If your business has locations, clients, or partners in foreign countries, there is a good chance that at some point you’ll have to talk to someone who speaks a different language.

They may have a good grasp of English, or you may have a basic understanding of their native tongue, but there is still the potential for miscommunication.

When speaking to an international partner, there are numerous mistakes you can make. As a result, you risk causing costly business errors or even unintentionally offending an important client. To help you overcome language barriers and avoid disaster, here are four tips for communicating with international partners.

Understand the culture

Before you start your video call with a foreign partner, make sure you have a basic grasp of the culture of their country. Certain parts of the world place a huge emphasis on cultural traditions and norms, and if you are ignorant of these you risk offending.

Do some research to determine whether there are any cultural differences that could influence negotiations or any rituals or customs you should adhere to. For example, do they favor small talk at the start of a meeting, or would they prefer to get straight down to business?

Pay attention

When someone is speaking a language that isn’t their native tongue, there may be some underlying emotions or implications that are lost in translation. For this reason, you should pay the utmost attention to nonverbal cues such as their facial expression, tone of voice, and body language.

This will help you to grasp the full meaning of their words and get the most out of the conversation. The same goes for when you are speaking. Try to be a little more physical than usual to convey the message behind your words.

Be upfront

We’ve all been in the situation where we can’t understand what someone is saying and feel rude asking them to repeat it. But when it comes to making important business deals, you might miss out on crucial information.

If you are having trouble comprehending your international colleague, be upfront and ask them to either repeat what they have said or speak more slowly. There may be a slight risk of offending them, but as long as you are apologetic and respectful, you can both move past it.

Hire a translator

There’s a good chance that there will be important contracts, agreements, and other crucial documents involved in your overseas business deals. Often, this paperwork is filled with precise terms and agreements, and these could easily be misunderstood when translated into a different language.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to consider enlisting the help of a certified translation service. This will ensure that all your business documents are correct and error-free no matter what language they are in, and prevent anything from being lost in translation.

In conclusion, as long as you do your research and remain respectful throughout your interaction, you should have no issues in communicating with international partners. Just accept that there may be minor misunderstandings along the way, and you will be fine.