Day-to-Day Communications

Once you have made contact with a Chinese company it is likely that your day-to-day phone and email communications will be in English with one of the company’s English speaking members of staff.

If you do not think the standard of English in the Chinese company is up to scratch, you might wish to ask for parallel Chinese texts and get them translated; this could be a valuable investment. An important part of setting up arrangements in China is to ensure that communication issues are covered in detail.

If you are going to sign anything, as obvious as it sounds, make sure you get it translated first, and by an independent translator. Do not rely on your customers’ or suppliers’ translation and do not be pressured into signing anything that you do not fully understand.

Most failures occur in relationships because of fractured communications and mutual misunderstandings.

If China is likely to become a significant part of your business, you should consider hiring a Chinese-speaking member of staff. There is a rich pool of talent in the huge number of Chinese students graduating from British universities, who are keen to have internships or short term employment in the UK before returning to China. These students can also be recruited through specialist recruitment agencies.

You may also wish to take up the challenge of learning Chinese yourself – even having a basic level of communication will create a positive impression and will have the added benefit of making your trips to China more enjoyable.

However, even if you do attain a reasonable level of fluency (which can take over two years with dedicated study), an interpreter – or a Chinese speaking member of staff – is still an essential in business meetings.

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