The interpreters surround us, although at first glance it does not seem so. In interviews on the radio, in sports press conferences, in communications for emergency situations of foreign governments, in entertainment programs and so on. Telephone interpreting is becoming more and more popular among small to big businesses as it opens a door for them to communicate users/customers in different regions with different languages.
First, although it is something that has been repeated to satiety, we want to insist that an interpreter is not a translator. The translator performs his work in writing, while the interpreter orally. Sounds easy, but there are still people who resist! The interpreter’s job is to act as a bridge between two or more interlocutors who speak different languages. This bridge can have several forms, that is, there are different types of interpretation.
How many times have you thought “There’s translator or interpreter needed!” Seeing an interview with an athlete in which neither the interviewee learns the questions nor does the journalist find out the answer? We are sure that many. The result of these situations is usually quite poor and, at best, is in an anecdotal misunderstanding.
But what would happen in a professional environment? Would a misunderstanding at a meeting to close a commercial contract be an anecdote? Or on the contrary, it would be a mistake that could invalidate a contract and cause the loss of capital? There are plenty of benefits of implementing professional interpreting services in your business.
However, if your business is limited to a region or language, you might not want to get into this thing. But, if you want to internationalize your business, reach users in different regions with different languages, you need a professional interpreter service like languagers.com, they offer different interpreter solutions including telephone interpreting, remote interpreting, onsite and document translation services.
Through this post, we gonna reveal the importance of a good knowledge of the culture of the participants in a business relationship when performing interpretation work. In this case, the interpreter is essential, since it has a series of information on the country from which both parties come from, which will contribute to making the negotiation as fruitful as possible.
There are more and more companies that come to us to request the services of a professional interpreter that will serve as a point of contact in their business meetings. However, few are aware of the ins and outs of this profession when there are certain circumstances that can greatly influence when entering into a new business relationship.
An interpreter must know the peculiarities of the culture of the people he is helping so that the conversations come to fruition
The Importance of Gestures in Commercial Interpretation
In this sense, nonverbal communication becomes vitally important, even more so than the message to be interpreted in itself, since it is a conversation between people who, not only do not share a language, but also differ in terms of customs and conventions social refers.
Nonverbal communication is a type of body language that reveals as much or even more information than verbal communication and is fundamental support for the latter.
The messages we are able to transmit through body movements such as gestures, postures, looks, etc. They can be done intentionally or unintentionally. Therefore, not only the content is important, but also the way in which the message is issued since nonverbal elements also constitute a very valuable source of information when transmitting that message.
To give a simple and easy to understand example, the universal gesture of joining the fingertips and bringing them to the mouth as a sign of “eating or eating” does not mean the same in China, where a different one is used.
Two Languages, Two Cultures: An Interpreter
Below, we mention some of the most striking cases in which cultures of origin and arrival disagree and, if the necessary cultural knowledge is not available, the success of a new agreement for commercial purposes could be compromised.
If you decide or have to negotiate with companies in China and want to leave your business card, you better hold it by the corners and offer it with both hands while slightly tilting your head, because if you deliver it with one hand or grabbing it in the center, I think you’ll have to change course.
If you prefer to negotiate with a German company or with Germans, we advise you to arrive on time, because, although in Spain we are so calm, in Germany, the fact of being fifteen minutes late can mean the end of a cycle (which could not have even begun ).
For lovers of “come, let’s sneak in, that the line is very long”, we advise you not to opt for this solution in England, because they love to queue and do not like anything that others skip. Another key factor that many companies often ignore when they want to establish new business relationships revolves around greetings and when in doubt, the hand always helps! Although it is true that in some countries we are affectionate by nature, as in France, where everyone is usually greeted with two kisses on the cheek,, yes, it starts on the right!
In Japan, it is considered a gesture of courtesy to observe for a few seconds the business card that another person gives you, so if we do not do so we will be incurring a lack of education or discourtesy, and it will depend on the character of the other person that Small gesture matters or not.
When facing a conversation or business negotiation, it is very important to take care of the details, we should care about it.
In short, each culture has its own customs and social conventions, so it is important that we inform ourselves beforehand or have a slight idea of these cultural differences in order to know which nonverbal elements are considered correct or not in the target culture and, Thus, avoid misunderstandings that could arise from situations such as those mentioned above.
