（原创商务洽谈剧本，文末附有未经调整的机器翻译）
- Role Assignment:
Chinese senior Manager: Lu, marketing manager
Ethiopian junior manager: Salim Mohammed, production manager, a Muslim,
French business partner: Louise Laurent， the publicity manager of Sophie Marceau Fashion Company
Identity: Publicity manager of Sophie Marceau Women’s Accessories: leather bags, belts and shoes for women,
Mission purpose: to investigate the production company’s labour and employment circumstances to guarantee their company’s image: “green, peace, elegant comfort and sustainable development” and offer advice on whether to continue further cooperation.
The play scripts
Louise Laurent: Good morning! Good to see you again! （Trying to hug Mohammed. ）
Salim Mohammed: (Mohammed shuns away and put his hands together to show goodwill.) Good morning, Ms Laurent! You’ve finished the company tourHow is everything going on
Louise Laurent: Good generally, but something startled me. How come the new workers must be trained like soldiersThey are here to make shoes not to fight in battles. Is it necessary to perform a military assembly before working
Salim Mohammed: Easy! Easy! Take a seat here and drink some iced tea. Mr Lu, our company’s marketing manager is coming soon.
Louise Laurent: Well, thank you!
Lu: Very nice to meet you, Ms Laurent.
Louise Laurent: Nice to meet you, too.
Lu: What is the market response to the Sophie Marceau shoes, purses and belts in France
Louise Laurent: Well, people love them! They have received a warm welcome at the market. Our company is quite satisfied with the first batch of products.
Lu: Good to hear that. Sophie Marceau is a symbol of French elegance and beauty. To ensure the high quality of the end products, we took great care in using the finest materials and were extremely strict with the production process to guarantee fine craftsmanship.
Salim Mohammed: Yes, indeed. We paid great efforts in the production of Sophie Marceau shoes, eliminating even the slightly passable ones.
Louise Laurent: I appreciate your meticulousness and trust the quality of your production. However, before we renew the next contract for more products, I need to make sure your products don’t cause any negative impacts on the image of our brand. You know, as a classic fashion brand, we take great precautions in maintaining the brand image. “Green, peace, elegant comfort and sustainable development” is our company slogan. In no way can the products violate this principle. That’s why I am here to do some research and confirm whether the manufacturing section is in line with our company values. The last thing we expect to see is people boycotting Sophie Marceau's brand in France.
Lu: Why do you have this kind of concern about our products
Louise Laurent: Oh, before I came here, some news reports worried us. Check out this news article. It says that Chinese workers in Ethiopia love eating donkeys. Donkeys are not only an important labour force but also dear members to many local families. Eating donkeys are not only inhumane but also unnecessary. I am worried that Sophie Marceau's shoes, purses and belts produced by you are made of donkey skins. If this is true, it violates the green principle of our brand.
Lu: Hahahaha, Ms Laurent, you don’t need to have this kind of fear at all. You see, in traditional Chinese medicine, donkey skin is a very valuable source of the nutrient. It has a professional name, Ejiao, in other words, “donkey-hide glue”. It is produced from the collagen extracted from donkey skin, which is a key ingredient in traditional Chinese remedies. Ejiao, having the power of beautifying skin and making people stronger, is an expensive up-scale traditional medicine. Trust me, Ms Laurent. Never shall we make shoes out of donkey skin.
Salim Mohammed: Yes. The cost is too high. We can’t afford it. So you don’t need to worry about this.
Louise Laurent: Donkey skin is used as a nutritional food source in China?!
Lu: Yes, Ejiao has been used for more than 2000 years since ancient China. It is a beauty and wellness booster with anti-ageing and health-promoting functions.
Louise Laurent: ReallyNext time when I go to China, maybe I will try some Ejiao myself.
Lu: You are more than welcome.
Louise Laurent: One more thing, this morning I arrived one hour earlier than the scheduled time so that I could walk around and see with my own eyes the circumstances in your factory.
Salim Mohammed: You should have phoned me earlier so that I could show you around.
