Languages
Français |
Deutsch |
English |
Nederlands |
Throughout my career I have benefitted from knowing four languages. I’ve worked in French speaking countries (Mauritania & Gabon) and for French companies (Sodexho & SHRM). While I have never worked in a German speaking country, I did work for a German company (B. Braun) and I have spent easily 10% of my time at Atlas negotiating in German with our major clients (Siemens, Bosch, Continental, Brose).
The only job I’ve had where I needed all my languages was General Manager SHRM China. For my contract negotiations I travelled extensively within China making use of different interpreters:
- A young English speaking man in my hometown: Guangzhou
- An elderly French speaking man in Shanghai, a man with a real interesting history, having translated for Mao Zedong when he met Charles de Gaulle and subsequently jailed during the Cultural Revolution
- A young German speaking girl (Xiao Lu) in Beijing
Dutch I used sporadically during infrequent visits to the embassy.
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