News Update
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A little effort goes a long way
In the present Global Market, having a good product is no longer enough to guarantee a business deal with a foreign client; cultural awareness and personal commitment are becoming important keys to distinguish yourself from the competition. The fact that only 10% of English people are aware of the importance of making an attempt at their client's language means that the minority who do make an effort are particularly well placed.
The expanding markets, such as China, India or Indonesia, are especially appreciative of this conscious effort from their British partners. In Asian countries a contract is not usually regarded as the end of the negotiations but as the starting point of a long term relationship that will be continuously revaluated. This approach means that special respect is shown to those who make an effort to understand the culture and the language.
So you want to learn Mandarin Chinese ....
In general, Chinese is a difficult language for westerners, no matter how many European languages they may have mastered in the past. The chief problem is that Chinese is a tonal language, and the meaning of words changes with the tone. As there are four and a half tones, a single word can have a number of meanings. For example, “Ma” can mean mother, horse or hemp, or can be a reproach depending on the tone used. So, mastering the tones is the key to speaking Mandarin, and to learn the tones in the classroom situation, you really need the services of a native speaker - a tutor qualified to teach the language as a foreign language, and good audio materials in mp3, CD or cassette format.
Use the wrong tone, and you could find yourself covered in confusion and embarrassment. We also digi-record the key elements of each session to give you a permanent record to optimise consolidation.
A study by the Wellcome Trust involving brain scans on volunteers came up with an amazing finding - that native Mandarin speakers use two sides of their brain to understand language, whereas English speakers use just one, the left temporal lobe.
The normal function of the right temporal lobe is to process melody in music and speech, and the implication is that Mandarin speakers interpret intonation and melody in the right temporal lobe to give the correct meaning to the spoken words.
So, if you can juggle a dozen plates while tap dancing on a high wire (on stilts), you’ll have no problems with Chinese tones.
On a more serious note, we have been successfully developing and providing courses in Chinese since 1992 for both beginners and more advanced students. So, whether you just want to learn the basics of the language with the aim of getting by and showing respect for the language and culture of your Chinese clients or partners, or to take it to a higher level with a view to a long-term commitment to the market, we either have, or will design a course to meet your exact requirements and will, as always, manage your learning with total commitment to your success.
Contact Eric Brass
at the Languages for Business Centre
on 0845 459 8964
Indonesia - an exciting market
Did you know that about 230 Million people speak Indonesian as a mother tongue? Are you also aware that in 2006 British exports to Indonesia were in the region of £400 million, placing the UK as the second largest EU exporter after Germany?
Many NW companies are looking carefully at this South East Asian market and are finding that potentially, there are lucrative opportunities.
"But even for us, Indonesian was a first ", says Eric Brass, Director of The Languages for Business Centre in Manchester. "Whilst we have designed and delivered language courses for companies in Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese and even Korean, this was our first in Indonesian. Fortunately, we were successful in recruiting a qualified and experienced tutor who made this course for a Senior Executive relocating to Indonesia on behalf of his Company, both successful and enjoyable".
Indonesia is designated one of UKTI's High Growth Markets. Among major British companies with large investments in Indonesia are BP, which have invested over US$6 billion, Unilever, the Jardine Matheson Group, HSBC, PZ Cussons, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Boots and many more.
"Companies who are looking to enter overseas markets should consider the linguistic implications - how to present company, product, service and self as a credible professional - and find out about low-cost solutions to do this effectively and within budget. There are 'must do' and 'can do' solutions - but even the smallest effort with the language of the trading partner establishes confidence and shows long-term commitment to that market. The feedback we are getting from our clients' sales and customer service personnel is that doors that hitherto were closed, suddenly opened because they were able to introduce themselves, the company, the products and the service in simple terms in the language of their trading partner."
Patient care starts with good communication
The NHS Plan 2000 and subsequent Plans are the blueprint for the many health care reforms embarked on by the Government. One of the reforms substantially increased the number of healthcare professionals and included a certain amount of recruitment from abroad. A Plan and a Code of Practice for recruitment from abroad was established to ensure amongst other things that "the level of English skills is consistent with safe and skilled communication with patients, clients, carers and colleagues." However, EU doctors and medical staff do not have to pass a test of linguistic competence, although "employers have a responsibility and a duty for ensuring that a doctor's proficiency in written and spoken English is adequate". Suitable training programmes to improve English language and communication skills should be offered if necessary. It is not clear whether this includes nurses and other health care staff.
In practice, healthcare staff, especially in hospitals, often have difficulty understanding each other since they come from a variety of countries both inside and outside Europe. The English spoken by Spanish professionals may vary considerably from the English spoken by Greeks, Italians or staff from the Indian Subcontinent. Heavy foreign accents can inhibit understanding and result in misunderstandings, mistakes and frustration.
Patients often complain privately that they did not understand their diagnosis, pre-op or post-op advice, and admit they did not have the courage to ask their consultant or doctor to repeat because they could not fully understand their English (they might even be accused of racism). Patients themselves often speak in a variety of local accents which foreign doctors and nurses find difficult to understand.
Where a diagnosis is made, where risks and post operative care are explained, where instant decisions on emergency treatment can save lives, there is no room for error or misunderstandings, no room for confusing the English decimal point with the continental decimal comma ...
When the Languages for Business Centre was approached by the private health care sector to support the induction of foreign consultants, doctors and nurses with tailored English language tuition, we were only too delighted to comply. For the past 15 years we have been specialising in the design and delivery of customised courses in many world languages for very specific job applications, and won the Government's National and Regional Language Training Awards under the Languages for Export Awards scheme. So English for medicine was a challenge: to tailor the courses to the specific needs of the individuals, we began with an evaluation of their current skills levels followed by a needs analysis as a basis for the course design. Course content included the vocabulary and structures required for a variety of departments and specialisms. Activities included role plays, discussions and vocabulary-building based on work-related situations and topics using authentic materials such as patient information sheets, hospital leaflets and media extracts.
We ensured that training outcomes were measurable and objectives were clear – primarily to help learners to:
- communicate clearly at all levels: internally, externally and on the telephone
- have a greater understanding of English spoken by native and foreign speakers (both colleagues and patients)
- develop a much wider general and work-related vocabulary range with reference not only to their particular specialism or department, but also to H & S and hospital-specific documentation.
- have a greater understanding of British culture and customs
Over the past four years, our tutors have successfully delivered a number of courses to healthcare professionals and have the experience to provide cost-effective solutions for communication skills training in English for foreign staff for both private and NHS hospitals and health care facilities. Our interpreters have assisted medical staff in a wide variety of situations - explaining emergency procedures and associated risks and including obesity assessment clinics.
For more info contact our course director Eric Brass as follows:
The Languages for Business Centre Ltd.
email: info@languages-for-business.com
tel. 0845 459 8964
www.languages-for-business.com
The Languages for Business Centre
e-mail info@languages-for-business.com Tel ++44 (0) 845 459 8964 Mobile ++44 (0)7878 899 967