Working through language, time, and cultural differences (Part 1 of 3)

skinapi

原文请见：
http://www.logigear.com/newslett ... ferences-part-1.asp

Working through language, time, and cultural differences (Part 1 of 3)
By: Karen Johnson, Bacon's Information, Inc.

1. Introduction
You might be working on a virtual team with members scattered through multiple countries. Or you might be managing outsourced resources in a different country. In my own experience, it has been several years since I've worked on a project that did not include at least one of the following: 1) a virtual team with members located in multiple countries, 2) contracted resources in a different country, and 3) an employee whose primary language is not the same as my own. While I've enjoyed the exposure to different cultures and working in a global community, I've inherited some new work challenges. After reflecting, I've realized that most of these new challenges can be grouped into three areas: differences in language, culture, and time. Following are some insights and guidance on handling these three challenges both as a co-worker and as a manager.

2. Working Through Language Differences
Communication is important but it is not easy. In fact, communication is hard work that requires continual thought and effort. Add a language difference between yourself and another person, and you add complexity to all your communications. Add a language difference and you may be adding a cultural difference and potentially a time difference too. With the increase of virtual teams and overseas outsourcing, communication skills are becoming increasingly important.

You think you are being clear, you think you have clearly stated what is needed, but why don't the results match what you've asked for? Are you sure you have communicated everything clearly? If you haven't communicated each request clearly and ensured the other person has understood what you have asked for, then you cannot fairly assess the other person. Learn how to be clear in all communications and be especially more vigilant about communicating clearly when all three - language, culture, and time zone differences exist.

When you're managing a resource whose first language is not the same as your own, you should pay more attention to how you communicate with the other person. If the other person is located in another city or country, you may not be fortunate enough to have time together in person, so your communications with the person will likely be through phone, email, and Instant Messenger (IM). Never having the opportunity to meet or work together in person requires additional thought in building good communications.

As a manager, assigning work will be one of your most frequent conversations. When you assign work, state that you have work assignments to discuss. Use simple statements. Be specific about the priority of each task. Define one assignment at a time. Define each assignment in it's entirety before moving onto another topic or task. State the purpose of each task. Clarify what constitutes the completion of a task. For example, are you asking the other person to execute a set of test cases that must be executed as written? Or are you asking someone to research how to test a requirement for which more than one solution may exist? Be specific about what you expect to receive as output from the other person that will constitute the completion of each task. For example, do you expect to receive a report from a set of test automation scripts that were executed? Or are you looking for the other person's ideas and want to see one or more suggestions from the other person. State whether those suggestions should be written down formally or summarized in an email or discussed in a later conversation.

Ask your resource to summarize each assignment immediately after you have finished explaining the task. Do not rely on the other person to ask questions. Ask if the other person has questions. Ask if you have been clear in communicating what is needed. And ask in a tone that invites the other person to raise questions. Provide quiet time on the phone to allow the other person time to think and respond. By allowing quiet time on the phone, you're providing the other person time to think, process the information, and to ask questions.

After assigning work, establish expected completion times or ask the other person to review the work, build a time estimate, and to give you a time estimate. For example, tell the other person that you need test cases executed that day or ask the other person to get back to you with an estimate for building test automation scripts you have assigned. You might find that that it is best to state how much time you expect the other person to spend on the task. I've found that deadlines can sometimes help to clarify work assignments since deadlines create time boundaries; a deadline can help to indicate the quantity of work from your point of view. Ask the other person if they see the time estimate as an agreeable amount of time. If not, you may have found a communication gap. Discuss the work assignment until both the assignment and the deadline are agreeable to both of you.

Once you have assigned work, find logical intervals at which to check in with the other person. If the person is located in another city or country, you may want to establish meeting times in advance. I also suggest establishing mini-milestones for larger tasks so that you can ensure the work is progressing. Request frequent status reports. Follow-up after status reports with any questions or to let the other person know when they are on track. Don't forget that positive feedback can be as important as providing negative feedback for everyone who works for you and for anyone you work with. Skipping an opportunity to provide positive feedback is bypassing another time and forum for building communication with the other person.

