The document discusses working in a multilingual and multicultural environment in a contact center setting. It provides details on the speaker's background working for various international companies. The main topics covered include dealing with stereotypes, improving language skills, and strategies for effectively communicating across different cultures.

1. Multilingual, Multicultural.
D.Appleby 01/10/2014

2. Introducing myself
• 16 Years in Contact Centre Operational Management.
• Disneyland Paris, Standard Life, PruHealth, Betclic.
• Operational Management, Team Management, WFP, Technical
Project Management, Business Intelligence.
• PPF Accredited planner.
• Previous position, UK WFM and Business Telephony
Manager for PruHealth.
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

3. Betclic Everest Group
• Four Brands under one roof (Betclic, Expect, Everest Poker, Monte Carlo
Casino)
• Circa 1,500,000 contacts per year
• Multiple Contact Channels (WebChat, E-Mail, Telephone, Social Media)
• Customer Services based in Malta, Other primary
offices in London and Paris
• 13 Primary Languages, 15 Secondary
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

4. A multi-national working environment cannot only
be seen as a challenge but also as an opportunity
to gain personal qualities.
“I feel it makes me better. I’m learning something
new. And I’m learning myself to be more open
and understanding.”
Employee ECB, Frankfurt
European Central Bank

5. Elephants
English: Hunting Elephants in British East Africa
French: The love life of Elephants
German: The development of the Indian Elephant 1200-1950 (600 pages)
American: How to breed bigger Elephants
Russian: How we sent an Elephant to the moon
Swede: Elephants and the welfare state
Spaniard: Elephant fighting techniques
Finn: What Elephants think of Finland
Norwegian: Norway and its Fjords

6. Stereotypes

7. National Stereotyping
COUNTRY
Negative
Stereotype
Positive
Stereotype
COUNTRY
STEREOTYPES
France UK Germany Italy
Sarcastic
Talk weather
Rains every day
Bad teeth
Warm Beer
Poor food
Manners
Queuing
Innovative
Calm
Self Depreciative
Punctual
Efficient
Hardworking
Honest
Beer & Sausages
Abrupt
Honest to the
point
of Rudeness
Garlic
Lazy
Rude
Will only speak
own Language
Stylish
Gourmet
Romantic
Think big
No personal space
Break / Bend rules
Bad Drivers
Fashionable
Romantic
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

8. National Stereotyping
COUNTRY
Negative
Stereotype
Positive
Stereotype
COUNTRY
STEREOTYPES
France UK Germany Italy
Sarcastic
Talk weather
Rains every day
Bad teeth
Warm Beer
Poor food
Manners
Queuing
Innovative
Calm
Self Depreciative
Punctual
Efficient
Hardworking
Honest
Beer & Sausages
Abrupt
Honest to the
point
of Rudeness
Garlic
Lazy
Rude
Will only speak
own Language
Stylish
Gourmet
Romantic
Think big
No personal space
Break / Bend
rules
Bad Drivers
Fashionable
Romantic
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

9. “Be the stereotype - I don't go around trying to pick up
all the women at work, but an Italian ‘cold’ and not
showing emotions would be more strange than, for
example, a Swede behaving the same way, thus
would create a more negative reaction. This goes in
the line of making the other more comfortable, and in
this case even a wall of suspicion is negative.”
Employee EMCDDA, Lisbon
European monitoring centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

10. STEREOTYPES(i)
• Mainly about how people ‘do’ or say things
• Where do we differ (meetings, personal space) ?
• How can we use this
-Cultural differences can be played with using stereotypes as
a “Common Currency”, i.e. making the other feel more
comfortable and, playfully, establish a common ground that
trust can be built on
• Where are the limits?
• Stereotypes in Action - meetings
- Parody and Caricatures
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

11. Tolerance:
Strategy: Accept stereotypes and actively
use them for ascribing qualities to a co-
worker rather than deficiencies.
SOURCE: European Identities and their Limits

12. STEREOTYPES (ii)
• What is Cultural Currency?
-Personal Experience of shared cultural events
• So how can we use all this?
-“Sometimes it’s difficult to see whether it’s nationality
or personality.” Train the awareness that it is temptingly
easy to use nationality as an excuse for any
miscommunication.
Employee EMA, Lisbon
European Maritime Agency
-Examples include: Applying for an ID card, opening a
bank account, obtaining a passport or simply shop
opening hours.
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

13. STEREOTYPES (iii)
EMPATHY
UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE
AFFINITY
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

14. STEREOTYPES (iv)
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby https://www.youtube.com/user/copycatchannel

15. Language

16. WRONG
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563)

17. RIGHT
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

18. Language (i)
• Oral and written
• What you understand may not be what I
mean
• Customer service and language differences
• The hardest word?
• HAPPY
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

19. Develop a joint “code” where complex language structures
and idiomatic expressions are intentionally simplified in
spoken language:
“You know, you just accept that people are thinking in their original
language and structuring things in different ways. I have found occasionally
that I have to simplify the way I speak in English to a level that is
meaningful to someone else. I can try to describe something, I have to pull
it apart into separate components and then build from there. So I have to
work backwards to get my points across to them, but I think it’s just fair –
you can’t dismiss the fact that an idiomatic British English won’t work.”
Employee EMCDDA, Lisbon
European monitoring centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

20. “If for example something sounds rude I would rather question
whether he or she didn’t mean it that way and just used a wrong
word because it wasn’t their native language – so I am more tolerant
towards the use of language and more willing to go through a
lengthy process of proper understanding.”
Employee EMA, Lisbon.
More tolerance is required towards linguistic mishaps in written
communication – an area which is usually more sensitive than
spoken communication
European Maritime Agency

21. Language (ii)
• Back Translations
• What to Translate?
• Chat Templates
• Training Materials
• Corporate Communications / Customer Surveys
• Assessment Documents
• Quality Management Documents
• Coaching Materials
• Web FAQ’s
• Mental Back Translation.
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

22. Language (iii)
• Has the Person Understood?
• Ask critical words / spot check.
• “So how do you say that in your language? […]
• Do not assume your language expresses everything
you want to say, Actually a foreign language may
have more expressive terms than your own…
• Zeitgeist • Porcaria / Merde • Esprit De Corps
• Status Quo • Lingua franca• Faux -pas
• Sotto voce • In Situ • Schadenfreude
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

23. Serious Playtime
• Play stimulates communication.
• Conflict triggers and resolutions.
• Encourages self-development.
• Non-Verbal communication.
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

24. Putting it all together
• The ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
is a professional quality.
• Culture – and language as part of it – is a very powerful
tool for understanding others.
• National stereotypes are not all bad: they can be
used for enhancing multi-cultural communication.
• Identify the strength of shared “cultural currencies”.
• Multilingual communication requires specific
sensitivity – use all available tools!
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby

25. “Building a community of human beings who are able to grasp the
spirit, the aroma, the atmosphere of another language and not in a
triumph of total multilinguility.
A Europe of polyglots is not a Europe of people who are perfect in
several languages, but of people who are able to communicate by
speaking one's own language and understanding the language of
others, even though one might not speak it fluently.”
Umberto Eco (1995) The Search
for the Perfect Language

26. Book Recommendation
Contact Centre Expo 2014:
David Appleby
ISBN-13: 978-1904838029
Richard D Lewis
http://www.crossculture.com/

27. Q&A
Ultimately, multi-national communication is not only
a skill but can also become a specific pleasure which
substantially increases the attractiveness of a
workplace!