One World, One Market

As summer glides into autumn, the pace of life accelerates: parents ready their children for another school year, farmers harvest their crops, businesses prime themselves for the last quarter, and our team at CSOFT prepares for the bustle that surrounds year-end activities. For me, as summers last breeze fluttered and autumns strong winds pulled me along, I

experienced an unforgettable few weeks.

In early October, I made my way from Beijing to California to attend Fortunes Summit in Laguna Niguel as one of Fortunes 2012 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs. It was an extraordinary experience, heightened by the fact that I was surrounded by so many talented and accomplished women who have all made amazing contributions to the global business space. The environment was incredible, pulsing with energy and spirit. I left feeling immensely inspired and also contempla-tive about CSOFTs growth strategy as we prepare to enter our tenth year.

Upon arriving back in Beijing, I immediately set off again for Chengdu, my second trip to the capital of Chinas Sichuan Province in a matter of weeks. In retrospect, the timing was quite interesting, having lived in Beijing all these years and never with a reason to visit Chengdu. Then, suddenly, I found myself making two separate business trips there in such a short period of time. With the discussions and dialogue from Fortunes Summit fresh in my mind, I returned to Chengdu a second time, feeling oddly nostalgic.

I grew up guided by the notion of what a well-educated lady should master; specifically music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I was, however, also taught lessons traditionally reserved for males that is, the stories and poems of legendary heroes and ancient battles. It was these childhood literature lessons that re-surfaced as I landed in Chengdu.

Deeply established in Chinese history, Chengdu is home to many historical sites, including the Wuhou Temple, dedicated to Chinas greatest and most accomplished strategist, Zhuge Liang. Practically embodying the highest level of strategy described in Sun Tzus The Art of War, Zhuge Liang is the subject of many written works; my personal favorite is a poem by the prominent Chinese poet Du Fu. This poem, Shu Xiang , focuses on the loyalty, courage, and dedication Zhuge Liang exhibited in his role as Chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. Its these qualities that helped to unite and defend his country far more effectively than his grasp of strategy ever could; as a result, these are the very qualities that have inspired generations of leaders in China, including myself.

As a growing economic center in southwestern China, Chengdu plays a vital role in Chinas long-term development strategy. Recently chosen as the hosting city for Fortunes Global Forum 2013, Chengdu is both a symbol and the reality of the 21st centurys global economy. Visiting this city, I was taken aback by the unusual parallels between history and modern day, East and West, philosophy and business. These thoughts have paved the way for us to develop this second issue of HQ magazine, which is dedicated to our long-term customers, industry peers, and friends. As Zhuge Liang's loyalty and dedication resonate in Du Fu's poem, so too does our appreciation for your loyalty and dedication resound throughout the following pages.

Shunee YeePresident & CEO, CSOFT

November 27, Beijing

Wuhou Temple

Throughout this issue of HQ, youll notice several sections entitled Threads of Silk. These anecdotes are included to themati-

cally tie different elements of the magazine together, much like the Silk Road served to

intertwine the ancient world.

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a CS OF T m a g a z i n e Volume 2, Number 2

34 THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICEOffering a contemporary perspective on the evolution of the customer experience

40 GLOBAL CITIZENSCSOFT global team members share thoughts and viewpoints about multi-cultural explorations

42 EXERCISE, GLOBALIZE, RUBENIZE!Up close and personal with personal trainer Ru-ben Payan as he reflects on ex-pat life in Beijing

43 WINING, DINING, AND RECLINING WITH G-MONEYRoss Goulding explores culinary and recre-ational activities in Beijing

46 RESTAURANTSA night-sky full of Michelin stars illuminates our guide to Beijings best eateries

48 2013 CALENDAR OF EVENTSA rundown of CSOFTs events for 2013

49 LIFE IN THE DESERTCSOFTs in-resident photographer Feng Gang artfully essays the barren landscape of the Gobi Desert

54 HISTORY, BUSINESS, AND THE ART OF LISTENINGA bit of a philosophic piece for those who prefer to have their art with a dash of war

39 H-MAN: MASTER OF THE CHENGYUNIVERSE The examination, dissection, and modern-day application of ( )

38 PAGING DR. JOHNSONPana Poo over this list of foreign language words with no English counterparts

HQ CONTENTS

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7 KISS MY APPSAn overview of the already vast yet growing mobile application market in China

9 THE FUTURE OF ENERGY TECHA visual representation of energy facts and sta-tistics, including forecasts about whats to come

12 DEVELOPING MOBILE TECHNOL-OGY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD An examination of how the smartphone revolution is aiding the developing world

14 GIZMOS & GADGETS The hottest, shiniest little luxuries youll be techno-lusting for in 2013

16 ON THE SHELFOn the subway, on a plane, on the toilet these are the books you should be reading

17 ONCE UPON A STORYTELLING TIMELeadership through heuristic inspiration

20 ITS AN EAST-WEST THING!An exclusive interview with CSOFT CEO Shunee Yee on Chinese business, leadership, and the future of HQ magazine

27 AN APP A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAYThe brave new world of doctor-less diagno-ses is explored through mHealth technology

29 ON THE GENEALOGY OF LANGUAGEA commentary about the revelation that humans arent the only species on this planet to have ever engaged in conversation

31 TRANSLATINATOR 2:JUDGEMENT DAYFuturistic technology in the shape of a Universal Translator, and a terrible 90s movie pun. Whats not to like?

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Shunee YeeMelissa TaingBryony ThorpeRoss PfenningRoss Goulding

EDITORIAL TEAM

Feng Gang

PHOTOGRAPHY / ART DIRECTOR

Daniel GutierrezNara Yu

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Adam ONeillJesse HeZachary Overline

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Ruben PayanEmily ChenCarl YaoQian QiaoMeg ConnellyBonnie Tian

SPECIAL THANKS

Copyright 2012 CSOFT International, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission.

This magazine is not intended for sale.

CSOFT International, Ltd.World Financial Centre, 15F1 East Third Ring RoadBeijing, China 100020ph. +86 10 5736 6000www.csoftintl.com

REPRODUCTION

MAKINGof

Shunee Yee

Bryony Thorpe

Feng Gang

Ross Goulding

Melissa Taing

Ross Pfenning

Nara Yu

Daniel Gutierrez

KissmyApps

As a child, when you thought of your future self living in the glistening tech-nological Valhalla we all knew was just around the corner, what did you consider to be the one essential piece of technology youd be using? A flying car? Robot slave? Lightsaber? Whatever direction your imag-ination took you, its doubtful that your youthful blend of optimism and naivet led you towards the idea that humanity would spend the new millennium obsessing over small plastic rectangles with pieces of glass stuck to them. After all, while recogniz-ing how sleek and stylistic smartphones have become, aesthetically theyll never be as appealing as, say, a nuclear-powered jetpack. The relative visual mundanity of smartphones actually stands as a testament to the value placed on function over form; no matter how unimpressive your shiny, little, black objet daffection may actually be, youll never care because as many a man has unconvincingly pleaded before its what you do with it that counts. And what you do with smartphones invariably involves apps.

The ability to personalize the software on your device has resulted in a world of hand-sets superficially identical in form yet vastly different in function. The substance-over-style world of smartphones has started to reveal national trends in app usage. China is an exemplary case.

Having recently surpassed the US in smartphone usage, China is now the larg-est market for smartphones in the world approximately a quarter of the billion mobile phone users in China already own smartphones. Its no wonder then that app developers are paying greater atten-tion to Chinese consumers. With such a large existing market, and the potential to expand even further, successful app developers around the world are eager to better understand which apps most interest

Chinese smartphone users. However, com-petition is stiff. With an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 mobile application developers in China, the growing smartphone mar-ket is already being fueled with new apps tailored to Chinese users preferences. So, again, what do Chinese people like to do on their smartphones?

According to statistics taken from app store purchases, after games and enter-tainment, the most popular apps in China are in the social and communication cat-egories. One such app, QQ a simple, web-based instant messaging platform adapted for mobile use is immensely popular, not just among the Chinese youth, but within the workplace as well. Commonly used for file-sharing between colleagues and even unofficial commu-nication between clients and vendors, QQ offers users a free and speedy way to receive and share information.

