose a huge problem if the text container is not flexible. Training supervisors are encouraged to check codes and text design to ensure there is enough space to accommodate longer text. Horizontal menus and menus are examples of issue prone areas.

5- AVOID OR MINIMIZE CONTENT INTEGRATION

Where it becomes necessary to integrate content created using different tools, technologies and formats, caution should be practiced. Trainers should always remember that content that is difficult to create is even harder to localize and translate.

How to Create eLearning Courses for a Multilingual Audience

To articulate a multilingual eLearning course successfully, it is necessary to think about how every aspect of the course will translate and be understood by your target audience. The following tips will enable a smooth transition when translating eLearning courses into various languages.

LANGUAGE

Language is obviously the most important factor in multilingual courses, and a simple translation is not as easy as it first appears; for instance, the same languages may have significant differences in expressions, pronunciation, and even basic vocabulary differences depending of the country.

To overcome this problem, the eLearning developer should choose either a dialect understood by the majority of the target audience or use a neutral version of the language as is the recommended case for most Spanish translations since there are so many different Spanish speaking countries. In some cases, it may be necessary to release content in two versions of the same language, such as Portuguese for Portugal and Portuguese for Brazil even though the differences may be very subtle.

CULTURE

There are huge differences in symbolism and taboos over different cultures — even a simple thing like the connotations surrounding a certain color may change from country to country. To avoid misunderstandings, the eLearning developer should avoid examples and pictures that obviously relate to a particular country and keep symbolism to a minimum.

Another cultural consideration is learning style. There are two opposing instructional approaches: deductive and inductive. In deductive learning, the instructor introduces and explains the concepts, and students then complete tasks to practice. Inductive learning, on the other hand, is a student-centered approach that uses the technique of “noticing,” where learners receive examples showing them how a concept is used. Depending on their culture, learners will be more comfortable with one or the other.

LAYOUT

Some languages use more words than others to express the same idea, a factor that is important to bear in mind when planning the layout for text. A Spanish translation of eLearning content, for example, is likely to have around 20% more words than the original English.

Above all, it is important to test the final eLearning course in Spanish and other languages to a sample group before releasing it to the target audience. The feedback gained from a number of learners in different countries is essential for gauging the course’s potential for success.

Difficulties Faced in Legal Document Translation

THE PROBLEM WITH LOSS OF MEANING

One of the most pernicious problems in translation is how translating text from one language into another language can lead to a loss of meaning. In some cases, this is because a literal translation many times omits the nuance, while in other cases, the translation has not been “localized” for the correct market, meaning, it has not taken into account the target audience, it’s more generic. Regardless of its ultimate cause, loss of meaning is a problem that promises to persist so long as text continues to be in need of translation.

HOW THE PROBLEM ESCALATES WITH THE TRANSLATION OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Loss of meaning becomes even more serious with business document translation involving passages of a legal nature. In part, this is because even small changes in the meaning of business document translation can exert significant influence over the users’ decision-making. However, part of the problem also lies in the fact that there is so much more room for error.

It is important to note that comprehension of legal jargon in even one legal system is not a common skill. For a translator to be able to produce accurate translations, said individual must be able to comprehend the legal system behind the text and then somehow reproduce the meaning using terms belonging to the legal system with which the user is familiar. Failure on one end can cause serious problems involving significant sums, not to mention the fact that business document translation involving legal matters often carries time constraints.

HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM

In the end, there is no simple solution to the loss of meaning that comes with translation in general, in particular legal texts. Skill and experience are very important to avoid these pitfalls, but translation of legal matters is one of the most demanding tasks in regards to both.

Mistranslations Around the World

One of the fun things about working in the translation business is you get to know what other industries are up to (since you translate into Spanish their legal documents for instance), but you also get to see lots of funny mistranslations. If you travel a lot you have probably seen some yourself. There are plenty out there so I’m going to start to share a few on a regular basis, here are this week’s funnies:

In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE, OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi: TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom: ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.

Tips to Finding a Legitimate Translation Agency

Any company that works with other cultures and languages has a lot at stake, particularly when it comes to business documents. Between a difference in the actual languages spoken and written, and the cultural innuendos that can come from various parts of the world, it is vital that a company working internationally, in whatever form that may take, find a business translation service that is professional and delivers high-quality work.

Here are some tips that can help lead you to a legitimate translation agency:

• The Basics. With bottom lines on the top of most company’s minds, most businesses are looking for a business translation service that is professional, experienced, quality-driven, and affordable. The difficult part is finding all of these characteristics without swapping one for the other. That said, listing these items in the order of most important can help a company come to the appropriate compromise if that becomes necessary.

• The Reputation. Any company is just as good as its reputation. A business that’s seeking translation services is looking for a reputable business translation service, just as that business should be seeking ways to continually improve its own reputation. What are people saying about the company? Does the translation agency’s website list client testimonials? Has it been around for more than five years? Are you able to talk to a real live person on the phone, the person who will be managing your translations?

• The Employees. Hiring a third party company is nearly the same as hiring an employee. There should be an interview process. There should be references provided and checked. There should be a history of outstanding performance that puts that company above the rest. A translation company should be willing to explain the credentials of each of the people that will be working on a company’s translations. They should be willing to disclose positives and negatives and allow a potential client to explore what they’re doing everyday to grow and improve.

• The Quality Control. Everybody makes mistakes, and a good company knows that and takes measures to prevent any errors that could come from those mistakes. Multiple reviews are essential, and they help innocent (and not so innocent) mistakes get caught and corrected before a business that’s relying on those translations makes potentially costly mistake. It’s essential to know about quality control procedures.

• Integrity. Does the agency admit to making mistakes? Does it take responsibility for them? Do they deliver what they promise? Do they keep you in the loop?

If you have questions about how you can find a great business translation service, contact our team at eLanguages, Inc., and we’ll help you find the answers you need!

Case Study: The Importance of High Quality Translations in the Corporate World

Last week, we visited several reasons why high quality translations are a must, especially in the corporate world. Finding a legitimate translator or translation service ensures that the right message is delivered across languages, ultimately protecting the integrity of your business. This week, let’s take a look at a specific case study that exemplifies this idea.

NELSON MANDELA FUNERAL SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER CONTROVERSY

You may recall hearing about scandal surrounding the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, who is now dubbed a phony by South Africa’s hearing impaired community, who said his signing for US President Barack Obama and other world leaders amounted to little more than “flapping his arms around” (Source- Agence France-Presse).

The following video further explains this controversy, and how serious an issue it actually is. Don’t let this happen to you or your business! We are here to help you make the right decision when choosing an interpreter or translator.