The Chinese Do Mind Your Manners

Posted by: Azelea In: Business 20 May 2013 Comments: 0

It is important to understand cultural differences rather than working on global assumptions

Let’s say you have a spectacular product that has celebrated success in the Western market. But when you look into the real statistics of world population, it appears to be rather sad that the US only accounts for just under 5% (and we thought the US was really, big). Meanwhile, China alone owns almost 20% of the world’s population, whilst India comes second with 17% – these two countries alone make up to more than a third of the world’s population! Is it any wonder why so many businesses are looking into tapping their markets?

It’s Really, Not That Simple

Many of us would like to think that globalisation has had positive effects. It has opened so many doors of opportunity, with more people making the effort to bridge the gap in communication by picking up (at the very least) a second language, wanting to reach out to the rest of the world. Yet, language is the very thing that can make or break a product – even though Pepsi has a worldwide reputation, they did not realise until sometime later that their slogan “Come Alive With Pepsi”, was literally lost in translation in China, where people took it as “Bring Your Ancestors Back From The Grave”.

This may have a light-hearted impact on the consumers, but what more to say businesses who tried their marketing strategies but failed and somehow also managed to offend their foreign counterparts? It was reported in The Daily Telegraph (UK) that a British property developer Keith Darby that he and his family are being prevented from leaving China after a joint venture with a state-backed company went ‘sour’.

“Inflict Injury On Oneself To Win The Enemy’s Trust”

To the Chinese, business is very similar to warfare and they usually refer to their ancient text for advice. The saying above is one of the 36 Stratagems, a collection of Chinese Proverbs used to illustrate military strategy and tactics. With most Chinese business dealings, it is best to understand their ways first (your part of self-damage) before you try taking on the challenge – something Google failed to look properly into before they ultimately offended the Chinese when they tried their market. Here are some tips to help you build some awareness towards the Chinese culture in business:

- Being late for an appointment is a serious offence. Chinese business hours are usually 0800-1700 hours, Monday to Saturday, where many take a break between 1200-1400 hours, where almost everything is ‘shut down’ during this period (including phones and lifts).

- Dress conservatively. Combinations of bright or garish colours of any kind are considered inadequate, though do take note that white is the colour of mourning, whilst red suggest power, prosperity and authority – the preferred colour in China. Also, having gold writing on your business card, double-sided with simplified or traditional Chinese translation are a plus.

- Unless you already have ‘guangxi’ (personal relationship) with your Chinese counterpart, gifts are officially considered bribery and an illegal act in the country.

(For more tips, click to read Culture and Etiquette Matters in China.)

Culture and Etiquette Matters in China

Posted by: Azelea In: Translation Insights 20 May 2013 Comments: 0

The simple things that add up to the whole picture – even the way you present and accept business cards

Though it is said that we are breaking down physical and communication barriers in the wake of globalisation, we are still differentiated by the many different languages we speak, and the cultural practices that we hold dear to. While businesses like Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Ikea thrive all over the world, they have failed to capture the Chinese market. Why, does one wonder?

This is not saying that the Chinese market is impossible to penetrate, but if one does manage, that is 20% of the world’s population tapped into. One can say the door that opens up to the China is very small – for a start, to grasp the language is already a demanding task. Though the language barrier can easily be overcomed by translation services, that door will shrink and eventually close if one does not try to understand their culture and policies. Here are some know-hows we would like to share to get you started:

- When you tender your business card, use both hands. If the side with Chinese writing exists, make sure that it is the side that is facing the recipient. Similarly, accept a business card with both hands and take some time to examine it. Tucking it away almost immediately is offensive behaviour.

- The Chinese expect people to enter the meeting room in hierarchical order – the first person in would be presumed as head of the delegation. Likewise, when a meeting ends, you are expected to leave before your Chinese counterparts.

- Unless you already have ‘guangxi’ (personal relationship) with your Chinese counterpart, gifts are officially considered bribery and an illegal act in the country.