Very much related to QQ but offering more in the socializing department, Weixin (also known as WeChat) allows users to communicate via text or short voice mes-sages. Users can also create profiles with photos and personal information. To top it off, Weixin borrows the location sharing aspect of apps like China-based MoMo,

registered Weixin accounts in China in just over a year since

its launch in January 2011

of registered users between ages 22

and 30100million76.1%

billion

billion

$35apps downloaded

worldwidein 2010

apps downloaded globallyin 2011

projected worldwide app downloads

in 2014

worth of projected worldwide app

downloads in 2014

9 2976.9

millionmillion

TECHNOLOGY

7

Imagine what a modern day Silk Road would look like, considering the technology, innovative thought, history, and experience accumulated over the last two millennia. In 2010, an Italian team from OFL Architecture responded to an international competition organized by design and management firm Newitalianblood. The competition, entitled Map of the Silk Road, invited participants to present creative interpretations of the recovery, modernization, or reinvention of the Silk Road trading routes.

The winning team designed a project called Silk Road Map Evolution (SRME), conceived via an examination of the commonly problematic and challenging consequences that result from a typical urban structure namely congestion, immobility, and non sustainability. Reflecting the East-to-West connection of the historical Silk Road trading routes, SRME extends from Venice to Xian, Shanghai to Tokyo, incorporating significant advances in technology along the way.

Composed of both inhabitable, sustainable towers and a railway system designed to travel on gravitational polarized fields, OFLs project replaces trading routes with a linear, integrated infrastructure that acts as a living urban generator and economic pump to extend life support to smaller, micro-cities along its path.

of

SILKThreads

or the more internationally recognized Grindr and Blendr, to make it possible for app users to find one another, meet people, and make new friends.

When not gaming or socializing, Chinese smartphone users spend a fair amount of time browsing the Internet. One app designed to make mobile web-browsing easier and more fun is Dolphin, created by Chinese mobile app developer Mobotap. Dolphin expands on custom browser fea-tures by offering tabbed browsing, webzine displays, and speech searches. Best of all, Dolphin also includes gesture browsing, which incorporates the multi-touch func-tion of most smartphones and enables the user to access features and load websites with a few personally programmed strokes of the screen. Despite initially targeting Chinese users, the app has been localized to support over 20 languages worldwide.

One common thread among the most pop-ular and successful apps in China is this: theyre free. It seems Chinese app users are unwilling to pay money just to access content. App developers like Tencent have caught on to this consumer disposition, making their apps free, while providing attractive in-app purchases. In-app pur-chases rely on users becoming reliant on (or, in the case of certain gaming apps, addicted to) the app, offering upgradable service, greater usability, or competitive advantages (for gaming apps) that users are happy to fork over money for the free app they downloaded having become an intrin-sic part of their lives.

No matter the average Chinese consumers inclinations, there is a massive market as yet untapped in China. Understanding what Chinese smartphone users desire in their apps is just the first step to penetrating that market.

of the Chinese population over a billion people registered as

mobile phone users

of the global smartphone market represented by

China as of Q1 2012

estimated revenue from Chinese mobile internet

users in 2011

representationby USA

3G users in China

mobile internet users in China not on a

3G network

76%

22%

billion$13.716%

160million431million

*Research from technology analyst firm Canalys and market research group Analysys International, Techrice.com, and chinainternetwatch.com

(81.4%) Fossil Fuels: 117,095 TWh

(10.6%) Other Renewables: 15,284 TWh

(5.8%) Nuclear energy: 8,283 TWh

(2.2%) Hydro: 3,208 TWh

TOTAL GLOBALENERGY CONSUMPTION

BREAK DOWN OF TOTAL GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY

PRO

JEC

TED

NAT

ION

AL

SHA

LE G

AS

POTE

NTI

AL

107

272.5

110 396

38862

159 231

862

1,275

China*

U.S.

Australia

Canada

Algeria

Proved Nat. Gas Reserves (Tcf) Technically Recoverable Shale Gas Resource (Tcf)WORLDWIDEENERGYSTORAGECAPACITY

2011:121 MW enough to fully charge 17,285,714 iPhones

2021:12,353 MW enough to fully charge 1,764,714,286 iPhones

1990

354

2000

406

2008

5

05

2015

57

3

2020

619

2025

6

71

2030

7

21

2035

770

Qua

drill

ion

Btu

THE FUTURE OF ENERGY TECH

Just 1 MW of wind energy could power up to 400 homes without emitting any CO2.

By replacing an electric water heater in an average house-hold with a solar one, the long-term benefits amount to preventing more than 50 tons of CO2 emissions.

Average car in the US emits

50 tons of CO2every

6 months

Exercising athletes exhale about

20 lbs of CO2 per day.

In 2008, nuclear power prevented an estimated 690 million metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmo-sphere, equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted after 210 flights around the world.

Replacing one months use of fossil fuels with 100 kWhs of wind power is comparable to keeping your car off the road for 2,400 miles (3,862 km).

A 1 kWh photovol-taic system would prevent 300 lbs (136 kg) of CO2 gas from being emitted, roughly equivalent to the amount of CO2 ex-haled by a rugby team (15 players) on game day.

*According to current projections, China stands to gain the most from shale gas extraction. Unconventional gas has the potential to increase national gas reserves by approximately 1000%.

There are over 400 nuclear power plants worldwide.

A wind farm generating 1000 MW takes up 50-150 km2 of land.

A 1000 MW solar or photovoltaic park takes up 20-50 km2 of land.

For a 1000 MW nuclear plant, site requirements are estimated to be 1-4 km2.

L.A. N.Y.

(100%) Total world energy: 143,851 TWh

**Research gathered from US Energy Information Administration, Solar Energy International, NREL, Our-energy.com, elitefeet.com, EPA, IEA, Pike Research, and Halliburton.

Tcf Trillion cubic feet

kWh kilowatt-hoursMW Megawatts

TWh Terrawatt-hours

Quadrillion British Thermal Units (Btu) = 33,430 MW, which can power 13,372,000 average homes in a developed nation.

As the global demand for energy grows, so too does the need for innovative solutions. Below is a visual depiction of the future of energy consumption, storage, and resources.

Beijing,China

210 Round trips

Buenos Aires, Argentina

= 10 homes

TECHNOLOGY

8 9

The CSOFT Annual Summit is a venerable tradition amounting to a week of mutual learning, exchange, and teambuilding. Bringing together our worldwide team of clients, partners, linguists, executives, and special guests, it is an opportunity to share knowledge, exchange expe-

riences, and engage in industry-specific dialogue. Our tenth year anniversary celebration promises to surpass even the towering standards set in years past, uniting our global family, highlighting company achievements, and putting the decade in decadence. Join us for our 10th Annual World Summit as we voyage into the future, ascending to even greater heights.

June 26-28, 2013

Make the Ascent.

10 y

ears

Join us for CSOFTs10TH ANNUAL WORLD SUMMIT

For details and updates, please email csoft10@csoftintl.com.

Colombo-tantalite ore... ever heard of it? More commonly referred to as coltan, this precious mineral is a key component in much of the technology we use everyday, yet most people know surprisingly little about it. Without coltan, we would be unable to manufacture many of the appliances and tools we use and have come to depend on, including laptops, mobile phones, hospital equipment, etc. However, thats not all there is to know.

As it was with gold, diamonds, and oil, so it has been with coltan, a mineral that is practically untraceable once it has been mined, and one that has plunged much of western Africa into a pyrrhic resource war, spurred on by global demand for con-sumer electronics. While the fundamental necessity of coltan in manufacturing electronic appliances risks consigning the African continent to yet more decades of suffering, there does, however, appear to be a beleaguered light at the end of this collapsing tun-nel. The answer to the conflict over coltan lies not in decreasing global demand, but in strengthening the social system to battle against such senseless violence. Ironically, mobile technology the cause of the upsurge in coltan demand and thus the cause of the resurgence of violence has demonstrated promising poten-tial to help mend much of what is broken. Mobile technology, often viewed as merely a convenient social tool in the West, is

becoming an actual necessity in the developing world.

In Africa, certain challenges have constrained technological devel-opment and progress. In Uganda for example, personal laptops and desktop computers are prohibitively expensive. To compound the problem, most of the country isnt even connected to a power grid. Even if a local family scrimps and saves to afford a computer, it would be nearly impossible to keep such a power-hungry machine running for any appreciable length of time without spending another significant sum of money on electricity, or hours physically generating power. Smartphones offer an alternative theyre rela-tively cheap and far easier to charge up. As a result, most of Ugandas Internet usage is done exclusively on these smartphones.

