1. Let them know you can’t understand and ask them nicely if they could use English for working together (not for everything they can still gossip or talk about sports).
2. Encourage automatic translation app usage (its not perfect but it can help a lot) on both sides. Particular by the person who is weakest in either language.
3. Be kind and simplify your own English. Don’t use slang. Repeat things using two different wordings. Speak slower. Take shared written notes as you go to help reinforce vocab.
4. Be kind and encourage people who struggle with English. Usually their reading and writing is better for than their listening and speaking due to more opportunity to practice. Be patient and tell them they don’t have to apologize if they struggle. Encourage them if they improve.
5. Only correct them if it’s important or if it’s at the right level, and then do it gently. Mandarin speakers often confuse he and she because they are the same pronunciation in Mandarin.
If you know who they are talking about correcting them isn’t necessary right alway.
6. Learn some basic Mandarin and show them you are willing to sound awful and embarrass yourself. Be aware it is mentally very taxing to listen and speak in an unfamiliar language — until you get used to it. Showing them how awful you are will allow them to compare the pain of that mental tax to listening to you butcher their language.
7. Be aware half the time they are not saying anything of interest. The worst side effect I found from learning Mandarin was understanding boring gossip and advertising.
8. Allow time outs for a mandarin discussion on difficult issues so they can then switch back to English.
9. Help them polish their English — eg draft documentation or comms. Occasionally being an ally rather than complaining will encourage them to keep trying to improve, and show respect.
10. Ask the people with good English who are Mandarin speakers how you can help the situation, and how they could help too. Don’t make this a performance issue but and a chance to be more inclusive and collaborate better.
Source: It took me several years and significant effort to speak Mandarin at a business level, and run meetings in a mix of Mandarin and tech jargon.
2. Encourage automatic translation app usage (its not perfect but it can help a lot) on both sides. Particular by the person who is weakest in either language.
3. Be kind and simplify your own English. Don’t use slang. Repeat things using two different wordings. Speak slower. Take shared written notes as you go to help reinforce vocab.
4. Be kind and encourage people who struggle with English. Usually their reading and writing is better for than their listening and speaking due to more opportunity to practice. Be patient and tell them they don’t have to apologize if they struggle. Encourage them if they improve.
5. Only correct them if it’s important or if it’s at the right level, and then do it gently. Mandarin speakers often confuse he and she because they are the same pronunciation in Mandarin. If you know who they are talking about correcting them isn’t necessary right alway.
6. Learn some basic Mandarin and show them you are willing to sound awful and embarrass yourself. Be aware it is mentally very taxing to listen and speak in an unfamiliar language — until you get used to it. Showing them how awful you are will allow them to compare the pain of that mental tax to listening to you butcher their language.
7. Be aware half the time they are not saying anything of interest. The worst side effect I found from learning Mandarin was understanding boring gossip and advertising.
8. Allow time outs for a mandarin discussion on difficult issues so they can then switch back to English.
9. Help them polish their English — eg draft documentation or comms. Occasionally being an ally rather than complaining will encourage them to keep trying to improve, and show respect.
10. Ask the people with good English who are Mandarin speakers how you can help the situation, and how they could help too. Don’t make this a performance issue but and a chance to be more inclusive and collaborate better.
Source: It took me several years and significant effort to speak Mandarin at a business level, and run meetings in a mix of Mandarin and tech jargon.