There are a lot of people who want to come to China for a variety of reasons. Business people want to open factories, or maybe they would like to find a supplier for their business. Professionals want to expand their client base and maybe even open a branch office as well. For all of these people, one of the biggest hurdles is, of course, the language. Even when the other party can speak English, usually the proficiency level is not high enough for the kind of specialized talks that are probably going to be required. So what can these people do? What can you do if you are one of these people?
Well one option would be to hire (or have the other party provide) a translator who can speak the local language and English. This translator could then pass messages back and forth between the parties, facilitating communication. However, I would not recommend this strategy. Instead, I would suggest bringing your own interpreter who can represent only you and allow the other party to have a translator for only them.
Why is it so important? It is so important to have your own interpreter so that there is no danger of the interpreter taking sides, unintentionally or not. It also prevents the interpreter from having a conversation with one side or the other and merely giving a summary to the other party. When each party has their own interpreter, the two parties can each just talk to one another while the interpreter says what is being said in real time. Your interpreter can tell you what they are saying in the local dialect and their translator will turn your English into the local language for your counterpart. In this way, it is not a translator that is talking back and forth. Instead, it is a conversation between you and your counterpart. In this way, you can be much more certain that you are getting the full message.
What does a good interpreter look like? The best interpreters will be sitting behind the representative of their party, speaking in a low voice, translating in real-time. This way, there is virtually no lag in the conversation between the two parties. Unfortunately, translating a conversation in real-time is very difficult and requires a lot of training. This typically translates into a higher cost to use the services of such translators. However, the rewards from using such high level skills are well worth the cost. It also is not that important whether or not the translator is a native English or native local language speaking person. That kind of choice is up to the individual’s preference and on the availability of the skills mentioned earlier. If there is a skilled interpreter you trust, then their background does not matter as much.
When you find a good interpreter, it is best to keep them close so that you can always rely on their translations. As any experienced international business person will tell you, having accurate translations is vital for success. If you are relying on the other party to provide you with translations, then you are essentially at their mercy for what information you will receive and also what will be conveyed.
This is why it is so important to be proactive and try to find a translator you trust as soon as you know you have to go abroad. The cost may be higher than you would like, but the cost is well worth the investment to ensure accurate translations and peace of mind.