If you have a co-worker sharing work with someone whose primary language is not the same as your own also requires additional effort. Communicating frequently with the other person improves your rapport and will help you to understand and to learn when communications sometimes fail. Use simple statements. Communicate as often as possible with the other person; do not hesitate to reach out or to share work.

Phone, email, and instant messaging (IM) each provide a means of communicating but each can be misused. Use IM as a manager to be available to answer questions. You can also use IM as a check-in with the other person. Do not use IM to change priorities or to assign new work. Save IM transcripts if necessary just as you would save an email communication. As a coworker, use IM to get to know the other person.

If the person is located in another city or country and you cannot meet in person, the phone is your most personal means of building a rapport. As a manager, consider establishing a regular phone meeting time. For longer phone calls, schedule the time in advance. Allow time on the phone call for questions. Use email before phone meetings to set the meeting agenda and use email after phone meetings to summarize and clarify assignments and deadlines.

As a coworker do not hesitate to pick up the phone to get to know the other person. On shared work items, state your status and share your work. Use technology tools to share desktops such as Live Meeting or Same Time. Then ask the other person to share their work progress as well.

Both managers and co-workers may find the benefit of email. Use email to summarize phone conversations. Use email to clarify work items. But don't use email in place of talking with a person directly. Establish frequent communication using phone, email, and IM to see which communication method works best with each person.

In summary, reach out to your coworkers no matter where they are located or what their primary language may be. And as a manager, don't diminish a person's skill set because you can't communicate as readily with them. It is a manager's responsibility to find the best skills in each resource and to align work assignments to resources as best possible.

In Part 2 of this series, Karen will discuss the extra challenge of working with people in different time zones.

Karen Johnson, the Quality Assurance Manager at Bacon's Information, has 21 years of experience in information technology. She has extensive experience in all aspects of quality assurance in a variety of software applications. Karen has spoken at the StarEast and StarWest conferences. Karen is also a member of WOPR - the workshop on performance and reliability, LAWST - the Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing, and AWTA - the Austin Workshops on Test Automation.

rower

先翻译一段，抛砖引玉。

工作在不同的语言环境，时差和文化背景中

1，导言

也许你工作在一个由分散在不同国度的成员组成的虚拟团队中，也许你管理着来自不同国家的外部资源。
在我个人的经历中，我所从事了几年的企业它包括了下述中的不止一种情况：1）有来自于多个国家成员的虚拟团队；2）同不同国家的资源签订过契约；3）拥有讲与我不同母语的雇员。
当我分享这些不同的文化交流和工作在这全球化的团体中的时候，我承接了一些新的工作挑战。总结后，我认为这些新挑战可归纳为三个方面：语言的不同、文化差异和时差区别。
下面是一些观点和见解来指导作为一名同事或是管理者来如何应对这三方面挑战。

angel_cuicui

我来试试：）

angel_cuicui

Working through language, time, and cultural differences (Part 1 of 3)
工作中的语言，时间和文化差异
By: Karen Johnson, Bacon's Information, Inc.

1. Introduction
You might be working on a virtual team with members scattered through multiple countries. Or you might be managing outsourced resources in a different country. In my own experience, it has been several years since I've worked on a project that did not include at least one of the following: 1) a virtual team with members located in multiple countries, 2) contracted resources in a different country, and 3) an employee whose primary language is not the same as my own. While I've enjoyed the exposure to different cultures and working in a global community, I've inherited some new work challenges. After reflecting, I've realized that most of these new challenges can be grouped into three areas: differences in language, culture, and time. Following are some insights and guidance on handling these three challenges both as a co-worker and as a manager.
1、        简介
你可能会碰到下面的情况，你工作在一个虚拟的团队里，你的同事来自不同国家，或者你负责管理着海外的采购资源。就我本身而言，这些年来我参加的项目至少是以下情况的2种或3种：1）虚拟团队的其他成员分布在多个国家，2）负责管理海外的一些资源，3）员工的母语和我不一样。每当我接受富有挑战性的新任务的时候却很乐意工作在这样一个不同文化背景的全球化社区里面。我认为这些挑战性可以归纳为三个方面：语言差异，文化背景差异和时间差异。以下便是我从一个工作人员和经理的角度对于怎样处理好这三种挑战的一些看法。

