The aversion of British companies to foreign languages is| costing them dearly, says Jane Martinson.
At a recent business dinner a chief executive1 was extolling the export achievements of his UK support services group. When China was mentioned, with regard to business, he looked askance at the very word. «God no," he said. "They don't even try to speak the language there. "
Although there is some evidence of a growing awareness among UK companies of the importance of understanding other languages, their linguistic prowess still lags far behind that of European competitors.
Stephen Hagen, languages professor at the University of Wolverhampton and adviser to the UK's Department2 of Trade and Industry (DTI), says, compared with its European partners, the UK is "the bottom of the pile of language ability."
Professor Hagen believes Europe's linguistic and cultural barriers are proving harder to break down than trade blocks. "There is a legal framework to enable us to export easily," he says. "The only thing that’s preventing us from going further is that we don't have the cultural and linguistic competence to cope. "
A European Union-funded (financed; funds = money) survey of exporters, conducted in July, suggests that 49 per cent of companies have experienced language barriers. The survey of firms with up to vn0 employees found a further 20 per cent which had encountered cultural barriers and 12 percent which had lost business because of these barriers.; The survey also found that only 13 per cent of the companies had formulated any languages strategy to deal with the problem. Most – 83 per cent – used translators.
Several studies concur in the growing importance of cultural competence. Professor Hagen says, "When you ask exporters whether they need to learn German, they say no. When you ask whether they need to understand how the German mind works, they all say yes." The problem is that "in this country we don't link languages with culture enough"
However, there is evidence of improvement. With 60 per cent of the UK's exports going to non-English speaking countries, Robert Holkham, at the UK Department of Trade and Industry says: "There is I growing awareness that learning a customer's language and culture increases the chance of doing business overseas."
A benchmark survey of 500 small to medium-sized companies conducted by the DTI in each of the past three years has found that while 34 per cent said they had no language proficiency two years ago, the figure had dropped to 30 per cent in 1996.
The campaign highlights the kinds of problems communication difficulties can cause. These range from the tale of receivers finding a large order written in German left unread in a collapsed company in the UK3, to the non-English airline which boasted that it would "send your luggage in all directions."
Studies suggest linguistic proficiency is related to company size, with those employing fewer than 250 suffering the most problems. Companies less than five years old with young managing directors are also more likely to employ linguists.
Many in the industry feel they have an uphill task. John Fergusson at She Association for Language Learning, says that with English considered a world language "there's a feeling that one doesn't need to put oneself out too much."
He puts part of the blame on an education system which, until recently, made just three years of language training compulsory until the age of 14.
He believes that the national curriculum, adopted in England and Wales in 1988, will improve matters, but only gradually. He also feels it did not go far enough – it should introduce language learning in primary schools, he said.
Professor Hagen says this is not “just a question about how Fred Bloggs sells apples into France.” The meetings between European political leaders are indicative, he says. “The UK representative is always out on a limb, talking even to the Irish person.”
1зд. Руководитель, директор
2Министерство (in the US and UK).
3 An allusion to a widely-publicised story of a UK company which could have been saved from bankruptcy by a huge order which remained unanswered as no one in the firm knew foreign languages.
Комментарии
to extoll = to praise, boast of;
support services group – зд. consulting firm;
to look askance – смотреть искоса; зд. скривился, сделал гримасу;
awareness – зд. осознание;
prowess = proficiency, skills (навыки);
lags far behind – далеко отстает от …;
lost business – зд. потеряли выгодные сделки;
concur in – зд. указывают на…;
benchmark survey – рейтинговое исследование;
receivers – зд. судебные исполнители (ср. to go into receivership = to go bankrupt);
collapsed = bankrupt, ruined;
uphill = very difficult, hopeless;
to put oneself out – зд. прилагать усилия, «напрягаться»;
national curriculum – национальная программа обучения;
to be out on a limb – быть в опасном (неустойчивом) положении (букв. висеть на конце ветки); зд. чувствовать себя неловко, неуютно; ср. «ходить по тонкому льду», «висеть на волоске».
ТЕКСТ 4
Interpreting: Perils of Palaver
When a Japanese sucks in his breath and tells a Westerner that «your proposal is very interesting and we will consider it carefully» - meaning, in a word, «no!» –
what is the honest interpreter to say?
The answer is that the professional interpreter is duty bound to report the words of the Japanese as faithfully as possible. But according to Gisela Siebourg,who regularly interpreted for Chancellor Kohl of Germany, it would also be legitimate for the interpreter to draw his or her client1 aside after the conversation and explain the complexities of Japanese double-speak.