Louise Laurent: Thank you but I did it intentionally. I would rather look at everything on my own. Do you know what I foundI saw the military-style morning assembly. The Ethiopian workers were walking in unison and at a uniform pace, just like soldiers. I don’t understand! Are you training military forces or making shoes
Salim Mohammed: Easy, easy, Ms Laurent, let me explain this to you. We Ethiopians are used to a casual and leisurely lifestyle. Late arrival, early retreat and slacking during work are commonplace happenings, which affect productivity and efficiency.
I don't mean to discredit my people. As you can see, Hofstede’s cultural dimension data shows Ethiopians are more likely to indulge themselves. Our indulgence rate almost doubles that of the Chinese. To improve production efficiency and work discipline, the management introduces the Chinese style of morning assembly to boost morale and build up team spirit.
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Louise Laurent: No wonder I read a news article before coming here. The title is “Is China becoming Africa's new colonial master?” The picture in this news item shows exactly your company, doesn’t it?”. Are you training the local workers to be working machines, only following the instructions without their flexibility and individuality
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Salim Mohammed: Ms Laurent, I swear as a local Ethiopian myself: there is no force in the training at all. We Ethiopians are by essence willing to conform to the orders of our leaders and love to work together with others in unison as a group. As you can see from Hofstede’s cultural value dimensions, in power distance and collectivism, China and Ethiopia share great similarities in higher power distance and stronger collectivism and less individualism. And the two countries are equally competitive, wishing to achieve success in everything we do. Therefore, if the Chinese style of management is conducive to productivity. We local Ethiopians are willing to follow the rules and cooperate in achieving the results. This kind of military management is in harmony with our national values. It proves to be effective in enhancing the morale of the workers and improving work efficiency. There is no confrontation at all.
Louise Laurent: ReallyThis is something hard for me to swallow.
Salim Mohammed: I can imagine your difficulty in showing understanding. Please look at the side-by-side comparison between the three cultures, China, Ethiopia and France. Compared with Chinese and Ethiopians, French people have less power distance, much stronger individualism, are less competitive and higher in indulgence.
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Louise Laurent: All right. I understand there is no coercion and force in the management of the local workers. The military style of management is executed peacefully with no force and coercion. Thank you for your patient explanation supported by theory and data. Very convincing!
Lu: Mr Mohammed is an exceptionally smart young man. A fast learner! Three years ago when he first came to the company, he started as one of the assembly workers. His diligence and intelligence made him stand out quickly. After successive promotions, last year he had become the production manager.
Louise Laurent: Wow！Unbelievable！Good for you！ Salim Mohammed, you are somebody! Congratulations!
Salim Mohammed: Thank you! Thank you! I love reading books and watching online videos to improve my knowledge of intercultural communication, management and technical innovations.
Louise Laurent: Where do you live then
Salim Mohammed: Just over there in the living quarters of the company, next to the factory. 5 minutes walk from here.
Louise Laurent: I went there this morning. I can’t imagine how you manage to do so much learning in that kind of crowded, uncomfortable environment!
Salim Mohammed: UncomfortableMs Laurent, you must have been mistaken. I don’t think our dormitory is that bad.
Louise Laurent: This is just something I want to complain about. Here is a picture I shot a little while ago. You see, on the right side are the lousy cabins inhabited by the local Ethiopians while on the left side are the luxurious wooden houses where Chinese workers live. With such a wide gap in between, how can the local Ethiopians have no complaintsI don’t think it is fair and not equal.
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Lu: Ms Laurent, Mr Mohammed is living in the wooden cottage. The wooden houses are for managers and high-ranking officials, most of whom are Chinese right now, but more and more Ethiopians are moving in. They are reserved for executives not exclusive to the Chinese.
Salim Mohammed: That’s true! Before I was promoted to production manager, I had lived in the dormitory for two years. The interior is not as shabby as it seems to be outside. I can show you there.
The three are coming to the Container dormitory.
Salim Mohammed: You see, Ms Laurent, every room is equipped with an air-conditioner and has an individual bathroom.