2. Working Through Language Differences
Communication is important but it is not easy. In fact, communication is hard work that requires continual thought and effort. Add a language difference between yourself and another person, and you add complexity to all your communications. Add a language difference and you may be adding a cultural difference and potentially a time difference too. With the increase of virtual teams and overseas outsourcing, communication skills are becoming increasingly important.
2、工作中的语言差异
表达是一件很重要的事情但是却不容易做好。事实上表达需要不停地努力的去思考。如果你和别人存在语言差异，那么你语言表达的难度就会增加。语言差异会引起文化背景的差异和潜在的时间差异。随着虚拟团队的扩大和海外采购的增加，表达的技巧显得越发的重要。
You think you are being clear, you think you have clearly stated what is needed, but why don't the results match what you've asked for? Are you sure you have communicated everything clearly? If you haven't communicated each request clearly and ensured the other person has understood what you have asked for, then you cannot fairly assess the other person. Learn how to be clear in all communications and be especially more vigilant about communicating clearly when all three - language, culture, and time zone differences exist.
你认为自己表达清楚了，你认为已经很清楚的表述自己所需要的，可是为什么总是事与愿违呢？你确认每件事情都表达清楚了吗？如果你没有把每个请求表达清楚，并且没有确定其他人真的明白你的请求，你就没办法客观的评价别人。要学会无论在什么场合都能表达清晰并且要特别注意怎样在不同的语言，文化和时间差异的环境下清晰地表达自己的想法。
When you're managing a resource whose first language is not the same as your own, you should pay more attention to how you communicate with the other person. If the other person is located in another city or country, you may not be fortunate enough to have time together in person, so your communications with the person will likely be through phone, email, and Instant Messenger (IM). Never having the opportunity to meet or work together in person requires additional thought in building good communications.
当你同事的母语和你不一样的时候，你应该特别注意怎样和他交流。很不凑巧，如果他在其他的城市或国家工作，你并没有足够的时间和他相处，这时你和他的沟通很可能通过电话，电子邮件或者IM。由于你没有机会和他会面或者在一个地方工作，所以你更加应该在怎么和他建立良好的沟通方式上花些心思。

angel_cuicui

As a manager, assigning work will be one of your most frequent conversations. When you assign work, state that you have work assignments to discuss. Use simple statements. Be specific about the priority of each task. Define one assignment at a time. Define each assignment in it's entirety before moving onto another topic or task. State the purpose of each task. Clarify what constitutes the completion of a task. For example, are you asking the other person to execute a set of test cases that must be executed as written? Or are you asking someone to research how to test a requirement for which more than one solution may exist? Be specific about what you expect to receive as output from the other person that will constitute the completion of each task. For example, do you expect to receive a report from a set of test automation scripts that were executed? Or are you looking for the other person's ideas and want to see one or more suggestions from the other person. State whether those suggestions should be written down formally or summarized in an email or discussed in a later conversation.
作为一名经理，分配工作就成为了日常工作的家常便饭。分配工作的时候，需要把分配的工作拿出来和大家一起讨论。用简洁的语言明确指出每项任务的优先级。每次只针对一项任务作详细说明。在切换到下一个任务之前务必把前一项任务透彻地表述清楚。明确每项任务所要实现的目标。阐述每项任务实现的组成。比如说，你是否安排其他人按照测试案例所写的那样执行测试，又或者你叫其他人去研究在多种方案存在的前提下怎么去测试我们的需求。详细指出你所期望从其他人那里得到的信息，这会是完成每项任务的组成部分。举个例子，你是否希望得到一份已经被执行过的自动化测试的脚本的报告，或者你想听听其他人的意见，建议或想法。明确对于大家的建议是否应该按常规记下来或者在电子邮件里面作一个总括或者在后续的交谈中再拿出来讨论。

