A late Happy New Year to my Customers

January 15th is the traditional deadline to wish a Happy New Year in Japan. Therefore, this post is not exactly late. Stories of business crunch, budget reduction, dwindling registrations already abound. It is therefore a good time to scrap communication budget, including hiring an interpreter when needed. I invite you not to use an interpreter. Just quit. Save money, save time. So long. Hasta luego. Ciao!

Still reading? OK. One more thing.

That "when needed" above is of variable value. In times of money pinch like these current times, the broken, if not pulverized to smithereen English (or French) of your counterparts in Japan may start appearing bearable, palatable or whatever taste you like it. We will do without that cost, that is, the interpreter.

Unfortunately, just like market research, there is no nice, clean and clear formula that demonstrates how much your company may be loosing through lousy communication. And lousy communication it is not just a matter of broken English.

They said yes! And back in your home country, nothing more happens until you come back to Japan and have again that "clarification meeting", the third in three years, to straighten bolts and nuts that were supposed to be iron locked. The reality is that those bolts didn't get loose. They were not there from day one, but their nodding what interpreted as an Obamaism : "yes we can".

And they did not, or just half of it.

I even had once a client where his Japanese counterpart was clearly upset at the fact that they were communicating through an interpreter for the first times in years. Gestures had their advantages, especially on one side of the interaction. Dilution of meaning was a strategy that broken English and semaphoric mimics allowed.

That is why despite the current crunch, I would advise you to think twice before you cut the interpreter's budget or reduce it so much you'll get what the money pay for. In doubt, hire an interpreter, a business, liaison interpreter at that.

Happy New Year and better business to Us All.