The business of language
5th April 2005
 |
Australian export businesses now have a partner that can help them address the issues of appropriate cultural awareness, intercultural communication and business language – the National Centre for Language Training (NCLT).
With recent free trade-agreements being announced with the United States of America and Thailand, and negotiations underway with China, Australia is on the brink of a major export expansion into the world’s trading markets. The launch of the National Centre for Language Training will help facilitate successful export activities into these and other leading markets.
With recent free trade-agreements being announced with the United States of America and Thailand, and negotiations underway with China, Australia is on the brink of a major export expansion into the world’s trading markets. The launch of the National Centre for Language Training will help facilitate successful export activities into these and other leading markets.
 |
| The Hon Pat Farmer and Prof Mark Wainwright |
Announced by the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard in August last year as part of a $113 million package of measures to support Australia’s international engagement, the NCLT was today officially launched by the Hon Pat Farmer, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Science and Training and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New South Wales, Professor Mark Wainwright AM.
Based at UNSW, the Centre operates through a Consortium of national partners, including five universities: Curtin University of Technology; Griffith University; Monash University; the University of New South Wales; the University of South Australia and the Australian TAFE Consortium (ATCON).
“The partners bring with them a diverse range of backgrounds, skills, technical knowledge, business knowledge and language teaching skills,” said Mr Ian Hamilton, the Centre’s new Director. “The Centre’s range of courses and services reflect practical, real-world business communication contexts. This will allow businesses to confidently enter the international marketplace, build viable trading relationships and develop a global presence.”
The Centre provides businesses with customised services that include: language and cultural readiness assessment; short courses in practical business language; immersion training programs for staff and management; seminars and workshops on cultural awareness; supply of business information resources; practical courses on intercultural communications and negotiations; and specialised cultural training by international experts.
“The business landscape is littered with failed export ventures, where local language idiosyncrasies or cultural contexts were not clearly understood, or even considered, as part of an overall business plan,” said Mr Hamilton.
“The cultural differences don’t have to be that great. Recent statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of Taiwanese export ventures into China succeed. That figure clashes with a success rate of only 10 percent of export ventures undertaken by the Japanese. Clearly, cultural differences would be one of the issues affecting these figures.”
The National Centre for Language Training office is located at the Australian Technology Park (ATP), the site of the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops, on the fringe of Sydney’s CBD. ATP is home to a growing community of researchers, entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, mature technology companies and education organisations.
Based at UNSW, the Centre operates through a Consortium of national partners, including five universities: Curtin University of Technology; Griffith University; Monash University; the University of New South Wales; the University of South Australia and the Australian TAFE Consortium (ATCON).
“The partners bring with them a diverse range of backgrounds, skills, technical knowledge, business knowledge and language teaching skills,” said Mr Ian Hamilton, the Centre’s new Director. “The Centre’s range of courses and services reflect practical, real-world business communication contexts. This will allow businesses to confidently enter the international marketplace, build viable trading relationships and develop a global presence.”
The Centre provides businesses with customised services that include: language and cultural readiness assessment; short courses in practical business language; immersion training programs for staff and management; seminars and workshops on cultural awareness; supply of business information resources; practical courses on intercultural communications and negotiations; and specialised cultural training by international experts.
“The business landscape is littered with failed export ventures, where local language idiosyncrasies or cultural contexts were not clearly understood, or even considered, as part of an overall business plan,” said Mr Hamilton.
“The cultural differences don’t have to be that great. Recent statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of Taiwanese export ventures into China succeed. That figure clashes with a success rate of only 10 percent of export ventures undertaken by the Japanese. Clearly, cultural differences would be one of the issues affecting these figures.”
The National Centre for Language Training office is located at the Australian Technology Park (ATP), the site of the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops, on the fringe of Sydney’s CBD. ATP is home to a growing community of researchers, entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, mature technology companies and education organisations.
Share on Facebook Add to Del.icio.us Digg this story |