Working with Translators in China
At some point, you are going to need someone to listen in English and speak in Chinese, or vice versa. Translators. If you have a lot of positive experience dealing with translators, this may not be useful to you. For the rest of us, here are a few ways to avoid problems when working with translators in China.
DiligenceChina on working with Chinese translators:
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1) Don’t save money on translators. Good translators will run from rmb2-6 + thousand for a day’s work. More if you want them to help you do large meetings or formal presentation. Avoid hiring some college kid with no references and hoping for the best. That’s ok for routine correspondence, but when you are meeting or presenting to serious prospects or potential partners you need polished, experienced professionals. They are available, but they’re not exactly cheap.
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2) Technical details are deal killers. Everything has a name in Chinese, though not every Chinese person knows them all. Are you negotiating for a specific type of chemical or some white powder? Make sure your translator has a list of common phrases, and copies of any notes or presentation you will be working with. Translators are fast and flawless in movies, but in real life they can be slow, inaccurate and vague. Be aware of this. Your message is not 100% guaranteed to get across the first time. TRANSLATORS ARE NOT LAWYERS AND CANNOT GIVE WORTHWHILE ADVICE ABOUT CONTRACTS, CHINESE LAW, FINANCE OR PHYSICS.
3) Chinese love busting on other people’s Chinese accent, vocabulary, etc. It definitely happens more than in the US, so be aware that people will criticize your translator’s abilities from time to time. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but they might be right. You don’t really know. So make sure that someone you trust can verify their skill level. Apparently, skill levels vary wildly, and you have to make sure that your translator is competent.
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4) Don’t let them find you a translator. This is as bad as them finding you a lawyer. Do the research on the internet. Check the classified on EnjoyClassifieds — http://www.enjoyclassifieds.com/, 8Days — http://www.8days.sh/classifieds/ and ShanghaiDaily.com– www.shanghaidaily.com. If you are talking to a business entry consultant, have him place ads to set up a phone-conference or arrange interviews for when you arrive.
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5) Check references. Then check them again. Make sure they were involved with the types of businesses or industry that make their experience relevant
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Posted: October 31st, 2006 under Due Diligence.
Comments: 2
Comments
Trackback from New Frontier China
Time: November 4, 2006, 3:25 am
Locating & Preparing Quality Translators…
Just after writing of my own struggles with Chinese business vocabulary a few days ago, I read today that I am not the only one with these struggles. Evidentally, finding Chinese translators (that is, Chinese nationals, native speakers) who know all th…
Comment from anonymous
Time: November 17, 2006, 6:59 pm
I had no problem finding translators for China, but, it is the unspoken issues that no one seems to want to address.
Something that doesn’t seem to ever get addressed and it is business issue that can cause you tremendous personal pain, is the fact that highly qualified and experienced Chinese Translators that are female often will attempt to take an American Executive to bed. Yes, that’s a generalization, but I also speak from experience. I arranged for two translators for an Executive and although I repeatidly pointed out that the Executive was not looking for an escort or companion, but only professional translation services, both translators attempted to take him to bed. Finding a translator in China is not the problem, finding one that isn’t trying to use her feminine offerings in an attempt to nab a ‘rich” American as a husband or sugar daddy is an issue. Obviously the Executive has to be a willing participant or the translator won’t get far, but, when you put a male Executive half a world away from his home with no obligations, no strings and no worries…well, the little boy in a candy store comes out. A perfect example is that there was even one translator that was attempting to “hook up” the Executive with some of her “model” friends who just happened to be “translators” too. Sheesh, Amercian Executives need to get a clue and think about why their Trade Partners are bringing along attractive women to their meetings, why those same Trade Partners “mysteriously” only have women sales staff to deal with American Male Executives, particularly when you start communication with a Male Trade Partner and suddenly find yourself passed along and only dealing with a female.
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