Ask your resource to summarize each assignment immediately after you have finished explaining the task. Do not rely on the other person to ask questions. Ask if the other person has questions. Ask if you have been clear in communicating what is needed. And ask in a tone that invites the other person to raise questions. Provide quiet time on the phone to allow the other person time to think and respond. By allowing quiet time on the phone, you're providing the other person time to think, process the information, and to ask questions.
每次在你完成任务的下达后要求你的团队及时总结各个被分派的任务。不要指望等着别人来发问。要主动询问其他人有没有疑问。如果你对所需要的已经很清楚的表述出来了，询问一下其他人清楚了吗。或者特别地安排其他人提问。在通话过程中留出一定的时间给对方，以便对方可以利用这段时间来思考，整理思路并提出疑问。
After assigning work, establish expected completion times or ask the other person to review the work, build a time estimate, and to give you a time estimate. For example, tell the other person that you need test cases executed that day or ask the other person to get back to you with an estimate for building test automation scripts you have assigned. You might find that that it is best to state how much time you expect the other person to spend on the task. I've found that deadlines can sometimes help to clarify work assignments since deadlines create time boundaries; a deadline can help to indicate the quantity of work from your point of view. Ask the other person if they see the time estimate as an agreeable amount of time. If not, you may have found a communication gap. Discuss the work assignment until both the assignment and the deadline are agreeable to both of you.
分配完任务后，应设定任务预期完成的最终日期，或者请其他同事就这项任务作一个完成日期的评估，然后给你一个答复。比如说，你告诉其他人你需要哪天执行测试案例，或者请其他人告诉你完成你指派的自动测试脚本大概需要多长时间。你最好明确告诉其他人你希望他们在这项任务所花费的时间。因为任务完成的最终日期给定了一个时间限制，它有时候对我们的任务分配起到一定的帮助作用；也可以从你的角度帮你估算这项任务的工作量。你还应该主动询问那些知道这个最终日期的同事，听取他们的看法。如果他们有不同的声音，你会发现自己和他们的沟通存在一些问题。此时你应该继续和他们讨论关于工作分配和最终完成的日期问题直到大家在这两方面都达成共识。

angel_cuicui

Once you have assigned work, find logical intervals at which to check in with the other person. If the person is located in another city or country, you may want to establish meeting times in advance. I also suggest establishing mini-milestones for larger tasks so that you can ensure the work is progressing. Request frequent status reports. Follow-up after status reports with any questions or to let the other person know when they are on track. Don't forget that positive feedback can be as important as providing negative feedback for everyone who works for you and for anyone you work with. Skipping an opportunity to provide positive feedback is bypassing another time and forum for building communication with the other person.
一旦分配完任务，接下来每隔一段时间应该和同事一起把任务的进展记录下来。如果同事的工作地点在其他的城市或者国家，你应该提前和他预约会议时间。为了确保项目的进展，我建议把比较大的项目分成几个阶段，定期汇报阶段的进展情况。并且根据阶段性任务过程中发现的问题进行跟踪解决或者让其他人知道这些问题正在处理中。别忘了对于你的手下或者你的客户来说肯定的回复和否定的回复一样重要哦。不失时机的肯定有利于你和其他人建立良好的伙伴关系。

If you have a co-worker sharing work with someone whose primary language is not the same as your own also requires additional effort. Communicating frequently with the other person improves your rapport and will help you to understand and to learn when communications sometimes fail. Use simple statements. Communicate as often as possible with the other person; do not hesitate to reach out or to share work.
如果你的同事母语和你不一样，同样需要你额外的费心。经常的沟通交流可以提升你的亲和力，即使有时候沟通失败了也可以帮助你了解其中的原因，你也可以从中学到一些东西。用简洁的语言进行交流，并且尽可能经常和他进行交流，对于单独完成某项任务或者和别人一起合作完成不要犹豫不决。
Phone, email, and instant messaging (IM) each provide a means of communicating but each can be misused. Use IM as a manager to be available to answer questions. You can also use IM as a check-in with the other person. Do not use IM to change priorities or to assign new work. Save IM transcripts if necessary just as you would save an email communication. As a coworker, use IM to get to know the other person.
电话，电子邮件，IM各自提供了不同的交流方式，但是请不要误用它们。作为一名经理来说用IM回答问题是比较好的。你也可以借助它来向其他人报到。请不要用它来改变任务的优先级或者向别人分派新任务。如果有必要可以把它的交流信息保存下来以便日后可以在电子邮件里使用。作为一名员工，你可以通过它来认识其他同事。

