Тема: Bridging Communication Gap

Empty Shelves in America?

(A Study of Breakdowns in Communication)

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Данный текст довольно сложен, но крайне полезен и интересен для переводчика с профессиональной точки зрения. Предлагается дать учащимся перевести его с листа на занятиях, затем письменно дома, а также сделать резюме (реферат) на английском языке, а на занятиях обсудить темы: 1) межкультурная коммуникация; 2) Do's and Do not'sперевода. Обратите внимание на оттенки модальности — may, may not в значении probably (not), а также на перевод абстрактных понятий culture, background, communication, concept и т.д., и терминов colloquialisms, profit, rate of return, escrow account, cash flow и т.д

Several years ago, at a reception which followed (after) a long day of negotiations, a vice-president of an American oil company and his Russian counterpart were having an informal conversation through an interpreter. The Russian said: "My wife spends so much time shopping, but she comes home empty-handed just about every time" (referring to the empty shelves and long lines in the then Soviet stores). The American nodded and said: "My wife is exactly the same way. She spends hours going to all kinds of stores without buying a single thing." They smiled, for here were two men who really "understood" one another.

Communicationis important in every business. In energy business, for instance, communication is especially crucial because without it things (everything) can literally explode. While most of us think that the worst kindof communication breakdownoccurs when people fail to understand each other's words or actions, there exists a more dramatic (serious) and potentially damaging kind of communication breakdown — when people are convinced that they understand each other andare headed towardsreaching an agreement, but arein fact miles (if not light-years) apart.

This is precisely the kind of communication breakdown that is observed repeatedly during negotiations, meetings, seminars and other formal or informal events involving representatives of Western oil companies and Russian ministries and associations. While some of the numerous examples are seemingly amusing, others are not only costly (cost a lot) but often result in "inexplicable" delays in negotiations, frustration with the intended future partner, and, in many cases, total failure of an undertaking (enterprise).

Every failure also yields useful lessons, however. This article will attempt to reveal some of the causes leading to breakdowns in communication and discuss ways of preventing their occurrence.

First of all, it may help us to keep in mind (take into account) that vast cultural¹ differences exist, and will continue to exist, between the peoples of the former Soviet Union and the West. These differences will affect negotiations and business dealings (contacts) despite the rapid changes taking place in Russia and other republics. The people of the newly formed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have acquired their life-long experience under the old system and it may take several generations before the communication gap between the West and the people of the Community can be narrowed to the level currently existing between the United States and Western Europe. At the same time, effective business communication between the West and the former Soviet Union is essential today.

Here are some of the "DO NOT's" that could prevent problems in many situations:

1. DO NOT rely on simultaneous interpreting to achieve effective communication with your counterpart. Use consecutive interpreting instead. Experience proves that consecutive interpreting, although more time-consuming, is considerably more effective in business discussions.

2. DO NOT use corporate lingo and colloquialisms² in your oral and written presentations. Colloquialisms do not translate well in either direction and are meaningless in most cases. Consult with your language and communications advisors on how to make your presentations clear and effective in the target language. Inmany instances it is beneficial to explain to your advisors what you want to express, have them write it in the target language first, and then translate it into your native language for approval. Although the translation may seem stilted to you, it is the target language document that is more important.

3. DO NOT start discussions or negotiations before you have defined your terminology. Make sure that the basic concepts (notions) are defined the same way for both of you. There are dozens of concepts such as "escrow account," "amortization" and even "profit" that are in many cases defined differently in Russia and in the West, yet all of these words have corresponding Russian-language translations and, therefore, may not raise concerns during negotiations (for example, "prybil" may be construed by a Russian to mean either revenues or profits).

4. DO NOT assume that your counterpart thinks the way you do. Both of you may have been involved in the energy business for years, yet your business and cultural backgrounds are vastly different, and for years your goals in business have been just as different.

5. DO NOT assume that your counterpart knows what you think he should know. A Russian director of a production association will probably not know what "internal rate of return" or "discounted cash flow" mean. By the same token, a Western vice-president will not be familiar with the "Approval of Oil Reserves" procedure which is a basic concept known by any Russian oilman.

6. DO NOT expect every answer you receive tobe accurate. In many cases the answer may not exist at all or your counterpart may not know it, but will be embarrassed to admit it. This is especially true of legal questions. New Russian energy-related laws have not yet been developed. Besides, newly adopted laws are frequently amended or have already become obsolete. In many cases, the law will be open for interpretation and you may receive conflicting answers to a simple question.

And finally, one should realize that it is vitally important to understand not only the words being spoken by your counterpart, but also the ideas and emotions which the latter is trying to convey.

Raphael Baron ("The Russian Petroleum Investor Newsletter")

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