由彼得· Bennett

同事曾经告诉了我经济信心好显示是建筑用起重机的数量在地平线。 如果他是正确的，北京实际上感到好关于它的远景，非常好。

根据美联社最近出版的图，中国的经济在第一四分之三增长在一恶意的9.4% 2005中单独。 平底锅欧洲企业民意测验由小包企业UPS显露三(31%)英国商业领袖不几乎认为亚洲一个重要贸易或生产市场。

要忽略预言`唤醒龙的标题’是商业自杀： 世界经济根据金融时代’马丁狼接受一次革命，当中国被带领的亚洲回到它历史的角色在事理的中心。
少数我们去年接受电子邮件用中文，但我翻译的锯一： “我希望花费一百万磅与您的公司”。 一个好借口，我在北京认为，度过1月谈话与想要换以西部的企业代表性组织和增长的公司。 有我现在知道我不知道的事当我上我的飞机从伦敦到北京遇见希望的大家做生意在中国应该知道的我的中国联络时。 让我解释。

There were no berths available on the night train from Beijing to Xian (famous for its terracotta army but fast developing other industries) but we soon found ourselves settling down to sleep as one suddenly came available. A few days later we dined in a restaurant which was so busy that there was a queue for tables but strangely we had been directed past the queue into a private dining room.

Not long after my arrival in Beijing I’d mentioned a long standing back injury was troubling me after my flight. The next day I was ushered past the waiting patients to be x-rayed immediately by one of the City’s leading orthopedic surgeons. No money changed hands. The currency exchanged was based upon Guanxi (Pronounced “GWAN-shee”) which literally means “relationships”. In practice, “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. The exchange of favors.

My host, a local businessman whose family has lived in the same area of Beijing for centuries, runs several successful restaurants. He has Guanxi in abundance and I have lost count of the number of times his standing has made things happen which would have been impossible without his network. If you trade with China, or would like to trade with China, underestimate Guanxi at your peril.

It works at all levels from social engagements through business and into officialdom. Western corporations often place great emphasis on efficiency and financial performance as a guide to whether or not to trade with other entities. In China, a much higher importance is put on personal relationships. You do not need to be big and powerful to forge successful business relationships with Chinese executives but you do need establish the personal contacts first.

My advice is not to rely on formal written communications but wherever possible to talk to prospective contacts on the phone (using an interpreter if required) and, if at all possible, arrange to meet in person as soon as you think you have a mutual interest in trading. Return flights from London to Beijing are around 400 UK and once there, accommodation is cheap.

Time spent getting to know your potential partners will pay dividends down the line. Unless your hosts speak English well, consider hiring a face-to-face interpreter to avoid confusion and help initial meetings run smoothly. Their local knowledge of the City will also be invaluable as Beijing is huge.

My time in China was extremely productive. London Translations Limited, has announced an agreement with Beijing Sagive Translations Company Limited, one of the most respected and experienced translation firms in China. This will provide a crucial language ‘bridge’ to enable trade between our two countries. Crucially they will provide an English to Chinese service and we will translate Chinese into English.

Incidentally, I never found out how exactly we managed to get seats on a fully booked train but my host did mention that the wife of a comedian whose show was being played on TV in our carriage works at the train company and the comedian himself regularly eats in his restaurants!

Article Source: www.articlebazaar.net

Peter Bennett is founder and CEO of London translations Limited, one of London’s fastest growing business translation and interpreting agencies.

Download his free report, Translation without tears, from:
www.london-translations.co.uk