Louise Laurent: Very convenient and comfortable.
Lu: There are bigger apartments for families. The smaller ones are for singles.
Salim Mohammed: Look above, there is a huge ceiling covering the houses to screen the scorching sunshine and heavy rainfalls.
Louise Laurent: This design is considerate.
Lu: The homes are movable and convertible. That’s why we have built more dormitories like this. All workers, both Ethiopian and Chinese are living here. Previously, we had more Chinese workers. They came to help and train the Ethiopians. When the Ethiopian locals become skilful, most Chinese workers returned to China. Now, most management executives are Chinese. When more and more capable Ethiopians like Mr Mohammed rise to the management, I believe most of the inhabitants in the wooden cottages will be Ethiopians. When Ethiopians are familiar with everything and able to manage the factory independently, we will give rein to them. Anyway, Chinese people are here to invest, make money and meanwhile help the Ethiopian economy. It’s a win-win situation.
Louise Laurent: Well, I see your point. Thank you for showing me around the workers’ dormitory. I now understand the workers’ living conditions. Very comfortable! By the way, I have a question to ask: as a Chinese company present in Ethiopia, you must have encountered a lot of cultural conflicts and misunderstandings. How do you manage to bridge the gap between different cultures
Lu: This is a big question. Let me break the answer into several parts. Initially, we didn’t quite understand the local workers’ religious needs. More than 40 per cent of Ethiopian workers are Muslims. Their religious teaching requires them to pray 5 times a day to their god. At first, the assembly line’s operation was often disrupted because some workers had to leave and find somewhere to prey, which took a long time for the order to be restored.
Salim Mohammed: That was true. After a discussion between the local worker representatives and the Chinese managers, the company established a separate praying room in every workshop so that Muslim employees can have easy access to a holy place to perform their prayers, which saves a lot of time and doesn’t affect the efficiency of the production.
Louise Laurent: That’s beautiful!
Lu: Yes, showing respect for the locals’ religious beliefs is very important. For example, during Ramadan, we implement flexible management, no to impose strict requirements, allowing the workers to slack off during working hours. We also give them breaks when it comes to the important local traditional holidays. Those practices have won us the trust and loyalty of the Ethiopian workers.
Salim Mohammed: The factory has two canteens: one for the locals, preparing food to meet Ethiopian tastes and habits, according to their taboos; one for Chinese employees, where rice, noodles and pork dishes are served.
Louise Laurent: This is considerate.
Lu: Our company has our training department, offering everyday language training classes for free to Chinese and Ethiopians respectively. Chinese workers are encouraged to learn some local languages and Ethiopians some simple working Chinese.
Salim Mohammed: I like the Chinese class and learned how to speak Chinese there. From time to time, there are some cultural festivals. For example, two months ago it was a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. All staff were invited to join the Zhongqiu evening party. We ate mooncakes and learned about the story of Change. There was dancing and singing. People had a wonderful time together.
Louise Laurent: Sounds wonderful! I am wondering how many locals have risen to mid-level management positions like Mr Mohammed.
Lu: Not many so far, but our CEO has mentioned several times that it is important to promote more talented Ethiopian employees to serve in the middle-and even senior-level management positions gradually. This will decrease the expenditure of expatriates and cross-cultural conflicts.
Salim Mohammed: I have heard that a cross-cultural international team is going to be formed in Huajian Group shortly. With the expansion of Huajian's business in different countries in Africa, the challenges for resolving cross-cultural conflicts increase, so a group of professionals specialized in intercultural communication is in high demand.
Lu: You are right! All these are measures we have taken and will take that facilitate understanding, communication and cooperation between different groups.
Louise Laurent: So far, I do not doubt your company’s production and management. I am pleased to say what I have seen here matches the slogan of our Sophie Marceau Brand “Green, peace, elegant comfort and sustainable development”.
Lu: Thank you, Ms. Laurent. Shall we continue to talk about the next order
Louise Laurent: Sure definitely! That’s exactly what I plan to do.
