Management Discussions

Wen hao Li

Wen hao Li

Sunday20 Sep at 21:39

Manage discussion entry

Week 5/Discussion 2,

Hello class,

Three sentences that I commonly use in English are “how’s it going?” “have a great day,” and” that sounds really cool.” I used those three phrases and translated them into the Chinese language. When I back-translated those sentences back into English, they had the same meaning.  

According to the textbook, special English is a technique of reduced-English vocabulary and short sentences that a person with limited knowledge of English would understand, and it was developed by the Voice of America (David, 2020, Pg. 643). It makes it simpler to communicate clearly with foreigners. First, sentences are short and would only incorporate one main idea not to confuse foreigners. Terms should be correct without any forms of expression. A phrase like ”let’s reel him in” would not be interpreted the same way. When sentences are spoken, having it spoken slightly slower gives a foreign person more time to visualize what is being spoken. When a native speaker does use an expression in a sentence, and the foreigner doesn't understand and asks for a repeat, the native speaker should alter certain words so that the foreigner can understand and also learn a bit of new vocabulary along the way.  

References  

David, P. (2013). International logistics: The management of international trade operations (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/ (Links to an external site.) 

Maxwell Takyi

Friday18 Sep at 8:22

Manage discussion entry

Hello All,

   I had personal experience regarding communication challenges when interacting in a foreign language. Though I used my cellphone more often than my home phone, my home phone bill kept increasing monthly during my first few months in Germany. I tried to explain, but I could not explain my complaints satisfactorily to the staff at the phone company that served my residential area.  Therefore, a friend advised me to write my complaints in English and translate it into German language using the babblefish.com website.  I thought I had done a great job until I presented the complaints letter to a phone company staff. The associate that attended to me this time was fluent in English and resolved all my issues to include receiving a refund. He asked if I used the bubblefish.com website. He said though the intent was obvious, the language was a bit offensive.

   The difference between my Germany experience and this discussion is that I did not translate my complaints letter back into English to understand or see the translation difference.  Complying with the translation instructions in this discussion has proven how important the special English technique is when dealing with foreigners and different cultures. The technique helps in overcoming the barriers (misunderstanding) that language creates.  In addition to ensuring that all grammatical and spelling errors are avoided, all written communications must be simple, unambiguous to ensure that the communication is clear. Using shorter sentences, limited vocabulary, a slower rate of speed during a conversation, and the avoidance of speaking loader when repeating sentences ensure that message is well understood while at the same time showing respect and building trust with foreign business partners/friends. (David 2013).

  Besides making communication more straightforward, the special English technique helps in avoiding some of the common mistakes people make when communicating with foreigners. Because while some people may appreciate the effort of trying to explain or express oneself, others might be very offended or sensitive due to cultural differences.  

Reference:

David, P. (2013).  International logistics: The management of international trade operations  (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/