When dealing with western people, you want to avoid having screen captures showing foreign characters.
Let us look at some examples:
Google Chrome
Figure: Bad example - Chrome using Chinese as its language setting
Figure: Good example - Chrome using English as its language setting
How to fix on a PC?
You want all screenshots you take to be showing English. Most of the time it is as simple as going Tools | Options | Language | Default Language = English (US).
In Chrome, you can follow these steps directly:
Three dots bar at the top right of the Chrome window:
Figure: Blank Chrome page showing the 'Settings' button, 3 small dots
Click on Settings:
Figure: Showing the 'Settings' page
Click on Advanced:
Figure: Advanced tab in Settings
Click on 'Add Languages':
Figure: Add Languages to your current Chrome
Move English to the top
Figure: Move English to top
How to fix on a Mac?
Change the language in System Preferences. Go to Apple menu | System Preferences | Language & Region
Figure: In macOS it’s simple to change to English
In Preferred languages, add English and select it as primary language
Reboot the system and verify that English is now the primary language for all desktop applications
How to fix your Google account?
You should also change your Google language to English as well. If it is not already, take a look at these steps:
Go to www.google.com
Click on Sign-In or My Account if you are already signed in
Figure: Google page without an account
Figure: Google page with an account
Search for 'Language':
Figure: Search for 'language'
Now click Language and search for English
Figure: Language picker
Move English up to default language by clicking on the arrow
Figure: Move up English
Done! You changed your language to English
How to fix your Gmail account?
Click on the cog then Settings
Figure: Access to Settings on Gmail
Set language to English(US)
Figure: Change language setting
Scroll down and click on 'Save Changes'. Done!
How to fix Mozilla Firefox?
Go to Options
Figure: Access to Firefox options
Set Display language to English (United States), you may have to restart Firefox to apply the change
Figure: Language settings
Choose your preferred language for displaying pages. Add English (United States) and move it to the top
Figure: Click Choose to change your preferred language
Figure: Add English (United States) to your preferred language for displaying pages
Done!
How to fix on MS Azure?
Figure: In Azure https://portal.azure.com it is as simple as clicking on the Cog icon
How to fix on MS Office 365 (rich client)
Some cheap versions of Microsoft Office 365 only allow Chinese, so you need to uninstall and install the English version. It requires you to download a language pack which is a bit more of a hassle...
::: bad
Figure: The Office 365 cog does not show the language.
:::
::: good
Figure: If you do not have the English version. In Microsoft Office open the rich client application such as Outlook or Word, then install and configure as per the image above
:::
Communication can be difficult (even if English is your first language!). It might be tempting to only communicate via text in IM, but this will not improve your skills or build a relationship as well as communicating verbally.
Figure: Good example - Asking ‘Can I call you?’ (Especially for complicated conversations)
Tips to have a better call
Try to always answer the call with video (if weak bandwidth, use it for the first 10 seconds and say "I'll turn off video to save bandwidth").
Sound
Be ready with the headset already on (it looks disorganized plugging it in after you make the call)
Check the sound quality of the microphone - you need a good mic and it should be close to your mouth - if you are using the laptop mic, sit in close.
Video
Check the image quality of the camera.
Beware of the angle of the camera - laptops with thin bezels now put the camera at the base, looking up your nose. Avoid them. Frame your head and shoulders in the shot, and keep the camera lens at or above eye level - use a stand if necessary
Figure: Height-adjustable monitor and laptop stand
Consider what is in the background.
Keep a light source on your face, and try to avoid sitting with a window behind you.
Have a microfiber cloth and wipe off the lens from time to time.
Figure: Bad Example - Ugly background showing an air conditioner
Figure: Good Example - Nice background
Text
It's always helpful to confirm things you're talking about with typed text during the call (Especially helpful for people with English as a second language).
Tip: Help the other person with following this rule by taking a screenshot and giving them a mark /10 with good and bad feedback on the call quality and background.
Communication can be difficult (even if English is your first language!). It might be tempting to only communicate via text in IM, but this will not improve your skills or build a relationship as well as communicating verbally.
Figure: Good example - Asking ‘Can I call you?’ (Especially for complicated conversations)
Many companies use overseas developers to do some of their work, but the language barrier can sometimes extend past simply communications. Sometimes you can end up with foreign language snippets in your code too.
When you edit an aspx page in TFS, follow the below steps to avoid having Chinese characters appear.
Set the default language on your computer as English(Australia).
Set default language as English (Australia)
After you finish editing, but before check-in, make sure Code Auditor and Link Auditor 0.
Check the whole page which you edited, and make sure no messy code or characters are there.
Ask someone beside you to check the rule or page you just edited.
Reply done in an email.
Many companies use overseas developers to do some of their work, but the language barrier can sometimes extend past simply communications. Sometimes you can end up with foreign language snippets in your code too.
When you edit an aspx page in TFS, follow the below steps to avoid having Chinese characters appear.
Make sure your Visual Studio encoding is consistent with Sydney to avoid encoding problems in the future.
Open file with Encoding:
Figure: Use "Open With...&Figure: Use "Open With..." in Visual Studio to open the fileFigure: Set "... Editor with Encoding" as the Default EditorFigure: Make sure your encoding is consistent with Sydney
Save file with Encoding: (Optional - it will be saved w (Optional - it will be saved with opened encoding automatically.)
Figure: Open "Advance Save Options..." in Visual Studio before checking inFigure: Make sure your setting is consistent with Sydney
Make sure your Visual Studio encoding is consistent with Sydney to avoid encoding problems in the future.