Ten years ago, there were fewer than 100,000 phone lines in Nigeria. Today that number has jumped three orders of magnitude to over 100 million. The trend is the same all over Africa, with Rwandas phone use soaring by 50% in 2010 alone. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda since 2000, said in 2007, In ten short years, what was once an object of luxury and privilege, the mobile phone, has become a basic necessity in Africa. It seems that in Africa, the advent of mobile phones has had a dramatically positive effect across several different industries and on the overall quality of life.

Developing Mobile Technology in the Developing World

TECHNOLOGY

Banking in this region has become heav-ily reliant on smartphone technology. In 2009, MTN Uganda, the nations largest telecom provider, launched a new service called MobileMoney. This service allows people to not only add money to their online bank accounts at dedicated kiosks, it also allows them to text money to other peoples online bank accounts, which can then be with-drawn from the same kiosks. In the past, these transactions would involve the physical transportation of actual fiat notes over to the recipient, which in certain places could be quite risky and generally inconvenient. According to a survey by the Gates Foundation and the World Bank, in Kenya, Sudan, and Gabon, at least half of all adults now use mobile money services.

Mobile innovations play a critical role in the livelihood of Ugandan farmers as well. Previously, these farmers often found themselves working a laborious and time-consuming job, isolated from the wider community, which made it dif-ficult to access information. Nowadays however, smartphone apps provide them with crucial information that can dramatically improve their yields, and thus their livelihoods. For example, they can be sent diagnostic information to identify and treat diseases that threaten their harvests, receive weather warnings to prepare for droughts, and compare market prices to ensure that they get a good deal on their crops.

The education sector has also been positively impacted by the exponential increase in smartphone usage. With apps that teach math, English, and science spreading across the continent, the poten-tial to create a paradigm shift in Africas education system is strengthening.

Previously, upon arriving at a refugee camp, fleeing natural and man-made disasters and tragedies, it was next to impossible to find relatives and friends among the hundreds of thousands of shattered lives. Nongovernmental organization Refugees United has cre-ated a mobile database for refugees to register their name and details, sig-nificantly increasing the chances of families being reunited.

Public health has also seen a boost. With the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that 30% of medicine in developing countries is counterfeit, medicine packages now come with a special, scratch-away panel on the back, revealing a code which users can send to a special service to determine whether their drugs are certified, legal, and safe. The spread of malaria is also being tracked via smartphones, enabling greater response and prevention.

Mobile technology has given many millions of Africans the opportunity to significantly change the political regimes under which they live. As an example, western media recently chronicled how the use of mobile technology and various web apps, most commonly accessed via phones played an integral part in the Arab Spring, helping to organize crowds at the grassroots level, spread information among supporters on the ground, and affect geopolitical pressure by dissemi-nating local news to media in the West.

Mobile technology is by no means a flawless solution to these local challenges. There are still millions without access to power of any kind and many who struggle to use mobile technology due to high rates of adult illiteracy. Network service can be inconsistent, causing limited

access to phone-controlled funds. These issues will likely diminish as countries continue to develop their communications infrastructure, but reliance on mobile phone technology will only grow as smart-phones further ingrain themselves in daily life.

NGO

EDUCATION

POLITICS

HEALTH

AGRICULTURE

FINANCE

12 13

Saabs technological innovations,housed in a cutting-edge machine of

exceptional and .

Out of the ordinary.

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd.

style quality.

www.baicmotor.com

14

Gizmos&GADGETS

SAMSUNG 4G LTE MOBILE HOTSPOT

With Samsungs new 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot, youll never have to suffer from slow-internet-speed-rage in public again. With the ability to connect up to five wire-less devices at once, the 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot can keep a small office connected while on the move. Also, weighing in at an ultra-lightweight 2.7 ounces (76.5 grams), this isnt a device youll have to factor in when considering your baggage allowance, making it ideal for frequent travelers.

ASUS PADFONE 2

What would you get if your iPad made pas-sionate, unprotected love to your iPhone? Well, if youre an Apple fanboy, youd most likely get another disturbing dream to add to the growing list of symptoms that prove you take brand loyalty too far. For everyone else, this unholy technological union gets you the innovatively named PadFone 2. For those who want the mobility of a cell phone, but the clarity and enhanced usability of a tablet, you can now have both. The PadFone 2 is lighter, sleeker, and packs more power than its pre-decessor, delivering the perfect compromise for todays increasingly mobile population.

SOLIO SOLAR CHARGER

At one point or another, all modern mobile phone users experience the panicked, spine-tingling terror of a dead battery. It always happens when you most need your phone. (For example, when youre waiting on the ransom call from that kidnapper who has your grandmother, or when you really, really need to check IMDB to see who wrote the screen-play for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.) If only, you may think to yourself, if only there were a gigantic orb of nuclear fire hanging in the heavens, continuously blasting our planet with an almost limitless supply of energy Luckily for you, someone else already had that same idea. The Solio Solar Charger receives energy from a curious astronomical phenom-enon in our solar system which scientists have dubbed the Sun and transmits that energy via USB to your mobile device, allow-ing you to recharge on the go.

PEBBLE E-PAPER WATCH

Its been said that the Pebble E-Paper watch (which, its important to note, is made from neither pebbles nor paper) does for the com-mon wristwatch what the smartphone did for the common cell phone. This quantum leap in time-telling technology allows you to monitor calls, text messages, and emails, as well as control your music and interact with your phone in a number of innovative ways. Amazingly, it can tell the time too.

CELLUON MAGIC CUBE VIRTUAL PROJECTION KEYBOARD

Famed Sci-fi author, Arthur C. Clarke, stated in his third law Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic. Korean company Celluon has produced one such piece of technology: the Magic Cube. By casting a full-sized keyboard onto a flat surface, this highly portable light-projection unit allows users to type on a far larger area than is offered by any tablet or smartphone. As futuristic devices go, a virtual keyboard made of light must feature pretty highly on the magic list.

SWIVL

Ever look at your smartphone and think, I know what my favorite gadget needs a gadget of its own! Ideal for small busi-nesses, or anyone who frequently makes presentations, Swivl is the ultimate hands-free cameraman. Simply place your smart-phone in the dock, hold the small receiver in your hand (or put it in your pocket, wear it around your neck, staple it to your forehead, etc.), and the Swivl will follow you around the room with your smartphones camera. The receiver even contains a microphone so your voice can be recorded at a consistent level. While the benefits for videoconferenc-ing and presentations are obvious, the Swivl can also be used to record short films.

*Images sourced from: androidpolice.com, survivalpunk.com, thenextweb.com, anandtech.com, technobuffalo.com, hightech-solutions.it

TECHNOLOGY

From Greek mythology to Native American narratives, a univer-sal element that has existed across cultures, languages, and time is storytelling. Historically, storytelling played a critical role in the development of communities, societies, and cultures. Carried throughout history to present day, storytelling offers a means to a montage of ends, including education, entertainment, experience, and knowledge sharing, as well as a way to make sense of unex-plainable or mysterious events.

As storytelling was highly regarded in communities throughout human history, so too were the individuals that imparted these tales. Even today in West African countries, the griot, master of words and lyrics, is the keeper and proprietor of oral tradition, whose responsibilities are founded in communication, expression, and exchange. Hailed as historians, messengers, praise-singers, and

ONCE UPON A STORY-TELLING

TIME

advisors to nobility, griots are enlisted to perform at ceremonies and celebrations, to provide comfort and encouragement, and are as much feared for their wisdom as they are respected.

By combining truth, imagination, and a sincere oratorical style, storytelling weaves a compelling narrative that pulses and breathes. Numbers, data, facts, and words sit stagnant, but a gifted or practiced raconteur breathes life into these elements to energize, motivate, inspire, and encourage listeners. Though it may appear to be the case, this is no endorsement of a Say no to data, and bring on the fairytales! stance. Rather, in certain situations, sto-rytellings effectiveness in the workspace is far more powerful than one might initially imagine: great storytellers possess the ability to inspire, establish a vision, define a culture, strengthen values, and fortify beliefs.

In todays fast-paced, information-packed world, we need leaders who can inspire staff, communicate compellingly, and both engage and be engaged completely. Storytelling

is an undemanding way to share knowledge, while simultaneously encouragingself-discovery, application, and development.

