Often managing directors and export managers of foreign companies tend to cling to this line of reasoning: "In our view the interpreter can just easily translate our needs and wishes right away, so that these things will be taken into consideration by our counterpart and be given the weight they deserve, thus making them as important as they are to us. Just keep on stressing the most important issues all the time, there is no need to ask every now and then whether they did understand the whole thing".
Chinese interpreters that do seem to speak English so well are after all perhaps not able to communicate your company's message well enough too. For several reasons the message will be put across in a different way from what you may wish to. The interpreter may sometimes not be familiar with the correct expressions, possibly doesn't understand yet exactly what it is all about, or just finds the information too awkward and too troublesome.
The importance you yourself may attach to something is not passed on automatically to the same extent, because they have no idea what's really important and why. Your direct influence on the considerations of the Chinese partner is rather small. Your arguments are being translated, but without any distinct order of priority.
Here, we are not even talking yet about a sufficient knowledge of the English language and how the Chinese interpreter communicates with the Chinese negotiating partners, are delicate questions being asked or not?
Yujie Services comes each month with a premise that focuses upon a certain aspect of the Chinese business culture where things may go wrong.
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