It would depend on the degree of trust between the client and the interpreter, she said.This illustrates the need for the interpreter to be taken into the client’s confidence, Siebourgh said. It also indicates the qualities required of an interpreter – the discretion of a priest in the confessional and the mental subtlety of a professional diplomat. Rule number one for the interpreter, she said, is never to repeat outside a meeting what was learnt in it.
Siebourgh is a president of the International Association of Conference Interpreters – set up in Paris in 1953 with 60 members, and now including 2,200 members – which is holding its triannual assembly here this week.
The association, which has worked since its inception to raise the standing of the interpreters’ calling, thinks a lot about such ethical issues, as well as seeking better working conditions for its members.
The profession is at least as old as the Book of Genesis in which Joseph outwitted his brothers by, as the book says, speaking «into them by an interpreter.»but the modern practice of simultaneous interpretation through headphones dates only from the post-war Nuremberg trails and for the formation of the United Nations.
Before that, even in the League of Nations, speakers had to pause at intervals to allow the interpretation – a process known as consecutive interpretation. This is still the method most often used in tete-a-tete conversations.
The method is not suitable for large modern conferences at which several languages are used simultaneously.
Interpreting often is. But ought not to be, confused with translating. The translator has time and battery of dictionaries at his or her command in order to find the precise word. The interpreter, by contrast, has to get across the right meaning rather than the exact wording (формулировка) without a second’s hesitation. This often requires a deep knowledge of culture as well as language, an ability to understand expression as well as content.
Diplomats such as former Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq, who speaks excellent English, often work through interpreters either to conceal precise meaning or to give themselves time to think.
In such cases, the interpreter must be careful not to go beyond the speakers’ words, even if they make apparently little sense. As Confucius put it, «If language is not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success».
Being used as part of a negotiating ploy again points to the need for the interpreter to be taken into the diplomat’s confidence. The interpreters associations always tell clients that «if you are not prepared to trust an interpreter with confidential information, don’t use one». The failure to provide in advance background information and specialized terminology involved in complex negotiations makes the interpreters’ job all the more difficult, Siebourg said.
Several years ago the association – speaking either in English or French, its two working languages – started discussion improved contacts with colleagues in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe when the East was opening up. One difficulty is that the East European languages often contain no terminology to describe many of the private market terms used in the West.
Russian interpreters also have practice of working from their own language into a foreign language, while most Western interpreters, Siebourg said, prefer to work from a foreign language into their mother tongue.
This avoids the kind of gaffes that can occur with less than intimate knowledge of a language. When Jimmy Carter visited Warsaw in December 1977, for example, he made the mistake of using a Polish-speaking American as interpreter rather than an English-speaking Pole, Siebourg said.
The result is that the interpreter, a State Department contract employee, spoke about sexual lust rather than desire and rephrased Carter’s «when I abandoned the United States». The embarrassment was long remembered.
1also «principal»
BarryJames
Комментарии
sucks in his breath – втягивает дыхание;
duty bound = obliged;
draw aside – отвести в сторону;
double-speak – зд. что имеется в виду (см. "1984" by G.Orwell);
to be taken into confidence – завоевать доверие;
discretion of a priest in the confessional – такт исповедника;
mental subtlety – тонкость ума;
to raise the standing of the calling – зд. поднять престиж профессии;
Book of Genesis – книга Бытия (Библия);
outwitted – перехитрил;
to get across – передать;
expression as well as content – зд. форму и содержание;
ploy – уловка (ср. ловушка);
opening up – зд. расширяют связи;
gaffe – «прокол», «накладка», «ляп»;
lust – похоть (ср. desire);
abandoned – покинул, бросил (ср. left).
ТЕКСТ 5
The Policies of Dressing
I know you arе just starting reading this, but stop! Look down. What are you wearing right now? Whether you are at home, scouring the want ads or at the office leisurely reading this issue, take a moment to look at how you are dressed and the image you are projecting. Did you sleep an extra fifteen minutes this morning and then skimped on the dressing extras, like polishing your shoes or completely pressing your shirt?
Like it or not, the world judges you by what you wear, at least on a first impression basis. Clothes to some degree define you. "People still underestimate the value of business dress," says Laurie Sagle of the employee training company. Training Works! "As the [Russian] market continues to change, clothes become more important, giving you an edge. "
Alter having worked in the Russian market for over six years, she says many people don't realize the importance of business dress, especially women. "What is most appropriate (acceptable) generally tends to be pretty dull. There is a big confusion between fashion and business dress." Sagle attributes this to the changing clothing market in Russia, where fashion options (selection, choice) have multiplied in recent years. She simply asks her clients: "What do you want to emphasize, your body or your brain'' It may be a little blunt," she says, "but people need to understand the difference in social and business dress."