As French author Antoine de Saint-Exupry, most celebrated for composing the story of Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), once said, If you want to build a ship, dont drum up people together to collect wood and dont assign

them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

LEADERSHIP

The Next 100 Years (2009) George Friedman

Written by the CEO of private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (Stratfor), The Next 100 Years details exactly what it says on the cover. Examining the ever- shifting geopolitical situation, Friedmans book has been criticized for not taking into account the destructive inevitability of cli-mate change and for downplaying Chinas role in the coming century. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating, breezily written postula-tion of our near future by one of the most prescient minds in global intelligence.

It began with a man and a mission. The man, Ferdinand Baron von Richthofen (1833-1905), was a well-traveled German geographer, scientist, and scholar, whose impressive depth of knowledge about geography and geomorphology resulted in, among other achievements, two landforms on opposite sides of the world being named after him: Richthofen Range, identifying the mountain range in south-ern Gansu, China, and Mount Richthofen, the highest mountain of the Never Sum-mer Mountain Range in Colorado, USA.

Long fascinated with China, Baron von Richthofen (a title shared by all his male family members, including his nephew, the WW1 fighter pilot nicknamed The Red Baron) spent most of his time be-tween 1868 and 1872 traveling China. His research during this time would contribute greatly to the geographical understanding of China and Central Asia. The Baron also greatly influenced pupil Sven Hedin, who would go on to unearth many historical, geological, and geographical discoveries in western China and Central Asia.

In 1877, Baron von Richthofen was also first to coin the term Seidenstrassen (Seiden-strae) to identify one of the worlds best-known trade routes facilitating east-west exchange and connectivity: the Silk Road.

Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011)Daniel Kahneman

Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his research pertaining to the psy-chological mechanisms of decision making and judgment, Daniel Kahneman combines data-rich research with articulate, engaging prose to produce a book that has been selected by the New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail, and the Los Angeles Times as one of the best books of 2011. For anyone interested in behavioral research or decision making, Thinking, Fast and Slow is an eloquently penned masterpiece that uncov-ers the psychological workings behind human reasoning and choice.

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (2011)Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen

Co-authored by Good to Great bestseller Jim Collins, Great by Choice is an anthology of nine years worth of research and investiga-tion. Alongside more than 20 researchers, Collins and Hansen seek to determine how companies succeed in uncertain, tumultuous environments. Drawing on research and sto-ries about such companies as Intel, Southwest Airlines, Apple, Progressive Insurance and more, Great by Choice provides insightful data and analysis that is undeniably relevant, not only to the presently unsettled global econ-omy, but also the unpredictable, fast-paced business world we live in today.

One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Frontline of Doing Business in China (2005) James L. McGregor

Written by James L. McGregor, former CEO of Dow Jones & Company in China and Wall Street Journal Bureau Chief for China and Taiwan, One Billion Customers acts as both a history of post-reform China and a guide to doing business in a vastly different culture. Detailing the free-for-all, Wild-West business style that exploded across China in the wake of Deng Xiaopings reforms, with handy hints and first person accounts of the pitfalls that have befallen naive western investors interspersed throughout the book, McGregors One Billion Customers makes a compelling read for anyone interested or involved in doing business in China.

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Ferdinand von Richthofen

On the Shelf

LEADERSHIP

16 17

Dongxi, the Chinese word for thing, is comprised of two parts: dong (east) and xi (west). In Chinese, this word is used to refer to any object, just as its translated sibling in English. However, dongxi possesses an additional meaning an under-standing so transparent, it leaves no room for doubt or surprise. Conversely, to say something is a thing in the western sense confirms its existence, usually with the added connotation of being relatively novel or chic.

Two selections of Chinese lore explain the origins of the word dongxi. It appears our (Chinese) ancestors knew long before our time that East-West would in fact be a thing. To them, evidently, this is old news.

According to one etymological tale, there were once two markets located in ancient China. They were positioned such that one market lay to the east, the other to the west. People were free to buy from both markets, so to go shopping was said to buy east and west and became the idiomatic way of saying buy things.

Another origin story for the word dongxi involves the five Chinese phases, or wu xing, a concept related to the western notion of the four elements. Each phase car-ries an association with a cardinal direction: Earth at the center, water in the North (bei), fire in the South (nan), wood in the East (dong), and metal in the West (xi).

As the story goes, some government officials were gambling one day when the emperor, disguised as a civilian, happened upon them. Attempting to conceal their illegal pastime, one of the officials hid the gambling chips in a wicker basket; how-ever, the emperor caught him and asked what he had hidden. The official replied dongxi. Having never heard this word, the emperor inquired, Why do you say dongxi and not nanbei? The official then explained that nan and bei, representing fire and water, could not be placed in the basket as fire would burn it and water would leak through the bottom. He used dongxi because both wood and metal could be carried in the basket. At this, the emperor revealed himself, praised the official, and proclaimed that dongxi would henceforth be used to refer to things.

18 19

Its anEast-West

Thing

"People want to know more

about new China and are

generally interested in China's

business development and the

people driving it. Who are the

leaders of this change?"

What drives companies to success? People often credit success to a single big decision, a turning point that changes everything. But what of incremental change the step-by-step progression to success that cant be attributed to one singular moment?

As I sat there fiddling with my notebook, attempting to process the question and come up with an intelligible answer, Shunee continued ruminating, I believe certain companies possess a kind of magic. It cant necessarily be quantified or traced to any one or two things in particular, but some companies have it and those are the companies that succeed over the long term.

This magic quality is one that has framed many a conversation Ive had with Shunee over the last several weeks. It has sprung up in discussions over the direction of HQ, as well as Shunees vision for CSOFT. So, when presented with the opportunity to interview our dynamic and business-savvy CEO as part of the China Executive section of HQ magazine

20 21

Good to Great examines the shared characteristics of companies that have experienced the transition from general mediocrity to sustained excellence. With the help of 20 research assistants, Collins spent five years analyzing 1,435 listed Fortune 500 companies between 1965 and 1995, determining that only 11 of these companies made the shift from good to great marked by a sharp increase in revenue and continual outperformance of the general market for a period of 15 years thereafter. Good to Great has received praise and attention not only in the business world, but also among sports teams, religious institutions, schools and many other organizations looking to improve, expand, or become great.

Good to Great (2001) Jim Collins

"From conversations Ive

had with friends,

journalists, and clients,

there seems to be a real

hunger for good, current

information about the

direction business is

progressing in China."

a feature of this and all future editions I decided that it might just be an important element to cover.

Of course, I had other questions too. Viewing the interview as an occasion to satisfy not just my curiosity, but that of others as well, I prepared questions delving into the future of HQ and the role these executive interviews would play in subsequent editions of the magazine. It was clear from my conversations with Shunee that East-West not just any old thing would be an important feature of both the magazine and the interviews. However, what

particularly perplexed me were her references to Jim Collins book Good to Great. After several mentions, I took the hint and read the book that she seemed to regard so highly. However, where I thought I would find answers, I instead found more questions.

Intrigued to learn exactly how all these elements fit together, I sat down with Shunee once more to discuss her views, and this time, came away feeling quite enlightened. Its almost as if some kind of spell was lifted and I could see everything clearly. Was this perhaps the magic of our dynamic leader at work?

Ross Pfenning: So, Shunee, Ive been curious about this for a while now: how exactly did HQ get started? And why are we continuing it?

Shunee Yee: Well, the concept for HQ began last year as a CSOFT yearbook of sorts. At the beginning of every summer, we invite regional experts, worldwide linguists, and industry leaders to join our global team for a week-long CSOFT World Summit. Every year builds on the last thought-provoking discussions, laughter, team-building activities a lot of really wonderful memories. We wanted to find a

way to share this with a larger audience. Thats when we first thought to produce a yearbook, which eventually transformed into HQ; it was something initially designed to reach a wider audience and share our industry knowledge, experience, and company culture more broadly. Additionally, we wanted to showcase Beijing the rapidly evolving city in which CSOFT is headquartered from our perspective. That was where it all began; I dont think any of us really understood what we were getting ourselves into! Laughs.

Originally, we only planned to circulate a

couple thousand copies, but we got such great reactions. Since then, a lot of people have told me how excited they were to see future editions. In the beginning, just over a year ago now, I do remember wondering if HQ would continue beyond one issue, but it was just a flicker of a thought. We really didnt deliberate much in the beginning it all kind of unraveled unconsciously. I think this is because we have a lot to share: we work with companies all over the world to help them go global, a process which includes overcoming technological, linguistic, and even cultural barriers in order to penetrate

Q A&

international markets. Globalization is full of unique challenges, but were lucky to be a part of so many successful stories. I feel our business is a narrative worth communicating, and one that we began with the first magazine. I cant say I knew from the start where HQ would take us, but now I have a pretty good idea of the direction I want it to head in.

