Challenge: Global Project Coordination
Whether dealing with global satellite offices or working with international partners, a project’s success depends on efficient, seamless communication. There are serious implications for misunderstandings, including missed deadlines, low-quality outcomes, and unexpected costs.
Example: Acme America Co. is working with a Chinese vendor for their new widget. The project manager describes specifications, and her Chinese counterpart quickly says “yes.” She doesn’t realize it’s an acknowledgement of being heard and not agreement to deliver.
Nothing is more effective than “face-to-face” meetings, and organizations are increasingly using cutting-edge technology to do just that. The cloud-based interpreting platform by KUDO blends video conferencing with professional remote interpreting to promote optimal productivity for project meetings – regardless of each team member’s location and language.
Challenge: Diverse Workforces
For companies with international offices or multi-cultural staff, managing a diverse workforce poses unique challenges. Language barriers are often considered the primary issue, but differences in cultural values and expectations are just as important to understand and navigate.
Example: You employ a large number of immigrants from Central America. Despite providing safety training in Spanish, many still fail to comply. The manager didn’t understand that some cultures see safety procedures as a legal formality and not an everyday practice.
There are significant benefits to professional translation services when it comes to managing your diverse workforce. Human resource departments across the globe are leveraging document translation, on-site interpretation, and remote interpreting to create a safer, more productive, and legally compliant work environment.
Challenge: Multi-Cultural Events
Whether you’re hosting investors or entertaining your global consumers, event coordinators face unique international business challenges when designing inclusive events. Making sure the speakers’ words are understood and presentations are culturally appropriate requires expertise.
Example: Your CEO is known for his positivity. During a presentation to investors, he makes a thumbs-up gesture when referencing growing profits. This is a foul insult that offends the Middle Eastern attendees.
To overcome these international business challenges, professional event interpreters can help prepare for global meetings and provide simultaneous interpreting during the event.
Challenge: International Negotiations and Business Deals
Negotiating international business deals is incredibly complex – requiring expert navigation through language barriers, variations in business etiquette, and significant cultural differences.
Example: During merger negotiations with American and Indian executives, the Indian CEO responds by saying he will need to research a specific point more. The Americans don’t realize this means “no” and continue to push for agreement.
Business negotiations should be supported with professional interpreters and document translators to ensure each detail is understood from both sides of the table. When in-person meetings aren’t possible, remote interpreting is a powerful tool for combining video conferencing with expert interpreting.
Your International Business Challenges – Our Multi-Cultural Language Solutions
For more than 20 years, Continental Interpreting Services has provided language solutions that bridge communication gaps and transcend cultural barriers. With a worldwide network of certified and qualified interpreters and translators, CIS brings you the highest quality interpreting and translation services—quickly, efficiently and cost effectively.
Call us at (800) 201-7121 or request a quote.
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