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Bridging the Cultural Divide:

→ Is Learning Hindi Key to Creating Business Connections in India?
Published: November 04, 2010 in India Knowledge@Wharton

下載訪談語音檔(mp3):
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/audio/101102_IKW_Learning_Hindi.mp3

原文網頁:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4538#

正文開始(上粉紅色的區塊，是我很認同的部份):
→ → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → →
English is widely regarded as the language of international business. India,
which went through nearly 200 years of colonial British rule, is estimated to
have more than 200 million people who speak the language. For most
English-speaking business people, this makes local communication more
convenient in New Delhi or Mumbai than, say, in Shanghai or Beijing. Still, is
knowing English enough for companies that want to do business in India, or
should global executives also start slogging away at Hindi, the most widely
spoken among India's 22 official languages?

This question arose recently when the University of Pennsylvania's Lauder
Institute decided to offer a Hindi language track starting in May 2011, in
which students will spend a two-month long immersion program in India. How
important is it to know Hindi to do business in India? India Knowledge@Wharton
discussed this question and more with Mauro Guillen, a professor of management
at Wharton and director of the Lauder Institute, and Shiv Khemka, a member of
the Lauder board and vice chairman of the SUN Group, which invests and manages
private equity funds in emerging markets.

An edited version of the conversation appears below.

India Knowledge@Wharton: It is often said that English is the mother tongue of
the Indian -- and perhaps the global -- business class. Why then is there a
need for a business language track in Hindi? Mauro, could you start us off on
that?

Mauro Guillen: We believe that it is, first of all, very important to have a
new program on India because India has become a very important economy in the
world. Indian companies are investing abroad. We have a tradition of helping
students not just learn how to do business in a particular country, but also to
understand the culture and the history and the way politics unfolds in ways
that may be very relevant to business.

India Knowledge@Wharton: Shiv, what do you think?

Shiv Khemka: Of course, it is true that many people in business speak English
in India. India is probably one of the world's largest English-speaking
nations. At the same time, I think that all of us who do business in India
speak English and Hindi or a vernacular [language] often interchangeably. We
feel comfortable in that and often don't even realize when we slip into our own
language. Since Hindi is the predominantly spoken language in India,
particularly north India, it is used more frequently in terms of [business]
discussions.

Also you have thousands of entrepreneurs blooming in every region, in every
city and in every town. It is no longer a few large industrial groups that
control the Indian economy. Many of these young entrepreneurs feel comfortable
[doing business] in Hindi. So it is extremely important for business people and
students who want to do business in India and understand the culture to speak
good Hindi.

India Knowledge@Wharton: Will knowledge of Hindi be required over the long term
to do business in India or is this a short-term requirement?

Khemka: All of us realize that English is the global business language.
Wherever you go in the world, if you haven't mastered English as a business
language, you have a disadvantage. [Also] given India's historical ties with
Britain, speaking English well is considered not a virtue, but a duty. People
who [get] into business have ambitions of expanding their business, bringing in
global partners, global financing, global connectivity and, therefore, the
importance of English is stressed to their children, to their colleagues and so
on.

However, Hindi remains an important language to connect and allow people to
work within India. Also for the political classes in India you will notice that
Hindi is a critical language. Sonia Gandhi [the Italian-born leader of India's
Congress Party] today speaks perfect Hindi. Given the nexus between politics,
business, media and so on -- I don't think the question of English and Hindi is
either-or; the answer is definitely both.

India Knowledge@Wharton: Mauro, what is your view of the long-term perspective
of teaching business in Hindi?

Guillen: Over the long-term, as I mentioned earlier, it makes all the sense in
the world to take India and Indian companies very seriously. We have here a
very good example of this with the SUN group of companies, which have a
presence in major emerging economies including Russia as well as others. It is
very important now that India has become a major player in the global economy
for the rest of us to learn more about it and also to help not just MBA
students who have an interest in India realize their dreams, but also to enrich
the experiences of all of the other students who may not have a direct interest
in India but could possibly or potentially learn quite a bit from India. Indian
companies are making a dent in global competition in very different industries
and essentially providing new examples and new role models for other companies
around the world to imitate.