R: So what direction is HQ headed in now? Is it any different from last years?

S: This edition of HQ retains the novel perspective offered by the first magazine, but with a new focus a focus we intend to maintain over the life of the magazine. From conversations Ive had with friends, journalists, and clients, there seems to be a real hunger for good, current information about the direction business is progressing in China. People want to know more about new China and are

Chinese companies understand this, as evidenced by the growing demand for globalization services in China. Therefore, our mission for HQ is to showcase Chinese companies that have expanded or are in the midst of expanding globally, both in terms of business and company culture.

R: Why China Executive interviews? What will they include or focus on?

S: As I said, there's enough dry data out there, not many reports go deep or focus on Chinas business leaders, and standard media interviews generally do not examine the character of these Chinese leaders. Perhaps this has to do with Chinese culture, which promotes the beauty of principles like hanxu ( ). This concept in particular advocates a humble, modest, and reserved approach to both general and business interactions, which, unfortunately, can also discourage open speech and direct communication in Chinese business. On top of that, Chinese companies generally employ hierarchies, which can also play a role in the flow of communication. Chinas business landscape is shifting though, and so are the approaches of Chinas business leaders. Additionally, there are not a lot of established channels that allow Chinese leaders to communicate their views or impart their experiences. Many Chinese leaders may still be growing accustomed to the idea of stepping into the spotlight, but for those who are willing to share their stories, HQ offers them the opportunity to do so. We want to give them a voice. By asking questions that drive at the human aspect of each of these leaders rather than the typical interview questions usually encountered, HQ becomes a channel of information which sheds light on Chinas business landscape and demonstrates that great business leaders in both the East and West share similar qualities.

Its related to one of the strongest messages I took away from Jim Collins book Good to Great: leaders who possess a certain set of

generally interested in Chinas business development and the people driving it. Who are the leaders of this change? Yes, some publications report on statistics and data, but few go deep, and even fewer attempt to go behind the scenes. By digging deeper and interviewing China executives, were attempting to offer a different perspective. By blending culture and art with a technology and business focus, were hoping to give our clients and, really, anyone interested in reading our magazine something new and exciting, informative yet sexy. Thats the plan anyway. Laughs.

At our core, we all want the same thing: to have successful, mutually beneficial business relationships. The notion that companies from the West cannot achieve this with businesses in the East is outdated. The reality is that eastern and western companies are becoming increasingly dependent on one another. I believe

22 23

Shunee Yee co-founded CSOFT in late 2003 and has since guided the company to become a global corporation with 14 offices in key locations around the world. Recognized for her ingenuity and business acumen, Yee was the 2009 recipient of the International Stevie Award for Best Asian Entrepreneurs, honored by Globalization Today as one of the world's Top 25 most influential leaders in the outsourcing industry in 2011,and recognized by Fortune as one of 2012's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs as well as one of the tech industrys top 36 most powerful disruptors of 2012.

"At our core, we all want

the same thing: to have

successful, mutually

relationships. The notion

that companies from the

West cannot achieve this

with businesses in the

East is outdated."

qualities are able to promote long term success, not just for themselves but for their companies. He describes the most effective leaders, Level 5 Executives, as having a mix of both personal humility and professional will. I want to find those leaders here in China. Furthermore, I hope that in launching this search, we will inspire more leaders in China to move from good to great.

R: Can you explain a little more about Good to Great? How exactly does it fit in with these interviews and HQ?

S: I really admire Jim Collins and all of his work. Much of what he promotes in his books regarding well-established companies and their leaders relates closely to certain Chinese virtues. For example, we have this saying, bainianlaodian (

), which encapsulates the idea of a company built to last. We also talk of leaders who have an inner strength, a drive that comes from within.

What interests me about Good to Great in particular is Collins discussion of the impact leaders have in guiding their companies to greatness. The executives who ultimately led their companies to sustained success werent so much the celebrity, spotlight-craving types as they were quiet, strong, and principled leaders. They almost always came from within the company and, because of this, understood what needed to be done. They were far more concerned with company success than their own personal gain and made hard decisions when they needed to be made. As Collins says, most often, these traits cant be traced back to educational background or even experience. They are innate qualities and not everyone possesses them.

These innate qualities, I like to think of them as a certain magic. This magic describes the character of those business leaders, but not just at one moment. It can encompass a collection of traits, a series of decisions, or string of consistent actions that ultimately define a persons success as a

leader. Collins points to professional will, internal drive, and an uncompromising attitude, but there are even more attributes that embody these leaders. It may be different for each individual, but I believe that this magic quality is a fundamental characteristic of successful, great leaders around the world, as well as those companies that are built to last. I also truly think that Chinese people recognize, respect, and desire these qualities in leaders the ones who ultimately drive their companies to success.

R: Okay, Im starting to see how this is all connected. What youre saying makes sense, but how are we going to find these companies? What makes CSOFT so well-suited for this job?

S: Well, were pretty great at telling stories! Laughs. But really, think about the work we do [at CSOFT] on a day-to-day basis. We help companies build and execute strategies to enter global markets, a service which is growing in demand. We have years of experience working with worldwide clients in industries such as Life Sciences, Energy, Electronics, Finance, IT, Enterprise Solutions, Transportation and with S t e p p e S [CSOFTs globalization

consulting arm], weve also started working with many China business leaders looking to take their companies global. We understand their challenges just as we understand the subtleties and nuances of culture in international business. This cultural know-how and hands-on experience grants us unique insight. Its simply the nature of our business. We're lucky to be at the frontier of globalization.

Beyond that, CSOFT possesses a certain talent for integrating art and business. Art is a powerful language that transcends culture. It can have a profound influence on people and their perceptions. It is truly penetrating. I feel that, as we deal in language and communication, our work has an artistic quality. Then theres our people. CSOFT has the right people. I think we are truly blessed to have a powerful mix of talented individuals from around the world industry experts, artists, linguists, photographers, marketing writers, etc. all working together to tell our story, creating content that is truly a pleasure to read and experience. Our people are obsessed obsessed with achieving the best, and simultaneously finding joy in it. Its that tenacity and honestly, a little bit

of magic along with our cultural-art-business blend and experience that makes us perfect for the job.

R: Thats really interesting I hadnt thought about it that way before. Shunee, given your recent recognition as one of Fortunes 2012 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, can you discuss a little about the experience as well as your leadership?

S: Attending the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit was a fantastic experience and I was quite honored to be sharing the stage with so many phenomenal business leaders. That experience certainly inspired me, and while I was there I couldnt help thinking about our new initiative for HQ. My sincere hope for the China Executive section of HQ is that it will inspire people the same way that the Fortune Summit inspired me. I hope this spirit the celebration and recognition of great leaders will spread to the East.

At the Fortune Summit, I met and talked with so many accomplished business leaders, and was continuously struck by the fact that they all possessed something in common: magic. Others might have different names or descriptions for it, but its that quality that energizes, motivates,

inspires you just from being around certain people. And it can be people with vastly different personalities some charismatic, others possessing a quiet calm something you cant quite put your finger on, but you know it when you find it. The magic! Laughs. Now I want to find the magic in China.

What I can tell you is that I see myself as a good example of the blend between East and West. I was raised studying classic Chinese literature, calligraphy, the pipa [Chinese lute], but the foundation of my business experience took place in the West. In Chinese, we would call this blend ronghe ( ). Because of this, I find myself focusing on the common values and practices shared between East and West rather than the differences. I guess this blend has contributed to the magic that has helped drive CSOFT's success over the years it's become a part of who we all are. It's CSOFT's magic! Laughs.

R: Laughs. Yes, maybe. Tell me then, Shunee, how would you define leadership in one sentence?

S: I dont know Its the dongxi... the thing! Laughs.

24 25

With over 40,000 medical apps across iOS, Android, and other operating systems, its no surprise that Healthcare Global, a health-care news and information provider, projects the global wireless health market to be worth USD 38 billion by 2016. In this respect, the healthcare industry is edging its way towards a revolution. New strides in the development of mHealth (the umbrella term for mobile tools used to service needs within the healthcare sector) could lead to massive advancements in diagnosis and treatment.

The gradual adoption of tablets and smart phones as medical tools is perhaps one of the more evident of these advancements, but this form of mHealth barely scratches the surface of the many ways in which traditional healthcare is evolving. Below are several key areas where new technological developments are having hugely positive effects.

PRIMARY DIAGNOSISThe growing prevalence of tablet devices in hospitals allows time-strapped doctors and nurses to instantly record or consult patient notes and information. Some hospitals have also recently intro-duced telehealth systems, which provide features such as mobile video consultations. When employed in the medical space, these systems provide doctors the opportunity to exchange detailed clinical information with ease. This creates a more convenient

AN APP A DAYKEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

diagnostic procedure for both patient and doctor, while simultane-ously improving the overall patient experience.

On a similar note, Nuance, a global market-leader in communica-tions services, has recently designed voice recognition technology that can be implemented into healthcare billing and medical records procedures, saving time, resources, and money.

Another interesting development comes from start-up company CellScope. Although its products are currently in the beta-testing phase, CellScope seeks to transform smartphones into clinical diag-nostic devices that include optical attachments. Their first product to be launched is an otoscope, a device used to view inside the ear, thus enabling remote diagnosis and treatment of, for example, ear infections, which, in the US, typically result in 30 million visits to the doctor each year. CellScopes wide range of innovative attach-ments such as the dermascope, which obtains diagnostic images of the skin are set to create big waves in the world of self-administered medical examination.

MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES Several newly developed technologies and apps are also changing the way we handle long-term disease management. Gluco Phones,

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27

for example, remind diabetics to take their glucose tests and provide the option of transmitting these results to caregivers.

Doctors can now also monitor and manage conditions such as cardiovascular disease remotely. This ability to treat patients vicariously should significantly decrease the strain on centralized healthcare ser-vices and care workers, not just in developing countries, but also in regions such as Ontario, Canada, where almost a third of the 12- million-strong population live in rural areas.

With the onset of a chronic dis-ease comes another problem: prescription management. One example of the innova-tions occurring in this area can be found at the US National Institute of Health. Medical imaging scientist Jesus Caban and his colleagues have created software that can distinguish a pill based on its shape, color, and imprint, identifying pills with a 91% accuracy rate in less than a second a percentage bound to increase with further adjustments to the software.

Recently introduced in China is an elec-trocardiogram-sensing handset, another remote monitoring device. Designed to record short bursts of heart data at regu-lar intervals, which are then transmitted to the 24-hour Life Care Networks Call Center in Beijing, this device shows prom-ising, life-saving properties. As a testament to its innovation, it received the 2012 Computerworld Honors Laureate award.

There are also numerous apps aimed at the general consumer. Fitness apps, such as Nikeplus and Runkeeper, enable users to track and optimize workouts, while nutri-tion apps such as VegOut, Food Additives, and Locavore, not only track calories and list additives, they also identify nutritious

food options in supermarkets, diet-appro-priate restaurants, and in-season produce. Other app options turn your smartphone into a stethoscope (iStethoscope), measure your sleeping intervals (Sleep Cycle), and test your eyesight (Eye Test).

A separate piece of technology, which has been forecast to bring a wireless revolution

to the healthcare system, was developed by Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC technology allows data to be transmitted wirelessly across short distances, thereby reducing the risk of human error as patient visits, medication dosages, and other details are automatically logged. This system has been piloted in the Netherlands, where there are currently more than 50,000 care workers regularly employing NFC phones to organize and track their home visits.

If employed effectively, mHealth can stream-line services, optimize resources, and save both time and money. That said, it still has some major challenges to overcome, perhaps the biggest being security breaches. When dealing with a subject where confidentiality is of the utmost importance, hospitals and other medical facilities will need to ensure they have fully secured enterprise wireless

systems or employ systems whereby mobile devices can only access patient records and data, not store them.

Another hurdle to overcome is ensuring that hospitals and services have the correct infrastructure in place to support these developments and that they can securely integrate the technology into their cur-

rent monitoring systems. The benefits of having brand new technology can be hampered by a lack of adequately trained health-care professionals, as well as high illiteracy rates, corruption, and unreli-able sources of power. If mHealth is to achieve all the incredibly positive effects within its potential, it has to be introduced into a fully supported and sus-tainable environment.

T h e Wo r l d H e a l t h Organization (WHO) made their official stance on mHealth clear in their 2011 publication, Implementation

Research for the Control of Infectious Diseases of Poverty, with a full section focusing on this technology. The WHO echoes the need to apply mHealth in a coordinated and effec-tive manner, ensuring support structures are in place and staff are properly trained in order to avoid resources being diverted from basic needs and health worker priorities.

It remains to be seen whether the full impact of this revolution will measure up to expectations. The biggest determining factors of mHealths reception will be how those involved in the process react to its implementation and the environments in which it takes place. But given the favorable responses to mHealth trials in both develop-ing and developed countries, it looks like the way we approach healthcare is about to undergo a massive transformation.

Healthcare Global, a healthcare news and information provider, projects the global wireless health market to be worth USD 38 billion by 2016."

28 29

One of the many ways in which the Internet has irrevocably changed human culture is how it has affected language, specifi-cally with the introduction of various neologisms. In the distant, dark days of a pre-internet humanity, neologisms tended not to spread globally; new words dissipated among smaller groups as colloquialisms or given enough time and isolation became part of a new dialect or even an altogether new language. This is no longer the case. A neologism typed once by a 14-year-old on a Dublin-based message board can be discovered and used by TV show hosts in America in a matter of weeks if it becomes a popu-lar meme. Even the word meme itself is a neologism, having been coined by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1978 book The Selfish Gene. Its no surprise, therefore, that predicting the direction the English language will take in the future is next to impossible. A task that seems equally impossible is tracing the origins of all human language.The earliest account we have of the written word is known as the Kish Tablet. This stone carving, discovered in what is mod-ern day Iraq, contains a form of Sumerian script that is dated to

approximately 3500 BC. It is mostly a pictographic language, recognized as a direct precursor to Sumerian Cuneiform, a syllabic script. The first alphabet, the Phoenician alphabet, which later morphed into Greek and Roman, is the direct antecedent of the script you are currently reading. It is evident that language existed before the invention of the written word; however, without any way of recording it, there is no modern way to determine what it sounded like. Those who have studied a foreign language know that one of the most difficult things to get right is pronunciation, so its interesting to note that despite how much knowledge we have of dead languages like Latin, no one knows precisely how any of the words should be pronounced.In popular culture we imagine cavemen to have spoken in a series of grunts, similar to what a human might interpret simian vocal communication to be. Currently, the most popular hypothesis for how humanity developed language is the Continuity Theory, which states that language itself evolved from proto-human grunts. This base form of communication gained a greater level of sophis-tication as our collective needs as a species moved beyond those

genealogyof languageOn the

COMMUNICATION

Translatinator 2: In the beginning, we all spoke a single language. So say the lan-guage creation myths of nearly all world cultures and religions. In Christianity, God punished man for his arrogance in build-ing the Tower of Babel, causing The Confusion of Tongues. In Africa, the Wa-Sania Bantu believe a great historical fam-ine caused maddened people to wander aimlessly in various directions, speaking gibberish which eventually settled into different languages. A certain southern Australian Aboriginal tribe believes that different languages derived from a tribal gathering in celebration of the death of an evil woman named Wurruri. At the gathering, each tribe ate a different part of her body, which triggered each group to speak a different language. Whatever the region of the world, it seems they share a similar antediluvian ideal: that we should all be able to understand one another.

The diverse beauty of human language is a precious gift, albeit one with a high price. Mistranslations and cultural faux pas have changed the direction of history on more than one occa-sion. In 1956, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the height of the Cold War, and mere months after the USSRs successful H-Bomb test made a speech at the Polish embassy in Moscow. Featuring the usual Cold War posturing that dom-inated the rhetoric on both sides at that time, Khrushchev seemingly upped the ante and shocked the West by ending his speech with what was to become his most famous quote: We will bury you. To modern audiences this probably sounds

quite mild, more like something an overexcited wrestler might say, but to American citizens of the day, this was a terrifying warning of the destructive power of atomic weapons and the Soviet desire to use them. Only, Khrushchev never actually said the translated line. A more literal translation of what he said would be: Communism doesnt need to go to war to destroy capitalism whether you like it or not, we will be present at your burial. Understood from the perspective of a Soviet at that time, Khrushchevs sentiment can be better translated as we shall outlive you. While not exactly brim-ming with happy rainbow-like sentiments, when translated correctly and put into context, the statement does become markedly less eschatological.

The need for global understanding can be seen as intrinsic to the survival of humanity as a species, and it seems our best hope for mutual understanding is through technology, with the invention of the Universal Translator.

The Universal Translator has been a sci-fi trope for decades and has been featured in an endless array of futuristic stories (see page 33 for details). But is such a device even plausible? And what are the limitations of such technology?

A Universal Translator works by translating a persons speech into another language in (almost) real time and then projecting that translation out of a set of speakers in a second language. Real time speech translation typically utilizes three tech-nologies: automatic speech recognition (ASR) something iPhone users will be familiar with on account of Siri; machine

JUDGEMENT DAY

COMMUNICATION

30 31

Homo Sapiens Sapiens may be the only surviving hominid species, but recent research indicates we werent the only species on this planet to ever develop lan-guage. The FOXP2 gene, which has been found to be directly linked with language and speech, has been discovered in Homo Neanderthalensis our much maligned cousins, commonly called Neanderthals. The version of the FOXP2 gene discovered in Neanderthals is close to identical to the FOXP2 gene in humans (other animals, including chimpanzees and bats, also have a version of the FOXP2 gene, although with certain differing amino acids). As its hum-bling to be reminded that humanity has only existed for around 0.003% of Earths history, its equally humbling to consider other species that we may have communi-cated with, and to think that such species have become extinct even with the blessed evolutionary gift of language.

of

SILKThreads

Spanning across terrain, borders, and cultures, the Silk Road is universally known for connecting eastern and west-ern civilizations. Traveling along the Silk Road, past or present, it is not difficult to imagine the challenges travelers and traders must have faced, not the least being various language barriers.

Research names Sogdian, an Iranian language that was historically spoken by the people of Sogdiana (present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), as the lingua franca of the Silk Roads. Particularly between the fourth and tenth centuries, the Sogdians dominated trade along the Silk Road. Described by the Chinese as born merchants, they played a funda-mental role in the movement of not only mercantile goods, but also philosophies, ideas, and religion.

Recognized for not only their trade-re-lated talents, Sogdians were also distin-guished by their multifaceted skills, in-cluding horse breeding, carpet weaving, woodcarving, and last but certainly not least language. Gifted linguists and interpreters, Sogdian scribes were some of the first to translate Buddhist texts into Chinese, and during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) were frequently recruited as translation officials.

of small hunter-gatherer groups and into the realm of social interaction as a means of survival. Farming, social laws, and nearly all forms of communal living require lan-guage, which has become concurrently more complicated as our social groups have grown and our needs and demands increased. The Discontinuity Theory is almost the oppo-site, stating that a single genetic mutation occurred in a single individuals brain and almost instantaneously enabled that individ-ual to create language, possessed of a mind that could also comprehend this new form of communication. The evolutionary advantage of language is immediately apparent. In fact, the very name of our species Homo Sapiens Sapiens marks language as the defining characteristic that dis-tinguishes us from other beings in our genus, with sapiens referring to our language abil-ity (specifically our advanced judgment and tool use, as enabled by language).

translation (MT) familiar technology to anyone who works in the translation sector; and voice synthesis (also known as text-to-speech or TTS) the technology that allows Stephen Hawking to communicate his brilliance to the world. As you have probably by now surmised, all of this technology is already available to us in varying degrees of effectiveness.

One company at the forefront of near real-time speech transla-tion is SpeechGear. Formed by speech-translation pioneer Robert Palmquist in 2001, SpeechGear built on Palmquists previous success in releasing the worlds first usable Universal Translation software in 1997, which translated between English and Spanish. SpeechGear currently offers translation systems that can convert conversations between English and more than 35 other languages. A recent addition to the market is Jibbigo, a downloadable smart-phone application that translates recorded content into the target language with the option of utilizing a TTS system, so the target listener can listen and (hopefully) understand.

While such technology has its limitations, it still has many sig-nificant real-world applications. The US army has been using a speech translation system in Iraq to help aid English-Arabic interaction. Similarly, hospitals and ambulance services in many multilingual parts of the world have also begun using speech translation technology. Is this the end of human translators? Will machines rise up and replace linguists as they replaced manufac-turers? Is it time for an industry-wide panic? Is it time to unplug the computer, gather your pitchforks and flaming torches, and lead a Luddite rebellion against an arrogant, polyglot Skynet?

Maybe not.

Although current speech translation software is useful in emer-gencies, or for trivialities like tourism or grocery shopping, Universal Translators havent yet reached the stage where they can be "trusted" to perform precise or artistic translation. In many industries, mistranslation can have dire consequences especially regarding diplomacy or medical science, where mistranslation can be a matter of life and death. When it comes to art, a machine translation of poetry or descriptive prose simply doesnt work in any useful way. This is for the obvious reason that a machine isnt able to comprehend any-thing that it translates; it merely matches words and phrases to foreign words and phrases with varying degrees of exactitude.

A machine may not have been able to clean up the Khrushchev confusion detailed earlier, however clarifying such mistakes would be perfunctory for a competent Quality Assurance reviewer looking over a machines first translation draft. As it relates to translation then, it seems highly improbable that human interaction will ever become obsolete. Until, perhaps,

that fateful day when your trusty translation tool speaks up through its monotone, dispassionate TTS system

and declares unambiguously, in all human languages: We will bury you. Then, you should panic.

As with much of the technology humanity has developed over the past century, the existence of the Universal Translator was prefigured in science fiction. Heres a brief rundown of how universal translators function in various works of fiction.

THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXYDouglas Adams sci-fi classic leap-frogged previous works, such as Star Wars and Monty Python to become the geekiest of all geeky obsessions. One of the first alien creatures encoun-tered by (un)lucky human Arthur Dent is the babel-fish, a small, yellow leech-like creature. The babel-fish is inserted into the ear, where it feeds on brain wave energy and excretes telepathically a matrix formed from the conscious frequencies and nerve signals picked up from the speech centers of the brain.

Or in plain English, it translates any language automatically.

STAR TREKDuring their travels across the galaxy, Captains Kirk and Picard, along with the rest of the crew, encounter numer-ous alien life-forms, all of whom man-age to speak near-perfect English. This isnt the result of some superb interga-lactic ESL program (although English Teachers in Space is a show thats crying out to be made). It is, in fact, a result of the Universal Translator. The Universal Translator in Star Trek is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and can even translate languages from previously undiscovered alien worlds, indicating that it works by analyzing speech patterns rather than via a large internal dictionary.

MASS EFFECTUniversal translation is truly pivotal to this popular sci-fi opera videogame

trilogy, as it primarily concerns itself with galactic politics, alien culture, and standing in elevators waiting for the game to load. Humanity is still linguistically divided in the Mass Effect universe, and many of the encoun-tered alien cultures have their own sets of languages as well. Machine translation is utilized through futuris-tic PDAs or as a sub-dermal implant. One interesting species encountered are the Hanar, who appear as a form of sentient blancmange and commu-nicate entirely through bio-lumines-cence. Conversations with the Hanar therefore require a machine translation system, which speaks for them in an extremely precise and polite fashion something that would be sufficiently annoying if it came from a human, but can become more disturbing than irritating as the reality dawns that, as the player, youve just spent an entire afternoon being virtually patronized by a glowing, tentacled trifle.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Could a machine ever translate poetry? As any human translator will proudly tell you, translating artistic writing involves deep understanding of the source material, so the real question becomes: Will a machine ever be able to understand a piece of writing to any degree comprabably to that of a human? To answer this we need to look at the world of artificial intelligence (A.I.). There are two different approaches to A.I., known as the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach. In the case of translation soft-ware, the top-down approach would include programming millions of words, sentences, fragments, and idioms into the software so it works like an uber-dictionary, contain-ing not just words but whole sentences. The bottom-up approach, in this instance at least, would involve program-ming the software with all the rules it needs to understand what it's translating. The problem with the bottom-up approach is found in the difficulty of programming a ma-chine to understand common sense. A string can pull but not push. Fathers are older than their sons. Water is wet. All of these things are axiomatic to humans, but difficult or impossible to grasp for a machine.

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Gone are the days of predetermined responses and the customer is always right! slogans. Nowadays, customer service is far less systematic and far more reliant on the personalized interactions between employ-ees and customers. Additionally, with the proliferation of social media, the smallest, most insignificant nugget of online informa-tion can achieve an effortlessly wide reach. Hence, the current situation, where whole nations of people can be swayed by a random dilettantes viral video or retweeted message. Through social networking and other media channels, one customers positive or negative experience has the potential to influence the consumer habits of people both near and far.

