Environment Company Impresses Georgian Scientists
Environmental consultancy is a worldwide business, as CEFAS Technology Ltd, with its newly-formed team of international project managers, is well aware. Already the company has built a reputation for its expertise in a variety of markets, ranging from the former Soviet states around the Black and Caspian Seas to the coasts of West Africa and Latin America.
CTL’s customer base includes government departments, international agencies, commercial companies and aid organisations. The company is a scientific research and advisory body working in fisheries management, environmental protection and aquaculture.
To create a formal communications strategy to support its international activity, CTL recently undertook UKTI’s subsidised Export Communications Review, which aims to provide both an audit of the company’s communications capability as well as an action plan for the immediate future. Says Jason Weeks, International Projects Manager, “the communications review highlighted several areas for improvement and importantly suggested how we might do this!
The company recognised that language problems sometimes occur with the understanding of technical vocabulary, particularly in the former Soviet states and Latin America, and this is also sometimes the case in business dealings with East and West Africa, where a knowledge of French is an advantage. To overcome this barrier several staff from CTL are about to embark on a period of Russian and Spanish language training, funded through both the East of England’s Towards 2010 project and the Learning & Skills Council’s Language & Culture for International Trade programme. This will give the staff the basic skills needed to open negotiations and field enquiries from core overseas markets. Says Jason “its crucial that we equip our staff with the necessary skills to enable them to feel confident and to engage more fully in the cultural experience”
CTL are also looking to internationalise their website, including information in Russian, French and Latin American Spanish. Already they have appreciated the benefits offered to building good relations with clients when they translated a PowerPoint marine engineering presentation into Georgian for a group of visiting scientists. This impressed the Georgians: “The first time I visited Georgia my business cards were rejected as most of the people I were meeting could not read or speak English – they were totally useless and were seen as being almost offensive. My second visit now prepared with business card bearing dual-language translations were not only warmly welcomed and accepted but considered as an excellent starting point for onward discussion – a simple task that both broke the ice and demonstrated our commitment to working in the region.” Special efforts are also made to be culturally aware with respect to dress code, food and beverages and the avoidance of cultural gaffes by the team when receiving overseas visitors. Dual-sided business cards in Russian, Georgian, Turkish, Spanish, Chinese and Farsi have also gone down well” with their clients.