Foreigners doing business in China
Because of the enormous potential, many foreigners have tried to penetrate the Chinese marketplace. Many failed in the past, and in the future many will still try and will still fail. Doing business in China is unlike doing business anywhere else in the world. The key ingredients most analysts prescribe for success in China are long-term commitment and deep pockets. What should be added is a Chinese name. Underestimating linguistic and cultural differences is the single most common mistake that foreign businessmen and women make in China. Most of them have the sense to adopt a Chinese name from day one, but they fail to take maximum advantage of this. For the Chinese, characters are easier to remember. And since word-processing and surfing on the internet are done in the mother tongue anyway (Chinese is the biggest internet language in the world), it is hard to understand why so few foreigners have email accounts under their Chinese names, particularly now that the technology is readily available at chinglish.com.
Chinglification in business communication
Becoming a serious player in the Chinese market is nearly impossible without showing sincere interest in, and solid commitment to, China and its development. This typically starts with choosing a Chinese name, or, better yet, having a Chinese relation give one to you. Chinglish bilingual email has made it possible for entrepreneurs to use a Chinese name and receive emails addressed to that alias from Chinese business associates anywhere in the world.
Chinglification at summits and congresses
Two big conspicuous porcelain vases were standing proudly at the extremities of a table with speakers. This is nothing out of the ordinary in China. But in Europe? The December 2004 EU-China business summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, demonstrated how the increasing prominence of China in the international arena has affected the ways that prestigious venues are catering to the Chinese taste. This trend is irreversible and the question is not if, but when, large banners with Chinese characters will become the standard background decoration at European high-level meetings.