The Trade Partners UK Export Communications Review (ECR) takes stock of a company's in-house skills and business procedures to see how well positioned they are to trade in international markets. Recommendations are made, following the review, of ways in which they can improve their communications to make them fit for export. Of 107 companies surveyed during 2000, around 66 per cent were prompted to translate sales and other brochures, standard letters and other documentation to the language of their target market with 22 per cent advised to develop an ongoing relationship with translation agencies.

Managed by the British Chambers of Commerce, the scheme was created by the National Languages for Export Campaign to help UK industry to develop appropriate language and cultural competencies to succeed in non-English speaking markets. Further, companies taking part in the review do not necessarily benefit from an on-site survey of the linguistic competence of their employees.

"The review acted as a catalyst for us to begin developing an export market strategy," says Alan Arthur, director at Process Line in Leeds, which provides design and management services to the print industry. "It focused management attention on how we were going to capitalise on a potentially lucrative opportunity. Knowing we were due to be visited by export communications consultant Mary Cousins, we got around the table to discuss overseas development. Following from this we were advised by her to learn about Chinese business culture and the results have been excellent."

Process Line has now appointed an agent in China who can interpret not just the words but also the actions of Chinese representatives to clarify intentions. The agent has also helped the company employ English language students from China on placements.

ECR scheme manager Robin Godfrey, at the British Chamber of Commerce, says: "The survey showed that the review service provided to SMEs has been instrumental to their success. The most significant finding has been that 35 per cent of respondents have seen their levels of business improve, or expect them to, with one company doubling exports to £350,000. This is very encouraging."

Around one in 12 companies were aware that they had previously lost business because of a lack of cultural affinity and through opportunities lost at exhibitions or trade fairs. The consultants offered recommendations, some of which were to encourage companies to gain cultural awareness or seek the help of translators or interpreters.

Enhanced understanding
If you are running a business you probably don't have the time to become fluent in a foreign language from scratch. So the service of a translator or interpreter is an invaluable asset to a company with the potential of doing well overseas but lacking internal linguistic support. A 2002 report Languages & Employability - Question of Careers, by Professor T J Connell of City University, London, looks at services needed by firms. Translation is the most used at 20 per cent, followed by inhouse language training at 11 per cent and interpreting services were used by six per cent of commercial firms, and 12 per cent of public sector organisations.

The fact remains that a potential overseas client will be impressed if initial communications with them are made in their mother tongue. Francesco Andreoli, translator in Italian at the Institute of Translation and Interpreting in London, says: "It looks really bad if a UK company sends an initial letter and their product information in English. If they use the services of a translator they will be more certain of impressing potential clients. I often find myself having to convert English measurements to metric. The problem is that many small companies have a parochial attitude towards conducting business so that they do not think about how they might be viewed on an international scale"

Translation services exist to cover every sector with each translator fluent in a particular field from engineering to law. Andreoli says: "Translators must specialise in the field in which they are translating to understand the jargon in that sector. It is not enough for a company to attend a business meeting with a potential client without being able to get through the jargon, because it is through this jargon that a rapport is built."

Central communicator
Yet more of an understanding of how business is conducted on an international scale comes from interpreters because the most active among them spend most of their working hours as the central communicator in multi-cultural business liaisons. Lucia Alvarez de Toledo, also registered with the Institute of Translation and Interpretation, often finds herself playing a crucial role in the winning of overseas business contracts. "I would not say that I am directly responsible for the UK companies I have worked with winning contracts, but I definitely have influenced the decision-making process. At meetings where I have the bilingual advantage I can read between the lines and gear my questions to a potential client because I am conversant in their language."