Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Working with foreign clients

By Carl Hudgens


Potential clients who are living here in England from other countries, and possibly still struggling with the language, may seek out smaller businesses if they are in need of a particular service. It is possibly they may find larger organizations or companies intimidating, and would feel more comfortable in a smaller setting.

If you are a small business or self employed, you can use this to seek out client and offer yourself as a friendly, personal, understanding place to come.

We as English speakers have little experience of being completely isolated in a place where we do not know the language. On our travels we rarely find places where no one speaks our language and we are completely at the mercy of people's kindness. English is so widely spoken we can often find people speaking it in the most remote places.

Depending on the situation, the need for language may be great or small. If you are giving someone a massage, a price list and a smile may be all that's needed. However, if you are giving someone a more complex treatment, or selling something particular, more information may need to be communicated. It is really all about discerning what the client's needs are and helping them to feel listened to and building trust.

There are a few options for communicating with clients with a language barrier. If there is something of particular importance you want them to understand, read, or sign, you can submit the document to a translation service who will use a native speaker to translate not just the words, but the full meaning of a document, something that won't happen if you use translation software.




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