LetSpeak.com Translation Alert

LetSpeak.com Translation Alert

Communicate Without Limits!
August 2004

In This Issue:

How to survive overseas business trips
Quotes of the Month
LetSpeak.com® News Wire

How to Survive Overseas Business Trips

Most business people don't know the key to developing strong relationships with business partners who speak another language. Others often think you must be fluent in the language. (No doubt fears of mistakes often leave many business people tongue-tied.)

Fortunately there are ways to overcome language phobias and excel at linking with foreign language clients and prospects.

1. Learn a few casual phrases. Things such as Hello, Goodbye, Good morning, Please and Thank you are great places to start. Use these short phrases in a conversation.

2. Let your marketing communications speak for you. In lieu of your own foreign language speaking skills, have your business card, brochure and other promotional materials translated into the language of your target culture or country.

3. Steer clear of jokes. Although, when done right, jokes can be great icebreakers, there's a high potential for errors when trying to make a joke in another language.

Going beyond spoken language, you can also find success in communicating with business partners in foreign cultures by carefully considering how you begin and when you arrive at meetings and how you handle body language.

To manage the cultural side of communication, consider using this anagram, created by Etiquette International (www.etiquetteintl.com), to guide your efforts to connect with clients and prospects during business meetings.

Always remember to put your client or prospect's needs FIRST.

Form Relationships: If you don't know the language, develop a relationship with someone who is well-versed in the culture of your client or prospect. This way you can take this person to meetings with you. Afterwards you both can discuss how to effectively communicate with your client or prospect to get the most out of future meetings.

Inform and Communicate: Even if a meeting is being conducted in your native language you may want to find out which kinds of body language or comments may be deemed offensive in other cultures. For instance pointing your index finger at someone in France is considered very rude, no matter the context. And in Japan singling someone out to give a harmless compliment can actually be considered offensive.

Rank/Status: Rest assured one thing that's common among most cultures is a strong sense of style is respected. It shows your social rank and can go a long way to gaining the respect of your clients and prospects before you even open your mouth. In business meetings, the more conservative and expensive-looking the better.

Space: The diameter of a person's personal space varies from country to country so the best thing to do is stand back and observe until you're comfortable with the situation. Take special care not to touch a forearm or shoulder unless your colleague first initiates that behavior.

Time: Although each country's approach to time is different, certain regions and cultures follow the same rules. Throughout Asia - especially Japan - meeting times are strictly adhered to. (When you're there prepare to arrive at a 9AM meeting at 8:45AM to get things ready.) Yet in Spain 9 AM meeting may not begin until 11AM. It's best to arrive on time until you adjust to the way each country approaches time.

Bottom line: Be flexible, have fun and show your clients and prospects you respect their culture by being open to learn.

Quote of the Month

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

LetSpeak.com® News Wire

July 30, 2004-- Inclusion in the Minority Business Development Agency Portal granted to LetSpeak.com.

June 18, 2004-- LetSpeak.com's a premier sponsor at the Florida Public Relations Association Conference in Fort Myers.

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