Cadcorp Ltd
Cadcorp develop software for geospatial applications in sectors such as local government and utilities. A global player, the company has an international outlook in that many of the company’s 30 staff come from outside the UK - from Australia to Italy and South Africa to China. It therefore possesses a diverse workforce with an in-house knowledge of a number of different cultures.
Multilingual workforce
Company brochure packs have been translated into different languages using a brokering service offered by Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, and other promotional material also appears in selected languages – the ‘Getting Started’ range of manuals have been translated into Spanish by contacts in Mexico, and the company’s German partners assist in translating literature for the German and Austrian markets.
Sales and development staff wishing to respond to clients and distributors in their own language can readily call on their colleagues, and e-mails are frequently written in other languages and checked by the appropriate staff in the office.
Language skills help to avoid misunderstandings
Alan Plumley, Sales and Business Manager for Europe and North Africa, has recently been on a Spanish business language course in Luton run by the Language and Culture for Business (LCB) programme. This has enabled him to start and build strong relationships with 4 distributors in Spain. “Communications are now much easier,” says Alan, “as having the language skills helps enormously in making sure there are no misunderstandings - such misunderstandings can often be put down to the language barrier.”
Important correspondence is transmitted in both English and Spanish, and meetings in Spain are held in Spanish. Our distributors were very positive when they found out I had been attending Spanish lessons.”
The company has also benefited from attending a workshop on business in the Middle East, which included a 2-hr ‘icebreaker’ session in basic Arabic. This was valuable in subsequent dealings with a new Egyptian client. Richard Rowlins, Marketing Manager for Cadcorp, confirms that even knowing just a few basic pleasantries in another language goes a long way.
Visit the Cadcorp website at www.cadcorp.com