Just as the global business landscape con-tinuously evolves, so too must the way we interact with our clients. It is no longer appropriate to place customer service into a one size fits all mold; as customer service practices differ from company to company, so too should they fluctuate in response

The Art ofCustomer Service

to different customers and situations. However, there are some basic guiding principles that client-facing staff members should always consider when interacting with customers in any given situation.

Create a customer-centric experience Instead of thinking of customer service as a service, think of it as the experience a cus-tomer will walk away from and share with others. With that in mind, also recognize that the most powerful experiences are those that trigger an emotional response. The value of a positive end-to-end experi-ence cannot be overstated: a March 2012 Accenture report titled How to make your company think like a customer cited research showing that failure to provide high-qual-ity customer experiences could diminish a

companys clientele by as much as 50% over a five-year interval.

Relate to a bad customer service experience then do the opposite So how do you trigger a positive emotional response? Everyone acknowledges what bad customer service entails: lack of respect, lack of patience, lack of interest, lack of knowl-edge, lack of resources. On top of that, weve all had our own personal experiences with bad customer service. For all intents and purposes, this is exactly where to begin discov-ering what customer service should be: recall a bad customer service experience, determine why it was bad, and make sure to remedy the situation the next time it arises. Work efficiently yet patiently so as to respect your clients time, offer your undivided attention

so as to be a more engaged communicator, and make sure you are knowledgeable and well-informed from the beginning so as to be an asset to your customer. All these roads lead to a greater customer experience.

Dont underestimatethe power of a solutionThe most telling situations are the ones that deliver bad news, and these are the exact moments when customer service is most scrutinized. If a problem has occurred, be forthright about it candor is appreciated.

And, as difficult as it is to admit mistakes, get used to it not because your company isnt living up to its standard, but because mistakes are bound to happen anywhere and everywhere. Delivering bad news is not the end of your clients loyalty; in fact, it is the perfect opportunity to reinforce that loyalty. By actually solving the prob-lem (with a friendly and patient attitude to boot), you will be perceived more highly by your customers and will have turned a seemingly negative situation into a spar-kling positive. Its a win-win, baby!

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CREATIVEMULTIMEDIA

advertisingmovies

copywritingscreenwriting

productionaudio & video

e-Learning

GLOBALBRANDING

corporate identityvisual identity

messagingpositioning

speechespresentations

GLOBAL LANGUAGELOCAL FLAVOR

translationtranscreation

re-creationcultural consulting

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Chinese chengyus ( ), or proverbial idioms usually composed of four characters, are integral to Chinese language and cul ture . Etymologically, cheng ( ) means to become and yu ( ) describes language. That said, chengyu can be literally understood as becom-ing part of a language. Generally derived from classical literature, these four-character phrases are intimately connected to Chinas historical stories, myths, and fables. They often contain multiple layers of meaning and reflect the mor-als behind the stories rather than simply the stories themselves.

Translated literally, this chengyu means dif-ferent in approaches but equally satisfactory in results, or different paths can take one to the same goal.

This specific chengyu originated from an essay by Han Yu, one of the greatest liter-ary masters during the Tang Dynasty (circa AD 600). In this essay, Han Yu discussed two of the most renowned ancient poets: Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong. These two poets were both from the Western Han Dynasty period (around 200 BC), but they

ABOUT THE H-MAN

The story of Jesse He (rhymes with the, as opposed to hee) begins in Nanjing, a city in Chinas Jiangsu Province. Since he was young, Jesse has been strongly interested in both Eastern and Western philosophy, which in turn inspired him to travel the world and immerse himself in the cultures he had previously only read about in books. Currently living in Boston, Jesse has also lived in both North Carolina and New York, where he taught Mandarin. In China, Jesse has lived in Guangzhou, where he perfected his Cantonese, as well as Beijing and Nanjing. At CSOFT, Jesse has played an instrumental role in shap-ing the companys philosophy of dedicated customer service. In his spare time, Jesse enjoys reading, spending time with his family, and regaling his colleagues with tales of Chinese history and explanations of esoteric idioms.

composed with wildly differing styles (the former flamboyant and lavish, the latter direct and critical). Despite conflicting and opposing styles, the two poets were equally successful and their poems were both widely popular.

While there does not appear to be an English idiomatic equivalent, this Chinese chengyu does, however, hold connotations of coincidence and harmony of oppo-sites found in the philosophical thought of Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic Greek philoso-pher. A good example is expressed in this aphorism of his: The road up and the road down is [sic] one and the same. Its mean-ing could also be traced back to the Roman Empire, with the popular modern saying all roads lead to Rome. From here we see that the ancient wisdom of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Chinese is yiqutonggong: they are like three musical instruments, unique and different to one another, yet equally melodic and appealing.

Applied to todays increasingly globalized world, yiqutonggong is still just as relevant as it was centuries ago. As opportunities to gain exposure to new cultures, ideolo-gies, and methodologies become ever more prevalent, this chengyu reinforces the idea that there is more than one way to reach a given goal. Other methods may be less familiar, but that doesnt make them any

H-man: Master of the Chengyuniverseless effective. Whether applied to business or general life, this chengyu provides a novel perspective with regard to viewing, embrac-ing, and valuing differences.

COMMUNICATION

Paging Dr. Johnson

The English language has more words in it than any other, but there are still hundreds of words hidden away in foreign languages where native speakers are unlikely to find them which dont have a counterpart in English. Heres a selection of some of our favorites.

Shemomedjamo(Georgian)

To eat past the point of being sated just because the food is so good.

Hikikomori(Japanese)

A young person who has with-drawn from public life and spends all their time watching TV, surfing the net, or playing games. In most places, we would call such a person a teenager.

Pilkunnussija(Finnish)

A person who believes its their duty to correct all grammatical mistakes at the cost of popularity, self-esteem and mental wellbeing. (A particularly useful word when consid-ering the pedants who put this magazine together.)

Zhaghzhagh(Persian)

Say this word out loud and you can probably guess the meaning: the chattering of teeth from the cold or rage.

Yuputka(Ulwa, Nicaragua & Honduras)

A word to describe the feeling of walking in the woods at night, the spectral sensation of something crawling over your skin.

Kummerspeck(German)

Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. The literal, and quite delightfully fitting, translation is grief bacon.

Pelinti(Buli, Ghana)

Specifically, pelinti means to move hot food around in your mouth. What it refers to is the practice of opening your mouth when its full of hot food to try and cool it down.

Cafune(Brazilian Portuguese)

To tenderly run your fingers through your lovers hair.

Tartle(Scottish Gaelic)

The word for that panicked feeling just before you have to introduce someone whose name you have forgotten.

Pana Po'o(Hawaiian)

To scratch your head in order to help you remember something you might have forgotten which from now on, will probably be the word pana poo.

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On family heritage: I had never been to Korea before, but my family is from there, so I wanted to go see what it was like. For me, it was supposed to be a foreign country, but the second I landed, I felt like I had been there before. I was able to read and understand the signs and the language. It was like flying into a neighboring city in China. I didnt feel like I was in another country at all.

On home: Even though I wasnt born in Beijing, I would consider Beijing my home now. After receiving my masters degree abroad, I was eligible for a Beijing hukou*. Not only does that make it more convenient to live here, but it also gives me more of a sense that Beijing is my home, that I belong here.

It was the ancient Greeks who can be attributed with first putting the con-cept of global citizenship to words. From them, we have the word cosmopoli-tan, which in its most literal sense, means a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world. While few of us could claim to be completely without bias, the forces of glo-balization have expanded our views beyond national borders and allowed us to see the bigger picture. So the concept of being a global citizen is nothing new, and neither is globalization for that matter. But what of these forces?

Arguably, the single greatest influence on modern day globalization would have to be technology. Where trade was largely respon-sible for cross-border travel and interaction in the past, technology has ultimately made the world a much smaller place, providing access to far reaches of the globe in a mat-ter of hours, rather than days, weeks, and months. Beyond physical travel, technology has allowed for the transmission of infor-mation, whether text, audio, or video, to just about anywhere with an internet con-nection, including outer space! Technology has made it possible for us to interact with people of different nationalities without ever setting foot in their country or even meeting them face-to-face. Where lan-guage might have once been a barrier to such interaction, it is no long