Say your language is Chinese, of course, local Chinese customers would feel more comfortable communicating in English. The disconnect happens when head office needs to get involved. They can't review emails, read the history of email threads etc.
So make it easier to add English speakers into the loop at a moments notice.
The most polite way of doing this is to mention in the email why you are using English.
Hi Joe, hope all is well. I wanted to confirm our conversation...
Figure: Bad example
(This is in English since I have included a Sydney colleague... let me know if you need it in Chinese).
Hi Joe, hope all is well. I wanted to confirm our conversation...
Figure: Good example
Say your language is Chinese, of course, local Chinese customers would feel more comfortable communicating in English. The disconnect happens when head office needs to get involved. They can't review emails, read the history of email threads etc.
Improper spelling, grammar, and punctuation gives a bad impression of your company and can result in your message not being conveyed correctly. Emails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spelling checking option, why not use it?
Any other text can be checked manually. Go to Grammarly, create a New Document and Paste your content to check your text.
Figure: A typo caught by Grammarly
Documents
On Word, press F7 (or on the ribbon go to Review > Spelling & Grammar ) to check your .docx text.
Figure: Click on "Spelling & Grammar" button to check your web content
Presentations
On PowerPoint, press F7 (or on the ribbon go to Review | Spelling & Grammar ) to check your .pptx text.
Figure: Click on "Spelling" button to check your web content
You should also keep "Check grammar with spelling" checked in your PowerPoint Options | Proofing:
Figure: Make sure "Check grammar with spelling" is enabled
Improper spelling, grammar, and punctuation gives a bad impression of your company and can result in your message not being conveyed correctly. Emails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spelling checking option, why not use it?
When discussing client work in an email, it is not always clear which client you are referring to. By using the ClientID as your email subject prefix, those involved in the email conversation will immediately know which client you are talking about.
Mmake sure you add ClientID as your email subject prefix
Figure: Make sure you add ClientID as your email subject prefix
When discussing client work in an email, it is not always clear which client you are referring to. By using the ClientID as your email subject prefix, those involved in the email conversation will immediately know which client you are talking about.
Email is great. But in an emergency, you need to pick up the phone. Often the most effective methods of communication for a project is to talk directly to colleagues and clients on the phone.
Figure: Bad example - can't call a phone number
Figure: Good example - Able to call phone numbers
Remote offices tip: Don’t make being overseas a barrier. Of course, it is always best to provide a local number as that gives clients peace of mind and keep their costs down. Not many clients will call an international number and there are lots of options - http://www.skype.com/en/features.
The next best alternative is to at least show your overseas phone number.
Email is great. But in an emergency, you need to pick up the phone. Often the most effective methods of communication for a project is to talk directly to colleagues and clients on the phone.
When working remotely, you should be sharing your screen whenever discussing changes to a document or software. This allows your colleague or client to see changes that are happening on the screen, making the remote collaboration experience much nicer.
When you first share your screen, make sure the other person can see your screen before you start talking about it. Often it takes a little while for the image to appear. The same if a new participant joins the call.
Another good practice that follows on from this, is to leave a Teams/Zoom/Skype session open if you are working with the same person for the whole day. This eliminates the need to call your programming partner every time you have a query or question to ask.
When working remotely, you should be sharing your screen whenever discussing changes to a document or software. This allows your colleague or client to see changes that are happening on the screen, making the remote collaboration experience much nicer.
When a company has many different office locations, often people in one office aren't familiar with people in other offices due to a lack of interaction. This problem is particularly pronounced where you have offices that span multiple time zones or countries.
What can be improved?
It is crucial to build interaction between all company offices because it often improves the following:
Communication
Relationships
Technical Skills
Access to resources
E.g.
Knowing who has certain skills
Knowing who can provide you with localized or domain specific information
Cooperation
Confidence
Knowledge of alternative approaches
Cultural understanding
Understanding of foreign perspectives
E.g.
knowing why someone from another culture responds to questions in a different way to what you are used to
Methods
Think about what your company can do to increase interaction. There are tonnes of unique ways that interaction can be developed. Examples include:
Team Building Activities
E.g.
Playing a game together
Solving a puzzle together
Reviewing/updating a company standard together
Go on a group trip to the Great Wall of China
Visit local companies together
Retreat - Have a company retreat to bring everyone together
Employee Exchange
E.g.
Having developers from China work in every Australian office for a month each or vice versa
Having developers from Brisbane spend a week in Melbourne
Having a cultural performance day where everyone chooses something cultural to perform such as a culturally relevant poem
Creating cross-office teams
E.g.
Putting developers from the China office onto a project with Australian developers
A fun weekly company meeting
E.g.
Everyone meets on Friday for 30 minutes to discuss a fun question
Rotating Daily Scrum
E.g.
Each week 1 person from each office is paired up to do a Daily Scrum with each other
Virtual coffee events
E.g.
People from different offices are paired up to have virtual coffee
Get people involved with events for others offices (especially other countries)
E.g.
A Chinese dev does a presentation at the Sydney User Group
Organise meetings to discuss culturally different issues
E.g.
Everyone talks about localization or WeChat Mini-Programs
Have a weekly language exchange catchup
Film videos about other offices
E.g.
What is it like to work in the China office?
What are the differences in the app market in China and Australia? i.e. WeChat vs Facebook etc
Localization - What is your reaction if you see Chinese on a web page?
When a company has many different office locations, often people in one office aren't familiar with people in other offices due to a lack of interaction. This problem is particularly pronounced where you have offices that span multiple time zones or countries.
What can be improved?
It is crucial to build interaction between all company offices because it often improves the following:
