The idea of corporate culture is not new. In fact, you can say it became quite popular with the boom of the industrial revolution when companies started appealing to people’s sense of pride and ethic to determine them to work harder and better.
However, nowadays, the concept has expanded and has a broader purpose in the company. When you say corporate culture, you think about the values, standards, beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes that define an organisation. These are all gathered in a so-called handbook that can be accessed by anyone within the company.
The information contained by this collection of documents helps define a wide array of situations such as training new employees, resolving difficult situations, types of actions to take in certain circumstances and more. The corporate culture handbook is nowadays a vital guide that helps employees and management save time, money, and avoid embarrassing situations.
The documents contained in this collection must be written in an easy-to-understand language and they ware constantly updated according to new situations. However, because of the fast globalisation process we’re currently witnessing, when the company expands to a different country, the corporate culture handbook seems to be left behind.
Without proper translation and localisation of these documents, management will have a tough time transmitting concepts that may be foreign to the new market. Furthermore, it will be more difficult to accustom people to your organisational structure.
Keep Everyone on the Same Page
Whether you’re running a meeting in New York or one in Beijing, the process should be fairly similar, if the employees are following the specifications that are unique to your organisation. Still, this cannot happen if people in Beijing are not up to date with your company’s corporate culture or if they don’t understand it.
Given that the cultural backgrounds are incredibly different, the core documents that define your company must be translated by a native speaker who understands both cultures. We call this localisation, because it adapts the text and actions it describes to the locals’ way of thinking.
Remove Language Barriers & Tensions
There is no positive outcome when two or more cultures clash.
Back in the days, the clash would end with violence and losses on either side, but modern times require a different approach. Furthermore, your purpose, as a company, is to attract local talent, not conquer them.
Luckily, we now have the right tools to communicate intentions and remove the language barrier. In the case of an organisation, the tool is represented by a well-written corporate culture handbook that has been translated by a professional translator.
Attract the Best Talent
In most civilised countries, people focus on several factors when they decide if they want to work for a certain company. Of course, remuneration and overall satisfaction are at the top, but a positive organisation culture is in top five!
So, by offering to translate your corporate culture handbook and making sure it aligns to the local way of thinking, you create a positive and friendly image in the market. As such, when a talented possible employee is forced to choose between you and a similar offer, they are most likely to lean towards the company that looks friendlier.
Wrap Up
Successful companies don’t ignore the importance of organisational culture, and neither should you! If it’s well-written, clear, and constantly updated to fit current needs, it solves a wide array of problems and difficulties that can impair productivity and increase stress at an organisational level.
Furthermore, a good translation of your corporate culture handbook is mandatory if you plan on conquering new markets. Keep in mind that, each new market must be considered, so you may need to translate it in more than one language or even dialect!