- The numbers 4 and 14 are considered very bad/taboo as they mean death, which is why you won’t find these floor numbers in a lift of a tall building in China. ‘73’ means ‘the funeral’, ‘84’ refers to ‘accidents’, so you would do well avoiding these numbers altogether. The number 8 however, is deemed as one of the luckiest numbers (wealth and prosperity), 6 is considered a blessing for ‘smoothness and progress’, and 3 means longevity.

- ‘Saving face’ is something important to remember. Whereas belief in the communist party line would be dominant in all negotiations, causing embarrassment or loss of composure can also lead to disaster in business negotiations. Giving tips and directly saying ‘no’ is also discouraged – always try to speak in short, simple, jargon-free sentences with frequent pauses, and find ways around ‘no’, such as “I will have to look into that”.

- If you are invited to a banquet, wait to be seated. Again, there will be a seating protocol based on hierarchy. Business is strictly NOT discussed during the meal, which may consist of 20-30 courses. Whilst scorpions, locusts, snake skin, dog meat and blood are considered premium delicacies, keep in mind that leaving an empty dish is perceived as if you were not given enough food, leaving food untouched will also purport offence. The best practice is to try a small portion of everything to avoid overstuffing yourself and show politeness. Strangely (but not to them) slurping and belching are perceived as signs that you are enjoying the meal.

- Whether during a meeting, at a meal or being in public, do not put your hands in your mouth i.e bite your nails or removing food from your teeth as it is considered rude. Spitting is also unacceptable and subjected to a heavy fine.

- Building ‘guangxi’ is very important – part of this may involve participating in their strong drinking culture. At times, the Chinese enjoy testing the foreigner’s ‘lou wai’ (ability to handle alcohol), especially ‘er gua toe’, a drink comparable to airline fuel. If you are up to the challenge, good practice would be to eat something beforehand, and if not, medical excuses are always accepted.

- Be patient. Deals are rarely closed on first meetings – the Chinese tend to extend negotiations away from the official deadline to gain some advantage. Accept that delays will occur and avoid mentioning deadlines.

- Have a good interpreter at hand, as this will help you greatly in China. But do make sure you have carefully briefed your interpreter beforehand, making sure they understand any special technical words you might use. However, do keep in mind that you should always talk to the host, never to your interpreter during meetings and conversations.

Lost in translation

Posted by: admin In: Translation Insights 20 May 2013 Comments: 0

It has happened and happens again that for several factors a brand conveys not the kind of image is aspiring to promote. The resultant is bad translation causing pitfall that could determine a persistent negative association to the brand. If the main purpose is to fill a unique, relevant and available space in the consumer’s mind, first need to make sure that the brand name is appropriate for all the international markets. For such reason you must not forget to turn to a translation service, that means maintaining and increasing the potential of the brand identity in all markets, avoiding blunders of any kind. It is the first step that may turn out to be very expensive for the whole brand image if it is not taken seriously. Such carelessness may have great costs that in some cases could end up with a downturn.
Browsing the badly-translated ads we can find out some kind of “do-it-yourself” translation attitude, nothing to do with a trustworthy translation service. Companies with a huge experience in marketing tasks encounter unbelievably this kind of mistranslation.
The fast food Kentucky Fried Chicken launch’s restaurant in Beijing in 1987, translated accidentally “Finger-lickin’ good” famous catchphrase to “We’ll Eat Your Fingers Off!” in Chinese. Moving forward, what apparently U.S beer-making giant Coors used as catchphrase “Turn it loose”, came out in Spanish translation “Suffer from Diarrhea”.
Albeit it sounds as a pun, the “Escalation of bad Translations” never ends. In 2006, hair care company Clairol introduced a curling iron called the Mist Stick, which did very well in U.S markets but when the company marketed the product in Germany, without undertaking a focused localisation process, they miserably failed to realize that “mist” means “manure” in German language.
The Globalisation and Localisation Association (Gala) states:
- it would take 83 languages to reach 80% of all people in the world, and over 7,000 languages to reach everyone.
- 56.2% of consumers says the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.
- 95% of Chinese online consumers indicate greater comfort level with websites in their language; only one percent of US-based online retailers offer sites specific to China.
Therefore use the appropriate term of a language is essential if you want to reach the customers avoiding misleading communications of the brand in their minds. Mistranslation involves even in getting the wrong sounds. Pointing out the Toyota company, the MR2 Sports Car translated in French language sounds like merde, a common expletive. Thus it will happen, if you do not aid properly your translating business area, through the process of language localization that translates the product into different languages.

