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your own interpreter

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Doing business in China: Bring your own interpreter

Posted: March 15, 2016

By Matthew Alderson

You’ve
come all the way to China to talk to a prospective business partner. Maybe it’s
an investor or maybe it’s a buyer. China is a big market. And you’ve heard
there's a lot of money here too.

After
you arrive in town the Chinese are so helpful. They know you can’t speak their
language. They provide an interpreter because one of their people is bi-lingual.
The interpreter is nice. You think the meeting is going really well. You’re told
how much they want to “co-operate” with you. They want to invest in your
business or buy whatever it is you’re selling. Like, right now. They just need
some more detailed information about your offering. Some more documents to look
at. Some more specifications. You’re asked to prepare an MOU. For some reason it
needs to be signed before you fly out. For some reason this seems alright to
you.

You
get a bit carried away. The meeting isn’t what you think it is. There’s a lot of
discussion about you but you don’t realize it isn’t the kind of thing you’d want
to hear. It’s about what to do with you. You converse with the interpreter and
then watch helplessly as the interpreter converses with the others on the
Chinese side. Those carefully worded points you think you’re making don’t seem
to be getting across. Your witticisms are falling flat. You don’t understand
that it isn’t always a good sign when Chinese smile at you in meetings. You have
no idea what’s going on. None at all. Worse still, maybe the leader of the
Chinese side doesn’t know what’s going on either. Perhaps both of you are in the
dark. The Chinese boss is so proud of the clever interpreter but they’re running
their own racket. Right under the boss’s nose that helpful interpreter says all
sorts of things you’ve never said. They want someone else to win the boss’s
business. Someone who’ll look after them better. Don’t laugh. If you don’t
believe me, take a meeting in Beijing and pretend you don’t speak Chinese.
You’ll soon find out what’s really going on.

This
is how it should go down — as you look your interlocutor straight in the eye he
or she addresses you in Chinese from across the table. Sitting closely beside
you, your own interpreter translates simultaneously sotto voce. You don’t look
at your interpreter. The Chinese side can’t tell what your interpreter is saying
to you. It’s just a murmur. Your rhythm is undisturbed. You’re really
communicating now. You notice how careful and attentive the interpreter on the
other side has suddenly become. They aren’t talking among themselves any more.
You’ve just shut down all the games. Now you have a chance.

Simultaneous
interpreting is a valuable service. It requires artistry beyond the mere mastery
of two languages. Proper use of an interpreter is also an art. Usually, the
value of the service and the art of using it are not appreciated. The result of
not taking the role of an interpreter seriously is that foreigners often don’t
know what’s going on. A good interpreter is invisible. They don’t initiate or
hold a conversation. You don’t watch them have a long discussion in Chinese and
then rely on them to give you a little summary afterwards. They do not play a
central role in a meeting. They’re not one of your executives. They’re not doing
the talking. You’re the presenter. Do you think the interpreters you see on the
news sitting behind world leaders at big meetings get a say in
things?

Should
your interpreter be a native speaker or will a fluent foreigner do? Decide that
one for yourself. Just know that Confucian proprieties won’t prevent a foreign
interpreter from speaking frankly to someone in a position of seniority. Your
foreign interpreter won’t be asked whose side they’re on right in front of you.
They won’t be invited to dinner that night to discuss a few things without you
around to spoil it. Or, if they are, they’ll probably interpret these little
gems for you along with everything else.

If
you want to do business in China right, use your own interpreter.

Mathew
Alderson is an international transactional lawyer and corporate advisor with a
focus on entertainment, technology and creative industries. He leads Harris & Moure's China media and
entertainment practice from Beijing.

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