The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/1207047
12 The Linguist Vol/59 No/1 2020 ciol.org.uk/tl FEATURES FCO's ability to deliver our Global Britain vision, allowing us to understand local cultures and build relationships that can deliver results." For Pellegrini this is crucial. "Bilingualism allows for more amenable, equitable and sensitive engagement with local staff, suppliers and officials, and therefore, in my experience, facilitates working at all levels," he says. In the fast-paced world of international diplomacy, vital minutes, costs and face can be saved if one is able to grasp an official report, piece of news or comment in the local language, rather than having to wait for someone to translate or interpret it. Furthermore, language subtleties that give better insight into the thinking of others can be spotted and leveraged. In both business and diplomacy, influence is everything. My Chinese language skills have allowed me to form working relationships with contacts that would otherwise have been out of reach. For example, I was able to cultivate a mutually beneficial working relationship with my colleagues in another department, which allowed the rapid sharing of information, enabling us to identify and resolve existing and potential issues in a much more effective and time efficient manner. Understanding Chinese has allowed me to grasp the seriousness and subtleties of issues that may have escaped me if I did not speak the language. For instance, when taking over negotiations with an external stakeholder I was able to review previous written correspondence and translations used by non-Chinese speaking colleagues, leading me to identify an issue that had been overlooked. A better mutual understanding between the parties was formed as a result and the negotiations began to progress much more quickly. My Chinese language and culture skills have also enabled me to deliver better value for money and a higher quality of service through being able to access the local market and local stakeholders in a more effective manner. In a previous role, where I was responsible for engaging stakeholders in events, I was able to identify, negotiate and secure venues, suppliers and rates that would have been unavailable to someone without these language skills, leading to the delivery of a quality service for less money. THE KEY TO HEARTS AND MINDS As any second language speaker knows, there will always be the occasional gaffe. When Tony Blair was Prime Minister, he (in)famously said of the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, "J'ai toujours envie de Lionel, même en toutes positions", which roughly translates as 'I've always lusted after Lionel, in all positions'. Of course, he meant to say, 'I've always been envious of Lionel's policies and whatever positions he's taken'. At working level, the odd hiccup is most often taken in good faith by both sides. Of course, speeches are checked and publications reviewed, but it is in the day-to-day conversations and meetings where the real work goes on. And it is in such meeting rooms that foreign language abilities and cultural understanding pay the most dividends. With Brexit on the horizon, FCO officers may have to work extra hard to deliver an ambitious Global Britain policy. To quote the late UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello: "Language is the key to a people's culture, and culture is a key to people's hearts. If you force them to speak your language, you will never win their sympathy." Speaking someone's language shows that you want to hear what they have to say, facilitates dialogue and fosters understanding. In diplomacy, there is nothing more important than that. VITAL SKILLS Diplomatic staff at a meeting in Jinan (济南市), the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China (main image); and (above) studying at the Language Centre in London, which opened in 2013