Branding: Selling A Product? Sell The Country!

Posted by: Azelea In: Translation Insights 16 May 2013 Comments: 0

What is it that makes these brands popular worldwide?

Let’s talk brands. What first comes to mind when it comes to Haägen-Dazs or Berghaus? Dolmio or Giorgio di St. Angelo? Respectively, they are brands of ice-cream, an outdoor equipment company, sauces and designer wear.

What else then, comes in mind about its source and quality? Haägen-Dazs sounds Danish or Hungarian, so Denmark or Hungary it is. Then, Berghaus is assumingly German and Dolmio and Giorgio di St. Angelo essentially from Italy. Unfortunately, these common assumptions based on their source languages, are all wrong.

Adopting Foreign Names is A Marketing Strategy

It is surprising how some products are deeply associated to certain locations of the world. Belgian or Swiss chocolate are commonly perceived as the quality or premium of its kind. Bottled water would relate to the Alps (or Évian-les-Bains, France maybe?), whilst hardware and hardwear for the outdoors would ring German technology. One may beg to differ, but the case is true for the examples given at the very beginning – Haägen-Dazs was established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in The Bronx, New York (now under Pillsbury with headquarters in Minneapolis), Berghaus is a British outdoor equipment company previously known as LD Mountain Centre, Dolmio is by Masterfoods in Australia and Giorgio di St. Angelo is designer wear not from Milan but the US, by Martin Price. Even Roland, famous for its electronic musical instruments, equipment and software is originally from Japan. These, in relation to the products they are selling and marketing globally, work for them.

Brand Plus Image Equals Power

When we talk about ‘brand’ itself, what does it really mean? In the olden days, it referred to the marking or pressing of hot metal with a unique design on one person’s cattle from another so they may be differentiated. This idea was then adapted in business, marketing and advertising. “A brand can be best described as the picture living in the consumer’s mind about a given product”, as a writer Peter Van Ham once said, and it is hard to disagree with his statement. Positive images and symbols associated with a brand certainly empowers it, subjecting its consumers to engage with their own emotions and experiences, building trust and subsequently loyalty towards the brand. Think about it – would you rather trust a fisherman, or a sewer-man to sell you fish?

Striking the Right Balance

Essentially, this all summates to bridging that gap between brand image, and brand identity. Whilst the former reflects the business owner’s perception of the brand, the latter is the customer’s view of the brand. Any business owner should know that achieving the balance between the two is the key to successfully communicate and reach out to their customers with their products and services. Whilst for companies like Évian and Dolmio bridge that gap on geographical locations that relate to their customers, others like Nike or Nokia translate their positive emotions through the strength of a swoosh or a happy-jingly tune that lightens the heart.

Facebook takes over Waze. What next?

Posted by: Giulia In: Technology 15 May 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: testtag

Facebook is said to be willing to spend up to US$1 billion to acquire Waze

If you google ‘takeover’, you might encounter into a huge flood of information, most of which creates more question than answers. Ranging from friendly, hostile, reverse and backflip takeovers, some even speak of the ‘Blue Book’ or ‘Takeover Code’ where you easily find all the rules or simple steps for a ‘takeover’.

So, how can we narrow this down so we can all get the same idea? When we speak of takeovers, it basically refers to the process of a company wishing to purchase another company. The reasons behind the acquisition, is what makes the term a little more complicated.