India Knowledge@Wharton: What are some of the challenges you face in
introducing business concepts in a language that traditionally has not had the
vocabulary to deal with such concepts? There is a joke, for example, that
translates the word "ceiling fan" into Hindi as 'chhatra latak, vaayu jhatak',
which essentially means "that which hangs from the roof and sweeps the air."
Would it be simpler, instead of trying these convoluted translations, to just
call a hedge fund a "hedge fund" and private equity "private equity"?

Guillen: You are pointing out examples that are frequently encountered in other
languages as well. I am a German speaker and a Spanish speaker -- Spanish is my
mother tongue -- and I find myself often at a loss when it comes to translating
some technical term from English into those languages. Sometimes it also
happens the other way around. I think this is more of a general problem. It
certainly is not specific to any particular language.

As a global community we need to accommodate this cultural diversity, which
manifests itself in the form of language and linguistic expression. At the same
time we have to look for overlaps. We have to look for common ground. Business
is a very powerful force. I think it is a force that tends to unite as opposed
to divide. Business and management unfolds in very different ways depending on
the country. And if we are serious about preparing people to navigate the
global economy we need to give them the tools to be effective managers in
different country contexts. That's what motivates me to think strongly about
the importance of helping students understand India in all of its complexity
because India is not just a country, it is a sub-continent.

Khemka: I certainly don't think people should attempt to learn Hindi to try and
find a Hindi word for hedge fund. Even Indians don't do that. We are very
comfortable switching between Hindi and English in our conversations. I don't
think that's the objective and the purpose. The core issue is, how do you build
relationships with a culture without speaking its language? I think that's the
core issue because it's about people. It's about connecting. It's about having
the cultural and linguistic connection that allows you to build trust and to do
business as an overlay on that foundation of trust and relationships and
respect for the culture that you are dealing with. That's how I would put it.

India Knowledge@Wharton: The sense I'm getting from both of you is that while
English is indeed important, communicating in that language limits you to
dealing with a minority of the Indian population, which is proficient in
English. If you want to address the Indian market as a whole, you have to reach
out beyond groups that speak English, and that's where Hindi plays a role. One
final question for both of you, based on what you have said so far, is what
conclusions would you draw about the broad relationship between language and
business?

Khemka: As I said and as Mauro said, business is done and transacted between
people. People work together on foundations of trust and communication.
Although English has the legal basis in terms of Anglo-Saxon law and centers of
global banking and so on to connect the business concepts together, that
doesn't necessarily mean that it connects human beings together. And,
therefore, having the overlay language, which allows you to transact business,
but also having the cultural links that allow you to understand each other's
cultures and transact at a human level and share that culture I think makes the
foundation of your business within an international arena much, much stronger.

Guillen: Shiv is absolutely correct. If I may I would just add a couple of
footnotes to what he said. One is that you really don't even know your own
country until you get to know another country. You don't understand fully your
own culture until you start digging into somebody else's culture. That
comparative perspective is very important. And the second thing I would
emphasize is that language and learning a language is a window into so many
other things -- into the culture to be sure -- but also into the politics and
into the history and into the traditions and all of the things that you ought
to respect. It is, in a way, a humbling act of acknowledging that somebody else
may have a different view and I think this is incredibly important. It provides
for a foundation of trust. And trust is everything in business.

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※ 編輯: BonneCherie     來自: 59.104.57.175        (11/05 14:41)


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※ 來源: Disp BBS 看板: Hindi 文章連結: http://disp.cc/b/145-Jl7
※ 編輯: BonneCherie  時間: 2010-11-05 14:48:10  來自: 59-104-57-175.adsl.dynamic.seed.net.tw