International relations & International travel & November 2006 trip to China johnnelson on 13 Nov 2006 11:28 am
Day one — factory tour
Today, we had meetings in the morning to help educate our worldwide team on selling our new software. Then, it was off to Alcatel Shanghai Bell for a tour of the facility and a demonstration of our software in action.
on 15 Nov 2006 at 6:26 pm 1.andrewkun said …
Was the official language of the meeting English? If yes, did you need translators for some of the attendees or did they all speak English? Were there any language barriers to overcome? Finally, does UGS promote the new software in multiple languages (e.g. Chinese)?
on 16 Nov 2006 at 11:20 am 2.johnnelson said …
Yes, the official language for this meeting is English. All the participants speak English, though some speak better than others.
Language is always an issue in these meetings, and in all of our dealings with foreign countries, especially China and Japan. It always takes a longer time to understand the meaning of what each person is trying to say. Normally, I have listen to what the person is saying, and then repeat back my understanding. Without this, there can very easily be mis-communications. Sometimes, email or written documentation is better… sometimes not. If you are making a presentation, you need to be aware that it is difficult for the audience to understand you. So, you can not speak too quickly, and you need to choose your words so that the message is clear.
UGS software is available in multiple languages, including Chinese and Japanese. This is very important. While most of the managers and system administrators can speak English, the operators on the shop floor do not. If we only have an English interface, then training is very difficult. Since they can’t read the English text, they have to memorize how to do certain operations (where to click, what menu item to choose) based on its location on the screen. So, an interface in the local language is very important.