Another misconception is thinking you need to spend a lot of money to improve your business image. The most important thing is simple grooming. "Make sure you are clean from your shoes to the top of your head." emphasizes Sagle.
Dress Code
What is necessary or appropriate often depends on the line of work. The more conservative business sectors, such as banking, and law require grey, navy or black suits for both women and men. But whatever the sector, there are basic rules for office dressing. Keep it professional and clean. Leave the fashion pieces for social occasions, unless you work in the fashion field.
Business dressing only begins with the first interview. Because you want lo he hired for a position, you present yourself in the best possible way, from resume lo interview attire. But what you wear and how you wear it, after you have landed the job, can mean promotion or even dismissal, especially in the conservative areas of employment. A colleague of mine, who worked for an extremely prestigious and fashionable magazine in New York, told me about her office's unwritten rule of dress: whatever you wear, make sure that it's black. Everyone dresses in black, from the designers to the receptionists. The company even went so far as to require black desk accessories (канцелярские принадлежности), meaning the office manager would throw out your red stapler if it wasn't hidden in your desk drawer. The unwritten rule also affected internal promotions. People didn't get promoted if they did not "lit in," which included dressing in what is considered a fashionable and appropriate way. Although this case may seem a little extreme, it illustrates the fact that often, how you dress for work can impact how far you go in your job.
Unproperly Dressed
Another colleague, a department supervisor (head) at a major international computer firm in Moscow, worked with a talented computer consultant at his firm. Although the consultant was highly skilled, he lacked what is considered a proper business suit. Unfortunately, it impacted (affected) his promotion opportunities. Because he didn't quite look the part, unintentionally or not, he was not asked to join business meetings with clients. Companies can be very particular about the image they want to project, and as an employee of that company, they will be particular about the role of image you project as their representative. My colleague wanted to tell the man to invest in a decent suit for client meetings. Yet discussing such a subject can be difficult. A little self-evaluation can go a long way (help).
The rule that image consultants offer is to dress for the position you want, no matter what level you may be with a company. If you are a receptionist, but strive (want) to move into the marketing department, then look at how the marketing director presents himself or herself. II those are the shoes you want to fill, then put yourself in the position where you can be considered for the part. Although skills are extremely important, part of the battle for a promotion is presenting yourself as capable of doing the job. Dressing appropriately demonstrates that you have enough wherewithal to know how to present yourself to clients and other employees. It also creates a sense of self-confidence and pride necessary to lead a team of employees or impress outside contact. Docs the marketing director ever come to work in jeans or other casual wear, or is it suit and lie every day?
Bright Is Out
I remember working in a law firm in Washington, DC, where the decor was traditional American antiques and the unwritten rule of the firm was dress well – and conservatively. Black, grey and navy Brooks Brothers1 suits abounded in a place where Hugo Boss2 would be considered living dangerously. A secretary was hired for one attorney, and though she may have been extremely competent, she was also very festive. Every holiday, she would come to work dressed to the nines in the garb of the season – Halloween meant an orange shirt, white nylon pantyhose with orange pumpkins and some sort of spider earrings to match! I'm not sure how many holidays she made it through, but I unfortunately, it wasn't many. I think it was sometime soon after the orange bat shirt that she was cleaning out her desk. Perhaps it wasn't specifically her holiday wear that lead to her dismissal, but I can't help but think that it contributed. Quirks can be tolerated, although they usually only come from superiors. I know art directors and partners in international law firms who tend to walk around the office in their sock feet (без обуви), leaving the shoes somewhere under the desk. Yet these types of people generally have proven themselves with a firm to the degree that such things become " endearing " (charming) – a part of the process in producing their quality work.
In the Western world, where fashion traditions have been built over the generations, there are stricter codes of proper business attire. In Russia, the rules are a less strict. Company handbooks don't usually specify the ties that are acceptable or the appropriate length of your hair. Many businesses allow employees to wear jeans in places that would be unheard of in the States – and people seem more sympathetic to the weather. 1 was delighted during my first summer in Moscow to enjoy the freedom of working for an international publishing firm, without having to wear the dreaded (ненавистные) nylons with my summer suits.
Ashieigh Morris
1Brooks Brothers - expensive and prestigious men's fashion store.
2Hugo Boss – trendy German clothes manufacturer.
Комментарии
scouring the want ads = looking through jobs pages;
skimped on the dressing extras – зд. пренебрегли такими деталями;
edge = advantage;
blunt = staightforward;
social – светский; зд. вечерний, нарядный;
grooming – уход за собой;
attire = garb = clothes;
dressed to the nines – зд. разодетая в пух и прах;
pumpkins – тыквы;
quirks – выходки, причуды.
