Being aware of other people’s ways is part of being a good host. The Worldhost program in BC offers a crash course in Chinese culture, to train workers, particularly those in tourism and retail sectors, to meet the demand as outbound tourism from mainland China to Canada continues to grow. Yavhel Velazquez – Manager of Worldhost Training Services says dispelling myths helps improve communications.

“It is very important, as the workshop emphasizes – to not assume!! The focus of the Service for Chinese Visitors workshop is to dispel myths and assumptions that we make about Chinese Visitors and any visitors to BC as a matter of fact. Specifically, we speak about the importance of hierarchy, norms around courtesy and body language, the place that food has as a tradition, gift giving norms and also styles of communication (i.e. indirect communication style). We also emphasize that our material speaks of general norms and customs and preferred ways of communicating, but that depending on how and where you were raised in China, that these may differ.”

BC WorldHost Program
Members of the LAT team attended a recent Worldhost training session hosted by Tourism Richmond, to experience the program firsthand. One of the key concepts expressed in the seminar is the need to understand the cultural differences that stand out when Canadian hosts and Chinese visitors interact. Some of the other topics were key elements in Chinese history and tradition, some simple, common Chinese phrases, do’s and don’ts surrounding gift-giving, and dealing with protocol in common situations such as group tours.

WorldHost is a great tool for its intended audience, but effective communications across languages also requires translations with unmatched care and expertise in crafting your message for your audience. Localized content, from translators living and working in your target market, is the immediate step you can take to get an edge in the Chinese market.

Every economy can expect to feel the impact of growth in the Chinese economy. The latest estimates, which peg their middle class at roughly 300 million people, means that there’s the equivalent of an entire United States of new consumers in China, and more on the way. In a global market, whether at home or abroad, it’s increasingly important to offer multilingual solutions to your customers. LAT gives you plenty of options to reach a new audience of Chinese consumers in their own language. Web video translations, multilingual website, translation for print materials and packaging and labeling. Contact us for a no-obligation estimate for your multilingual requirements.