Some takeovers are ‘opportunistic’ simply because of its very reasonable price offered at an opportune moment. Others may be ‘strategic’, owing to the long term profitability of the target company. This is the case with Facebook, who is in talks in acquiring the mapping service from Waze, Israel’s mobile navigation company for as much as USD 1 billion. With this, the acquisition of Waze would be Facebook’s largest ever deal, after it had spent more than USD 700 million to buy the mobile photo-sharing service Instagram last year. The negotiations, said to have started six months ago have not been concluded at present – The Marker reports that the acquisition will be paid for partly in cash and the rest in shares.

The main purpose for Facebook’s acquisition of Waze is to provide mapping features that link to the user’s social-networking accounts. The takeover involves both Israel and Latin America, considering that Waze announced a partnership with IMS Internet Media Services just last month. Also considering Waze has only 11 of its 100 employees based in the United States and the rest in Israel, language translation services and interpreters would certainly be part of the long-term investment. This is not new to Facebook either; Snaptu was a similar takeover in 2011, and Face.com a year after.

Looking into the ‘strategic takeover’ point of view, Facebook has noticed Waze is a fantastic mapping application that allows users to freely share their physical location with their friends on the social network, as well as find anything and everything along their route of travel. However, there is an effectively mutual self-tracking ‘mob’ behind the ‘map’ – the Waze app would be a more elegant catalyst for ‘check-ins’, free for use, providing information from online communities to improve driving routes, locate speed traps, roadworks and other hazards, potential traffic slowdowns and suggestions of new routes to reach destinations. However, all that comes is not without the not-so-subtle intention to generate revenue via location-based advertising.

Facebook’s move in acquiring Waze makes ‘strategic’ sense when you consider Facebook as a mobile advertising company that looks to expand and compete in the arena of mapping service, where Google, Microsoft’s Bing and Apple are already dominating. It begs the question, however, if people should be sharing their current routes and whereabouts all the time, or if this worry is outweighed when a user finds themselves safely at home after being lost in a city with the app. For the user this acquisition may prompt compromise in the way technology drives your desires and needs. But what’s in it for Facebook - simply a good strategic marketing strategy, or wanting extra access to its user’s every move?

Brand Infringement: The Thin Line For A Copycat

Posted by: Azelea In: Business 15 May 2013 Comments: 0

How does brand infringement affect a business?

What do you think of if you passed by a fast-food restaurant with a bright red, black and white logo that read ‘OFC’? Or a garish, pink-themed clothing store with the black print ‘Victor’s Secret Angels’? And what if you picked what you thought was an iPad, flipped it and saw the words ‘Samsung’ printed on its back?

When we see an unfamiliar brand name that reminds you of another well-known brand in an instant, you would have most probably encountered brand infringement. If it was a product that looks like, but turned out to be not what you thought it was, then this would be described as patent infringement. And, if it were a well-known brand name that was used and/or fitted into a sentence in another language without permission to sell other products, this would mean trademark infringement.

A new business owner may not see the harm in setting up a new company with a name that is similar to another existing and well-established company. But what does this look like, and how does it translate upon the general public and the current business owner?

To Sue, Or Not To Sue

The French jewellery brand, Cartier, won a trademark infringement case against two Beijing jewellery companies and a Shanghai online retailer April this year. The lawsuit was filed in July 2012, arguing that the Chinese jewellery companies misled consumers by using the words “Cartier classic style” without authorisation, and accusing them of unfair competition and infringing on its trademark. Though they demanded 550,000 yuan in damages and a public apology, the court agreed that the advertisements may have confused consumers about the quality and style of real Cartier jewellery, the Chinese companies are only partially liable for damages to Cartier and had to pay a portion of the compensation – 180,000 yuan (GBP 19,085).

