Jocelyn Eikenburg

1. Раскройте магазин на большой стене.

Мы смогли выучить много от Starbucks на этом фронте. Их магазин в запрещенном городе произвел достаточный отрицательный PR для того чтобы гарантировать high-level обсуждения правительства на закрывать его для хорош. Почему? Потому что движение было воспринимано как империалистское нашествие в одну из Китая самого священнейшего и beloved культурных икон. С историей Китая недавней чужих marauders приходя внутри и устанавливая - вверх по магазину там - без благословения среднего китайца - реакция не удивляет.

Так если китайское должностное лицо дает вам зеленый свет для того чтобы open up на большой стене - или любое другое иконическое культурное положение в Китае - думайте дважды.

2. Fudge ваши китайские переводы.

Китайский перевод уныло недооценен в мире дела. Компании оплачивают сотниы тысяч долларов для затаврить, маркетинга, конструкции и PR - но некоторые рассчитывают получить их материалы маркетинга и корпоративную тождественность переведенными на дешевом китайским студентом. Будет вредом? Много. Препятствуйте нам сказать вас получите, что китайского студента сделать ваши переводы. Если та персона имеет меньший опыт в мире дела вашей страны, то они могут закончиться вверх по использованию неправильной терминологии. Джин Jameson, профессиональный переводчик в Великобритании, underlines потенциальный риск в ее статье «предохранении более дешево чем лечении «. Здесь пример:

Компания конструкции тканья пошла к Shanghai для главной выставки несколько месяцев тому назад, и включила китайского студента перевести свою брошюру маркетинга. At the exhibition confused visitors pointed out that the brochure did not make sense - the Chinese student had translated ‘rug’ for ‘cushion’!

It could get even more embarrassing if it’s your tag line, company name or your actual name — these are the core of your company’s image.

Remember, your marketing materials and corporate identity are communicating for you when you’re not around, like a Chinese sales rep in print. Will yours be wearing sleek Armani or plaid polyester? The choice is yours.

3. Confuse Japan and China.

China has a love-hate relationship with Japan. They love the economic benefit of Japan’s investments and export purchases from the Mainland. But most average Chinese still hate the island nation. Some of the sweetest, most gentle Chinese people have surprised me with their poisonous diatribes on Japan. It’s not shocking when you consider that the Japanese occupation from the late 1920s to the 1940s was akin to the Holocaust for Chinese.

Yet Westerners continue to conveniently lump together all East Asian cultures. As far as some are concerned, if they look the same, the culture is the same.

This is complicated by popular culture, where Asians even take on roles outside of their respective cultures — sometimes, with volatile results. For example, the recent movie version of Memoirs of a Geisha intermingled Chinese and Japanese screen stars, and had cast mainly Chinese actresses as the leading geisha in the film. Anyone following the news also knows the film was banned in China. The primary backlash stemmed from — what else? — its portrayal of Chinese women as high-class prostitutes, a bitter reminder of the Chinese “comfort women” enslaved during the Japanese occupation.
So, take note: samurai, geisha, teppanyaki, sake, kimonos, manga. None of these are Chinese. And they may be to your conversation what the A-bomb was to Hiroshima.

4. All work and no play.

Remember the Shining and what happened to Jack? All work and no play also makes you a very dull, very undesirable partner to the Chinese.

Here in the US, we’re used to separating business from pleasure. We like to “get down to business,” so to speak. And when the meeting’s done, we shake hands and leave the office.

In China, the meeting is just the beginning. Chinese business partners invite you to elaborate teas, banquets, karaoke parties and even weekend trips to Hong Kong. You get chauffeured around in the utmost luxury. All on your Chinese partners’ tabs.

After a few rounds of this, you’re just about ready to put on the breaks the next time you hear an invitation to chifan (eat dinner).

I’ve got news for you. When it comes to doing business in China, all of the above is just par for the course. Some of the most important headway between you and your prospective partner will probably happen while you’re crooning “Edelweiss” (a perennial favorite) together in a karaoke bar.

There’s another reason you shouldn’t miss the socializing. It just might suggest you’re not interested.
In China, people put a premium on the relationship. They want to know you and build trust. That kind of connection only happens beyond the office. I’ve heard from many execs that, by spending more leisure time with their Chinese partners, they experienced major breakthroughs in their business relationships.

5. Ignore superstition.

Superstition in China runs stronger than the Yangzi River. Even Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, his almost deranged assault on traditional Chinese culture and history, couldn’t stamp out superstition…though it tried.

Examples of it abound in modern Chinese culture.

Consider the upcoming Beijing Olympics in 2008. Now, the number eight is one of the most treasured numbers in China because it sounds similar to the character for making money. China already got lucky hosting the event in ‘08. So guess when the Olympics will begin? August — the eighth month of the year — on the eighth day of the month at exactly 8pm.

After the seven-day Labor Day and National Day holidays, work always resumes on the eighth of the month.

The Chinese national flag is in red and gold, the two most traditionally auspicious colors in Chinese culture.

But the question remains — how could superstition derail your business?
Picture this: your prospective Chinese partner invites you to his daughter’s wedding. It’s a great opportunity to get to know him better through social interaction following the advice above. You’ve heard that giving money is pretty standard, so you take out the nicest white envelope from your suitcase and put in the equivalent of $50 — 400 RMB.

Congratulations, you’ve just communicated your death wish for the new couple. White envelopes are only reserved for funerals, and the number four sounds a lot like the character for “death”.

Of course, this is an extreme example. Not all superstition snafus will hurt your reputation. For example, it’s unlikely that Chinese will turn the other way just because you didn’t use auspicious colors or characters in your corporate identity. But just imagine if you did. Chances are your counterparts in China will be impressed that you knew enough to go the extra mile.

Why fight superstition? Go with the flow — and watch your business reap the benefits.

Jocelyn Eikenburg, http://www.thewuway.net/