I often go to Dongguan to look for textile machinery. I find it increasingly difficult to communicate with actual manufacturers. In my experience, most traders who have English speaking staff tend to charge a healthy commission.
So I was thinking about hiring a translator to work with me over 2-3 days. But not sure how I can go about hiring this person. Is there a English website (sort of like Craigslist) where I can post? Any suggestions?
I often go to Dongguan to look for textile machinery. I find it increasingly difficult to communicate with actual manufacturers. In my experience, most traders who have English speaking staff tend to charge a healthy commission.
So I was thinking about hiring a translator to work with me over 2-3 days. But not sure how I can go about hiring this person. Is there a English website (sort of like Craigslist) where I can post? Any suggestions?
I just sent you an email with some specific advice, but for the benefit of other readers, I'd like to provide a short version of my message:
1) if you want a person who is more than a translator, I can make referrals
2) try szstuff.com
3) go to a Starbucks, and find someone who speaks English based on their reading material
My former employer in Shenzhen (who also recruited in Dongguan) placed ads on both szstuff and shenzhenparty.com. It may be good to ask which Western movies/tv shows/general media the candidates enjoy, to judge 1)how well you could get along with them, particularly if it's for short-term position, and 2)their dedication to English as more than just a way to appease their parents.
It seems to range between 300 and 2000 for a college student or under employed 20-something. It's not necessarily a case of "you get what you pay for", but most people who have the balls to quote 2000 have presumably done the drill before and/or grasp the fact that CITS bills out people who aren't all that skilled at English for 2000+.
But, personally, I prefer hiring people that, in addition to being able to converse in English (language proficiency isn't a big deal for me, but anyone who is decent at trade speaks English), have the ability to run the show on the ground when I'm not there (i.e. negotiation, QA, customer service, logistics). For this type of candidate, you're looking at $2,000 per month plus a piece of the action (and, just deal with the fact that they usually take a bigger piece of the action than you offer; this is irrelevant as long as you are happy with the product prices and the service level).
I need to hire translator in Dongguan english-chinese or russian-chinese.
Quote:
Originally Posted by torrento
I often go to Dongguan to look for textile machinery. I find it increasingly difficult to communicate with actual manufacturers. In my experience, most traders who have English speaking staff tend to charge a healthy commission.
So I was thinking about hiring a translator to work with me over 2-3 days. But not sure how I can go about hiring this person. Is there a English website (sort of like Craigslist) where I can post? Any suggestions?
I say cautiously because each of those three cities is huge, thus commuting can (is?) a nightmare in each of them, let alone between them.
Dongguan has HSR stations on two different lines (both go between Guangzhou and Shenzhen too), otherwise get used to the shifty taxis, very loud-horn (or as I prefer, trumpet-)-blaring buses or private drivers. There is construction going on in Dongguan now for a light rail system, so that will just add to the traffic misery.
