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Photography Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 24, 2009
Today I am going to go with a 校友 (schoolmate) to be photographed for an advertisement. They are looking for foreign 面孔 (faces) to shoot using a new 泡脚 (foot washing) machine. The photographer said he was looking for 金发碧眼 (blond hair and blue eyes) , and would provide 报酬 (compensation) to cover expenses. This…
Contract Law Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 22, 2009
Hello Readers! Today’s post is about contracts in China. If you get a contract, you need to find a 律师 (lawyer) immediately to 审核 (review) every single 条款 (clause) present. This is for you and your employer, as you can 避免 (avoid) potential 不良后果 (negative consequences) and 误会 (misunderstandings) which could 导致 (cause) you to…
Mishap of the MP3 Player Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 20, 2009
Today I was charging my MP3 player as I prepared to go to the gym. This one was an 二手 (second hand) one, not purchased from 国美 (Gome) or 苏宁 (Suning). So I continued to 充电 (charge) through my computer’s USB 接口 (port) until I’m satisfied that the 电池 (batteries) are charged. I must add…
Big Negotiations Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 17, 2009
This post is for the business-focused readers of the blog. When you’re negotiating in China, there are several things to keep in mind. 人不为己, 天诛地灭 – “Every man for himself, and the devil takes the hindmost.” (also said as 人不利己， 天诛地灭) People are not usually magnanimous when it comes to negotiations, and it takes two…
Korea Pt. 2 Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 14, 2009
While in Korea, I saw a sign that said 人民币升值了, 抓住机会 (the RMB is rising in value, seize this opportunity!). In fact, the island of 济州岛 (Jejudo/Jeju Island) has rolled out many 措施 (measures) to attract 游客 (tourists) from China. Even the 路牌 (road places) have Chinese names of places (this is unrelated to Korea’s…
Charity in China, part 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 11, 2009
It is a fairly regular occurrence that I see 乞丐 (beggars) and 要饭的 (beggars – see below) on the streets of Beijing- particularly in areas with high tourist traffic. This got me to wondering- how do people help others in China? Of course, in many cases it is 信用 (credit) which restricts individuals from getting…
Fundraising Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 8, 2009
If your company needs seed funding to make it to the next step, you need to understand the process of 筹款 (fundraising). Investors are going to be vigilant in their questioning of your 市场定位 (market position), your 目标客户群 (targeted customer group), and their 回报 (return on investment) quantified by 利息 (interest). Your best bet is…