中级口译4-3经营之道

Hi, Mr. Jackson. You have been working in China for three years. Can you tell us how you feel about the differences in business communication style between Chinese and American businessmen?

您好，杰克逊先生。你在中国已连续工作了三年，您能否谈下中美两国生意人在商务沟通方式上有何不同之处？

With pleasure. I think there are at least two differences in the way of businesspeople

communication between Chinese and American businesspeople. First, Chinese businessmen tend to have business negotiations in a rather indirect manner, as opposed to the more direct manner of American businesspeople. The Chinese take time to learn if their prospective business contacts are really reliable, for example, by inviting them to a party and socializing with them. In contrast, Americans usually act with the get-down-to-business-first mentality. Second, the decision-making process of Chinese companies is generally slow and time-consuming. This is because most

Chinese companies keep to the “bottom-up, then top-down and then bottom-up” decision-making principle which involves many people at different levels. American companies, on the other hand, usually operate with quick decisions made by the top management. I hope American

businesspeople in China will understand these differences in business practices and adjust to the Chinese way.

我很乐意。我认为中美两国生意人在商务沟通方式上至少有两点不同。首先，中国人在商务谈判时倾向于一种迂回婉转的方式，而美国人则表现出一种直截了当的风格。中国人会花费时间来了解他们将要与之打交道的商人是否靠得住，例如邀请对方参加宴会，同时他们进行交流。与之相反，美国人则以公务为先的心态行事。第二，中国公司的决策过程耗时冗长。这是因为大部分中国公司遵循者一种“先自上而下、后自下而上、再自上而下”的决策原则，各个层次上的许多人士都会介入决策过程。而美国公司通常是由最高管理人士的快速决策运作。我希望在华的美国商人理解这些商务活动中的差异，适应中国人的经营之道。 The American way of doing business often strikes us Chinese as very aggressive. Were you aware of this in your collaboration With your Chinese colleagues?

美国式的经营之道在我们中国人看来往往显得咄咄逼人。您在与中国同事的合作中有没有注意到这一点？

Well, we are more direct and straightforward than most Chinese, I would say, due to our different cultural traditions. I notice that a lot of Chinese often avoid saying a clear “no” just to be polite. Sometimes my Chinese colleagues say “yes” not to express agreement, but only to show that they are listening.

这个嘛，我我认为，由于我们有着不同的文化传统，所以我们同大部分中国人相比，显得较为直截了当、开门见山。我注意到许多中国人出于礼貌而经常不明确的说一声“不”。有时我的中国同事道一声“是”，这可布什表示赞同，只是表明他们在注意对方说话而已。 It is important for all of us to acknowledge and respect these cultural differences in order to avoid misunderstandings, isn’t it?

我们都应该承认这些文化差异，尊重这些差异，以免产生误解，这很重要，不是吗？ Yes, understanding these differences, I believe, will be a first step toward establishing affirm business relationship between American and Chinese companies.

是的，我认为，理解这些差异是朝着在没够公司和中国公司之间建立稳固商务关系的方向迈出的第一步。

You mentioned the Chinese type of decision-making process earlier. Do you see any strength with this type of management and how do you compare it with the American type of management、 刚才您提到了中国式的决策过程，您认为这种管理模式有无优点？将其与美国式的管理模式相比，你有何看法？

I would say the American-type, or the top-down, management emphasizes efficiency, and competition among workers, while the Chinese-type management gives priority to careful

planning and encourages cooperation among workers, and between workers and the management. Thus, while the American-type management often frustrates many workers, the Chinese-type management gives workers a joy of participation and fulfillment, and a sense of pride in their work.

我感到美国式的自上而下的管理方式注重效率，注重员工间的竞争。而中国式的管理方式的特点就是，优先考虑周密的计划，鼓励员工间的合作，鼓励员工与管理层之间的合作。因此，美国是的管理方式常常使许多员工感到沮丧，而中国式的管理方式能使员工有一种喜悦的参与感和成就感，对自己的工作抱一种自豪感。

Talking about worker’s attitude toward their work, how do the Chinese and the American differ in this respect?

谈到员工的工作态度，中国人和美国人在这方面有何不同?

I think most Chinese view work as essential for having membership in a community. They believe that work allows them to have the sense of belonging in a community. In other words, work is necessary for them to gain social acceptance in the society. That is why many Chinese managers and employees work so hard to maintain their positions in their companies. Also, they see work as the most important thing in life. That is, they have tried to find the meaning of life through their jobs. While the Chinese work ethic is based on social pressure and community belonging, the American work ethic seems to be more individual oriented. Traditionally, we work because it is the will of the God, and we often value the results and accomplishments of work more than its process. By the way, I’m very impressed by the obvious strong sense of dedication of the jobs among the older Chinese employees.

我认为，大多数中国人将工作视为能使自己成为整个团体中的一分子的必不可缺的条件。中国人相信，工作是自己有了团体归属感。换言之，中国人为了得到社会的认可，必须工作。这就是为何许多中国经历和员工会努力工作以保住自己在公司的职位的原因。中国人还将工作视为生活中最重要的大事。也就是说，他们想从工作中找到生活的意义。中国人的工作观建筑在社会压力和团体归属感的基础上，而美国人的工作观则有更强的个体取向性。我们一向认为，我们工作是秉承了上帝的意志，我们对工作成果的重视常常高于对工作过程的重视。复发is，年龄较大的中国员工对自己的工作有一种明显的奉献精神，我对此有很深的印象。 Returning to where we started, how do you comment on the merits and demerits of the two different approaches to business management?

回到我们一开始的话题，您如何评价中美两种不同经营之道的利弊呢?

It is difficult to decide which is better than which, because there are some merits and demerits to both types of management. My suggestion is that people of both countries should learn from each other. I will say that in recent years, the merits of the Chinese way, or rather , the Oriental way, of management are beginning to be recognized by an Oriental way of our American industries. 很难判断孰优孰劣，因为这两种经营方式各有自己的长处与短处。我希望两国人民应该相互学习，取长补短。应该说近年来中国人的经营方式，更确切的说是东方人的经营方式，开始

为越来越多的西方人所认识。东方人的这种人情味更浓的经营方式似乎给我们美国差业界的管理人士以颇多的启迪。

谢谢！谢谢您接受我的采访。 Thank you for sharing your time with me.