There is no serious dispute that English is the global language of business, science and commerce.
Whatever might be the case in 100 or 200 years’ time, today it’s probably a relatively safe assumption that most senior overseas business visitors to Australia will have a good working command of the language.
However, that should not encourage complacency.
The fact is that there are exceptions to the above general rule. Some VIPs may only have a “fair” knowledge of the language and that is something, as a host, it would be prudent to take out some insurance against.
That insurance is having an interpreter available when you have your luxury limousine hire vehicle meet your VIP at the airport.
The reasoning behind this is clear:
• If your visitor does not speak good English, having the interpreter on hand may be invaluable and someone that gets the “wheels rolling”;
• Even if they do have very good English, your provision of an interpreter shows thought and courtesy. It also indicates that you value their language and culture – and are prepared to deal in that if necessary.
Of course, there is the slight possibility that your visitor might be slightly offended that you thought they’d need an interpreter. However, the chances of that occurring are perhaps relatively small and the benefits as outlined above, may outweigh any such risk considerably.
True, if you already know that they speak exceptionally good English then providing an interpreter might just be taken as an insult! Yet again though, we can assume here that if you are sure they speak excellent English then you wouldn’t bother with an interpreter.
On balance, when you are meeting overseas visitors and you have a doubt as to their level of English, we would recommend considering taking an interpreter along to the airport with you. If they are not required, then it will have cost you only a relatively modest amount of money. If their services prove to be extremely useful though, you may wish to extend their help past the duration of the airport collection.
As part of our overall “personal concierge service”, we can assist you with finding an appropriately qualified individual and with ensuring that they are in the limousine when it picks you up for your welcoming trip to the airport.
Is such provision essential? Perhaps not in many cases but in business dealings, those impressions of initial courtesy can be invaluable.