机器翻译
苏菲-玛索应该继续与华建公司签订合同吗？
- 角色分配。
1）卢先生：华坚集团（埃塞俄比亚）市场部经理
- 萨利姆-穆罕默德：生产部经理，埃塞俄比亚当地人，穆斯林。
- 路易斯劳伦：法国苏菲玛索品牌公关部经理。
身份。苏菲-玛索女装配件公司的宣传经理：女用皮包、皮带和鞋子。
任务目的：调查生产公司的劳动就业情况，保证其公司的形象。"绿色、和平、优雅舒适和可持续发展"，并就是否继续进一步合作提供建议。
路易斯-洛朗 早上好! 很高兴再次见到你! （试图拥抱穆罕默德。）
萨利姆-穆罕默德：（穆罕默德避开，双手合十，以示友好。）早上好，劳伦特女士！你已经完成了公司的旅行？你已经完成了公司的考察？一切进行得如何？
路易斯-洛朗。一般来说不错，但有件事让我很吃惊。为什么新工人必须接受像士兵一样的训练？他们是来做鞋的，不是来打仗的。有必要在工作前进行军事集合吗？
萨利姆-穆罕默德。别紧张！别紧张！别紧张 别激动！别激动！别激动 在这里坐下来，喝些冰茶。卢先生，我们公司的市场经理马上就要来了。
卢：非常高兴见到你，Laurent女士。
路易斯-劳伦特：也很高兴见到你。
卢：苏菲-玛索的鞋子、钱包和腰带在法国的市场反应如何？
路易丝-洛朗。嗯，人们很喜欢它们！它们在商店里受到热烈欢迎。它们在市场上受到了热烈欢迎。我们公司对第一批产品相当满意。
卢：很高兴听到这个消息。苏菲-玛索是法国优雅和美丽的象征。为了确保最终产品的高质量，我们非常注意使用最好的材料，并对生产过程极其严格，以保证精细的工艺。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。是的，确实如此。我们在生产Sophie Marceau的鞋子时付出了巨大的努力，甚至淘汰了那些稍微合格的鞋子。
路易丝-洛朗：我欣赏你们的一丝不苟，相信你们的生产质量。然而，在我们续签下一份更多产品的合同之前，我需要确保你们的产品不会对我们的品牌形象造成任何负面影响。你知道，作为一个经典的时尚品牌，我们在维护品牌形象方面有很大的预防措施。"绿色、和平、优雅舒适、可持续发展 "是我们公司的口号。在任何情况下，产品都不能违反这一原则。这就是为什么我在这里做一些研究，确认生产部分是否符合我们公司的价值观。我们最不希望看到的是人们在法国抵制苏菲-玛索的品牌。
卢：你为什么对我们的产品有这种担忧？
路易斯-洛朗。哦，在我来这里之前，一些新闻报道让我们很担心。看看这篇新闻报道吧。它说在埃塞俄比亚的中国工人喜欢吃驴子。驴子不仅是重要的劳动力，也是许多当地家庭的亲爱成员。吃驴子不仅是不人道的，也是不必要的。我担心你们生产的苏菲-玛索的鞋子、钱包和腰带是用驴皮做的。如果这是真的，它违反了我们品牌的绿色原则。
陆：哈哈哈，劳伦特女士，你根本不需要有这种担心。你看，在中国传统医学中，驴皮是一种非常有价值的营养物质。它有一个专业名称，叫Ejiao，换句话说，就是 "驴皮胶"。它是由驴皮中提取的胶原蛋白产生的，是传统中国药方中的一种关键成分。Ejiao具有美化皮肤和使人更强壮的力量，是一种昂贵的高档传统药物。相信我，劳伦特女士。我们永远不会用驴皮来做鞋。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。是的。成本太高了。我们负担不起。所以你不需要担心这个问题。
路易斯-劳伦特。驴皮在中国被用作营养食品来源？
卢：是的，从中国古代开始，易筋经已经使用了2000多年。它是一种美容养生的助推剂，具有抗衰老和促进健康的功能。
路易斯-劳伦特。真的吗？下次我去中国的时候，也许我会亲自尝试一些Ejiao。
卢：非常欢迎你。
