Talking International Trade

Companies often make emotional decisions without thinking through the details.

A company received an inquiry from a potential Mexican buyer. As interest developed, the management team scheduled a trip to visit the buyer. They decided to invite their banker as an afterthought.

"After all," they reasoned, "some banking issues will likely come up for discussion." On Friday they contacted Wayne, the head of our international department, and informed that him that he had the weekend to prepare for the trip.

Once in Mexico, the customer’s team and Wayne met the buyer. After seating themselves around a table, they discovered the Mexicans possessed poor English language skills. Worse, the Americans knew no Spanish, except for Wayne who had lived in Panama and Colombia while he worked in branches of an American bank. Upon returning, he amusingly told us that while he accepted the prescribed role of a financial resource, he also ended up playing the role of interpreter for both sides.

When visiting a foreign company, make arrangements to accommodate language differences. Many companies willingly shell out money for two interpreters, one for each side.