If the person is located in another city or country and you cannot meet in person, the phone is your most personal means of building a rapport. As a manager, consider establishing a regular phone meeting time. For longer phone calls, schedule the time in advance. Allow time on the phone call for questions. Use email before phone meetings to set the meeting agenda and use email after phone meetings to summarize and clarify assignments and deadlines.
如果其他人工作地点在别的城市或者国家，你们不能碰面，电话应该是最好的通讯工具。作为一名经理，应该习惯建立电话例会，如果会议时间比较长，最好提前通知其他人。在电话通话过程中最好留出一定的时间给大家发问，在电话会议开始前应该用电子邮件告诉其他人本次会议的有关事宜，并且在会议后发电子邮件及时总结和明确任务的分配情况和任务完成的最终期限。

As a coworker do not hesitate to pick up the phone to get to know the other person. On shared work items, state your status and share your work. Use technology tools to share desktops such as Live Meeting or Same Time. Then ask the other person to share their work progress as well.
作为一名员工，不要害怕通过电话去认识其他的同事。在协同作业中，通过电话交流工作的进展和分享工作的心得。也可以通过比如Live Meeting或者Same Time这样的工具共享你的桌面。同时你也可以请别人和你一起分享他们的工作进展情况。

Both managers and co-workers may find the benefit of email. Use email to summarize phone conversations. Use email to clarify work items. But don't use email in place of talking with a person directly. Establish frequent communication using phone, email, and IM to see which communication method works best with each person.
无论是经理还是工作人员都会发现电子邮件的好处。你可以通过电子邮件总结电话会议的会议纪要，明确任务的分配。请注意不要用电子邮件取代和其他人面对面的交流。使用电话，电子邮件和IM时间久了你会发现与哪些人应该使用哪种通讯工具进行交流比较有效。

In summary, reach out to your coworkers no matter where they are located or what their primary language may be. And as a manager, don't diminish a person's skill set because you can't communicate as readily with them. It is a manager's responsibility to find the best skills in each resource and to align work assignments to resources as best possible.
总而言之，无论别人的工作地点在哪里也无论别人的母语是否和你一样，你都要习惯经常和他们交流。作为一名经理，不要因为你和别人的沟通不顺畅而低估他的工作能力。如何和员工很好的沟通交流以及如何在工作分配中达到资源的最优化是一名经理所应该做到的。

In Part 2 of this series, Karen will discuss the extra challenge of working with people in different time zones.
在这个系列的第二部分，Karen将会就如何和工作在不同时区的人协同工作展开讨论。

Karen Johnson, the Quality Assurance Manager at Bacon's Information, has 21 years of experience in information technology. She has extensive experience in all aspects of quality assurance in a variety of software applications. Karen has spoken at the StarEast and StarWest conferences. Karen is also a member of WOPR - the workshop on performance and reliability, LAWST - the Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing, and AWTA - the Austin Workshops on Test Automation.
Karen Johnson，Bacon信息公司的质控部门经理，在IT行业有过21年的从业经验，在应用软件领域各个方面的质量控制有着丰富的经验。Karen曾经在StarEast and StarWest会议上发表过演讲，同时她还是WOPR，LAWST和AWTA的成员之一。

angel_cuicui

请大家多多批评指正！

我会继续努力学习！！

非常感谢！！

moxico

非常感谢angel cui cui ,翻译的很好，很佩服你，看上去没用多长时间就翻译完了，一气呵成啊。