路易斯-洛朗。还有一件事，今天早上我比预定时间早到了一个小时，这样我就可以到处走走，亲眼看看你们工厂里的情况。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。你应该早点给我打电话，这样我就可以带你参观了。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。放松，放松，劳伦特女士，让我给你解释一下。我们埃塞俄比亚人习惯了随意和悠闲的生活方式。迟到、早退和工作期间偷懒是司空见惯的事情，这影响了生产力和效率。我并不是要给我的人民抹黑。正如你所看到的，Hofstede的文化维度数据显示埃塞俄比亚人更倾向于放纵自己。我们的放纵率几乎是中国人的两倍。为了提高生产效率和工作纪律，管理层引入了中国式的晨会，以鼓舞士气，建立团队精神。
路易斯-洛朗：难怪我在来这里之前看了一篇新闻报道。标题是 "中国正在成为非洲新的殖民主宰？" 这条新闻中的图片显示的正是你们公司，不是吗？"。你是否把当地工人训练成工作的机器，只听从指令，没有他们的灵活性和个性？
萨利姆-穆罕默德。劳伦特女士，我以一个埃塞俄比亚当地人的身份发誓：培训中根本没有任何强迫。我们埃塞俄比亚人本质上是愿意遵从领导的命令，喜欢和别人一起团结协作，成为一个团体。从Hofstede的文化价值维度可以看出，在权力距离和集体主义方面，中国和埃塞俄比亚有很大的相似之处，权力距离更高，集体主义更强，个人主义更弱。而且这两个国家同样具有竞争力，希望在做任何事情时都能获得成功。因此，如果中国的管理风格有利于提高生产力。我们埃塞俄比亚当地人就愿意遵守规则，合作取得成果。这种军事化的管理方式与我们的民族价值观是一致的。事实证明，它能有效地提高工人的士气，提高工作效率。根本不存在对抗。
路易斯-劳伦特。真的吗？这对我来说是难以接受的事情。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。我可以想象你在表示理解方面的困难。请看一下中国、埃塞俄比亚和法国这三种文化之间的并列比较。与中国人和埃塞俄比亚人相比，法国人的权力距离更小，个人主义更强，竞争性更小，纵容性更高。
陆：穆罕默德先生是一个特别聪明的年轻人。一个快速的学习者! 三年前他刚来公司时，从一名装配工人做起。他的勤奋和智慧使他很快脱颖而出。经过连续的晋升，去年他已经成为生产经理。
路易斯-劳伦特。哇！难以置信！好样的！萨利姆-穆罕默德，你是个人物！祝贺你！你是个好人。祝贺你。
路易斯-洛朗。那你住在哪里？
萨利姆-穆罕默德。就在公司的生活区那边，在工厂旁边。从这里步行5分钟。
路易斯-洛朗：我今天早上去了那里。我无法想象你是如何在那种拥挤、不舒服的环境中做这么多的学习工作的！？
萨利姆-穆罕默德。不舒服？劳伦特女士，你一定是搞错了。我不认为我们的宿舍有那么糟糕。
路易斯-劳伦特：这只是我想抱怨的事情。这是我不久前拍的一张照片。你看，右边是埃塞俄比亚当地人居住的糟糕的集装箱小屋，左边是中国工人居住的豪华木屋。两者之间的差距如此之大，当地的埃塞俄比亚人怎么可能毫无怨言？我觉得这不公平，不平等。
陆：劳伦特女士，穆罕默德先生就住在木制的小房子里。木屋是为经理和高级官员准备的，现在大部分是中国人，但越来越多的埃塞俄比亚人搬进来了。它们是为高管保留的，并非中国人专属。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。这倒是真的! 在我被提升为生产经理之前，我已经在集装箱宿舍住了两年。内部并不像外面看起来的那样破旧。我可以带你们去看看。
三人来到了集装箱宿舍。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。你看，劳伦特女士，每个房间都配备了空调，并且有独立的卫生间。
