Danish and Chinese Communication Style. By Marie Mose Hyllested, project manager, Lingtech A/S

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When working in China or with Chinese business partners, one will encounter a wide variety of challenges. Even though the language barrier might be the most obvious one of these challenges, it is not the only obstacle we have when communicating with our Chinese colleagues, employees or business partners. We often hear stories about how communication between Danish and Chinese parties goes wrong, resulting in poor products, inefficiency or simply a lot of frustration on both parts. When working in a cross-cultural environment, the very act of communicating will always be a challenge, but by understanding some of the basic aspects of the Chinese and Scandinavian communication styles, respectively, one may be able to avoid making the most common mistake of taking things for granted.

In Denmark, we are used to being straightforward and very direct in our way of communicating with everyone. The Scandinavian communication style is thus focused on “text” – on what is being said. The Chinese communication style, on the other hand, puts emphasis on “context” – what is important is not necessarily what is being said, it may just as easily be what is not being said, or where,  when and by whom something is being or not being said. Confused? Understandably so. Unfortunately, there is no manual on how to interpret and use the Chinese communication style, but simply by being aware that it is different from the Danish one, one has taken the first step in the right direction.

Chinese grammar lends a good example that illustrates how deeply the importance of context is rooted in China. In Chinese, you cannot conjugate verbs and nouns. This means that, depending on the context, a statement can convey different meanings.

Let us take a simple Chinese sentence: . This small sentence means “there is a table in the room,” or “there are tables in the room,” or “there were tables in the rooms” or various similar meanings involving table(s) and room(s). Fortunately, sentences like this very rarely stand alone, and the context will make the true meaning of the statement clear. One may be planning a meeting and one’s secretary is saying that there is already a table in the meeting room, so there’s no need to worry about finding one. Given the context, the sentence makes perfect sense, and one will find out from the rest of the conversation that the right translation of the sentence in this case is “there is a table in the room.” Taken out of context, on the other hand, one cannot be sure of the exact meaning of the sentence.

This example goes to show that it is extremely important to always be aware of the potential danger of misunderstanding. If one misses out on “the rest of the conversation,” metaphorically speaking, one will not be able to understand the true meaning of the message. One might not be aware of the implicit meanings of certain actions or statements, and the same goes the other way around. It is therefore advisable to never take anything for granted. It is always a good idea not to assume that the other part knows what you mean, and to ask questions to make sure that you are on the same page. One should try to be patient and open-minded – for other methods of operation might be needed here, different from those one is used to.

Finally, we suggest one finds an ally, who is a confident user of both communication styles and is familiar with the hidden cultural codes, to help get one’s message across.

About Lingtech
Lingtech was founded in 1993 and is a leading Language Service Provider in the Nordics. Lingtech offers diverse language services to our clients, ranging from simple translations to operating as a full-service, outsourced language department, regardless of the language combinations. The understanding of different cultures is an underlying factor in all Lingtech’s services. Our clients range from smaller Danish companies with an international outlook to some of the largest companies and brands in the world.
www.lingtech.com