However in 2009, McDonalds had lost an eight-year trademark battle to stop a Malaysian restaurant from calling itself McCurry. Though an earlier high court ruling upheld McDonald’s contention in 2006, a three-member appeal court panel had ruled in favour of McCurry, pointing out that McDonald’s cannot claim an exclusive right to the ‘Mc’ prefix in the country, even if they had a certified translation of official documents to support their reasoning, and that there was no evidence to show that they were passing off McDonald’s business as their own. McCurry is said to be an abbreviation of Malaysian Chicken Curry, and serves Indian food. McDonald’s then were fined MYR10,000 (GBP 1,760).

What more to say about Apple, who also have been suing left, right and centre for patent infringement, ultimately with Samsung. In one case, it was between Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, where the US judge actually held up the two tablets in court and asked the lawyers to examine both simultaneously. When asked to name the brands, the lawyers had failed. Though the judge ruled that Samsung had infringed Apple’s patents, the validity of the legal status of those patents were then questioned.

Pressing On Impressions

On the whole, infringement can affect so many businesses. The infringing party gains interest, publicity and may profit from it. The customers get confused, whilst the infringed party loses out and may receive damage in their brand’s reputation and funds. Public-facing companies, such as high street retailers, spend up to millions in building brand recognition. Even though there are laws that act to protect the rights of the original business owner, the outcome is as creative as the ideas contested. However, it would be a good start for any business to ensure that they have brand and intellectual property protection.

Innovation vs Exclusivity: What’s Really Good For Business?

Posted by: Azelea In: Business 15 May 2013 Comments: 0

What should a business owner do to keep afloat?

In recent news, Apple Inc has reported that its quarterly profit this year dipped for the first time in nearly a decade – in translation this means earning less money as opposed to competitors in the smartphone and tablet markets. This is the same company that revolutionised portable music with the iPod in 2001, the smart mobile phone with its iPhone in 2007 and the never-hear-before-tablet, the iPad in 2010, all of which became a global phenomenon when they all entered the market.

This pattern has not been previously unheard of from other companies. Hitachi Corporation used to be the one of the giants of Japanese consumer electronics, building their reputation on having the best technology. But in 2010, it was reported that they were making dangerous losses. Hitachi then reverted back to its core business, which is heavy engineering, and have recovered their business since. Even Sony, also once reputed for its technological advances, is reported to have made more money out of selling life insurance than it does out of selling electronics. Even BlackBerry has announced that their unique Messenger service (which has always been seen as the ultimate reason for any person to own a BlackBerry device) will be available for use on iPhone and Android by this summer. So what is important – always having something new to ‘wow’ the market, or sticking to what you know?

Knowing Your Niche

As an example, Whatsapp have announced that they have no plans on ‘branching out’ their messaging application to include games and advertisements or having a joint-venture with Google, sticking through and through to its sole purpose – allowing the user to send only messages, pictures and video files to another user. So far they have only undergone language translation so the app may be utilised worldwide, incurring a yearly fee of GBP0.69 (USD 0.99). Whatsapp is also said to have more users than Twitter. Unlike Whatsapp, Twitter is another popular social network platform which allows the user to share their thoughts (and of late, music) with the rest of the world, or at least those who are ‘following’ them.

Though Whatsapp and Twitter may appear to be competitors, they actually cater to different and specific ‘needs’ of its users. Whatsapp is an app that allows communication that is more selective and private, not bombarded by advertisements or distractions and at no extra charge. Twitter however, caters to users who want to share their lives with a mass of people for a fraction of their time, and would love to poke their own noses into what other users are up to, seeing what’s ‘news’ and ‘trending’. So far, both companies are stable and thriving.

Acknowledging Your Beliefs in The Ever Changing Environment

Conclusively, it is most important to understand that the consumer market is not fixed, and that a business should always stay in tune with their customers, knowing what they are looking for and why they seek your products and services. As with Coca-Cola, one of the most recognisable brands around the world that has been around since 1866, their success has been continuous with branding strategies that attract interest from consumers (like being one of the leading sponsors of the London Olympics 2012), receiving and interpreting consumer response to allow focus on consumer preferences whilst investing into the management of employee and consumer relations.