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Using a Chinese Interpreter

Although the Chinese see the value of learning English, there are too few Chinese people who are fluent enough in English to eliminate the need for an interpreter when going to China for business reasons. The interpreter is one of the most important members of your team when dealing with the native speakers of Chinese.

Even when the Chinese provide an interpreter, it is for their own side of the discussions. It is essential to have your own interpreter. It will avoid the stress of one person having to interpret for both sides of a meeting. Also, if you have your own, you can discuss any nuances after the meeting so you get the full impact of messages.

Be sure your interpreter understands your side of the conversations and your goals in a meeting. Let him or her know of any technical terms before the meeting so he will know the meaning of messages containing those terms.

Avoid jargon as much as possible. This is for the benefit of the interpreter as well as for those on the other side of the conversation. Be clear in stating your thoughts so the interpreter can clearly follow your intentions. Do not be surprised if the Chinese tend to use ambiguous language; this is rather normal for them at times.

Compare the length of your discourse with the length of what the interpreter says in Chinese. If the interpreter's message is much shorter than yours, there could be a problem for you to take care of.

Decide upon consecutive interpretations usually. Simultaneous interpretation is much more difficult for the interpreter to do. Give a short discourse and then allow the interpreter to say it in the other language.

Keep in mind that your speaking time will be half of what it would be if no interpreting was necessary. Everything that you say must be repeated in Chinese. This cuts into your available amount of speaking time.

Large numbers are difficult at times, with the interpreter or the hearers getting confused as to the size you mentioned. Keep this in mind as you prepare to use numbers in your discourse.

The use of funny material or jokes is often doomed for failure when crossing into another language. The things which seem humorous to a western speaker may have little or no meaning to a Chinese hearer. It is better to avoid jokes and witty sayings in such situations.

Be sure that your Chinese interpreter knows of any aliases or former names that you used for yourself or your company. Agree on any transliteration of names by the interpreter before you begin.

Have business cards and promotional materials printed in basic Chinese, not in fancy lettering but simply. These will assist the Chinese hearers to read and understand more about you and your company.

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