路易斯-劳伦特。非常方便和舒适。
卢：有一些较大的公寓是为家庭准备的。小一点的是为单身人士准备的。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。看上面，有一个巨大的天花板覆盖在房屋上，以遮挡炙热的阳光和暴雨。
路易斯-洛朗：这种设计很贴心。
卢：集装箱房屋是可移动和可转换的。这就是为什么我们建造了更多像这样的宿舍。所有工人，包括埃塞俄比亚人和中国人都住在这里。以前，我们有更多的中国工人。他们是来帮助和培训埃塞俄比亚人的。当埃塞俄比亚当地人变得熟练后，大多数中国工人就回到了中国。现在，大多数管理干部都是中国人。当越来越多像穆罕默德先生这样有能力的埃塞俄比亚人上升到管理层时，我相信木屋里的大部分居民都会是埃塞俄比亚人。当埃塞俄比亚人熟悉一切，能够独立管理工厂的时候，我们就会给他们以约束。总之，中国人在这里投资，赚钱，同时帮助埃塞俄比亚的经济。这是个双赢的局面。
卢：这是一个大问题。让我把答案分成几个部分。最初，我们不太了解当地工人的宗教需求。超过40%的埃塞俄比亚工人是穆斯林。他们的宗教教义要求他们每天向他们的神祈祷5次。起初，装配线的运作经常被打乱，因为一些工人不得不离开，找地方捕食，这需要很长一段时间才能恢复秩序。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。这倒是真的。经过当地工人代表和中方管理人员的讨论，公司在每个车间都设立了单独的祈祷室，这样穆斯林员工就可以很方便地到圣地进行祈祷，这样就节省了很多时间，也不影响生产效率。
路易丝-洛朗：这很好啊！你知道吗？
卢：是的，对当地人的宗教信仰表示尊重是非常重要的。例如，在斋月期间，我们实行灵活的管理，不做严格的要求，允许工人在工作时间偷懒。当涉及到当地重要的传统节日时，我们也让他们休息。这些做法为我们赢得了埃塞俄比亚工人的信任和忠诚。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。工厂有两个食堂：一个是为当地人准备的，根据他们的禁忌，准备符合埃塞俄比亚人口味和习惯的食物；一个是为中国员工准备的，提供米饭、面条和猪肉菜肴。
路易斯-劳伦特：这很周到。
卢：我们公司有我们的培训部门，分别为中国人和埃塞俄比亚人免费提供日常语言培训课程。我们鼓励中国工人学习一些当地语言，鼓励埃塞俄比亚人学习一些简单的工作汉语。
萨利姆-穆罕默德（Salim Mohammed）。我喜欢中文课，在那里学会了说中文。时常会有一些文化节。例如，两个月前是中秋节的庆祝活动。所有员工都被邀请参加中秋晚会。我们吃了月饼，了解了变革的故事。还有舞蹈和唱歌。人们在一起度过了美好的时光。
露易丝-洛朗：听起来很好！我想知道有多少当地人参加了这个活动。我想知道有多少当地人像穆罕默德先生一样升到了中层管理职位。
卢：到目前为止还不多，但我们的首席执行官曾多次提到，必须逐步提拔更多优秀的埃塞俄比亚员工担任中层甚至高层管理职位。这将减少外派人员的开支和跨文化冲突。
萨利姆-穆罕默德。我听说华建集团不久将组建一支跨文化的国际团队。随着华建在非洲不同国家业务的扩展，解决跨文化冲突的挑战也在增加，所以对跨文化沟通的专业人员的需求很大。
陆：你说得很对！所有这些都是我们采取的措施，也是我们的目标。所有这些都是我们已经采取和将要采取的措施，促进不同群体之间的理解、沟通和合作。
路易斯-洛朗：到目前为止，我不怀疑贵公司的生产和管理。我很高兴地说，我在这里看到的东西与我们苏菲-玛索品牌的口号 "绿色、和平、优雅舒适和可持续发展 "是一致的。
路易丝-洛朗：当然可以！这正是我的计划。这正是我打算做的。