IF you are a big hugger, go easy in China. Always use two hands when presenting and receiving a business card and avoid kissing old friends on the cheek. “Public displays of affection are not a good idea in China,” said Jiri Stejskal, president of the American Translators Association who says good interpreters are worth their weight in Olympic gold when walking a linguistic tightrope in China. Cultural faux pas can be a real minefield and Stejskal offers this advice to Olympic visitors: “Don't touch people if you can possibly avoid it. Wait for the Chinese to extend their hand.” Translators and interpreters can act as a perfect guide, crossing the bridge of social misunderstanding by breaking down linguistic barriers that can cause so much confusion. Business is growing by up to 15 percent a year in the $11 billion translating and interpreting industry and no more so than in China, fast expanding as a 21st century economic superpower. Stejskal, whose association has almost 10,000 members in more than 80 countries, said: “The perfect interpreter is invisible. They should not be noticed at all. If everything goes well, you do not know we are there. They are the critical link.” He is in China along with 1,400 other translators and interpreters from around the globe attending the International Federation of Translators' conference in Shanghai. You should hear the talk over dinner. They sound like the Tower of Babel. “It's in up to 70 languages,” Stejskal said in a telephone interview -- conducted in English. “We are trying to raise the profile of translators. Their work is critical to the Olympics,” he said. Stejskal certainly practices what he preaches. “I am a native of Prague and speak Czech, Russian, German and English. I can read in French and a few other languages,” he said. Fighting the linguistic battle in the United States, where he moved more than 20 years ago, is an uphill battle. “Just eight percent of college students in the United States are studying a foreign language. That is abysmal.” - Reuters __
