It's been an eventful start my third week at the power station engineering company after my three week break back in England. To get straight to the point, 80% of the 15-odd strong translation department, of which I am a member, are spies, leaking information to rival companies, profiting personally at the expense of the company. That's what the boss's wife, big cheese in matters relating to HR, said today anyway. It also explains why the New Year bonus was so hopelessly small. The New Year cash bonus is a way of rewarding employees for their hard work throughout the year, and makes up for what can be very low salaries. It is usually at least a month's salary, sometimes even upto half a year's salary. However, Mrs Boss deemed us worthy of only 200kuai (20 pounds), about the equivalent of 3-4 days salary. Her reputation for miserliness is apparently famous in HR departments throughout Xi'an, and she appears to have lived up to it here. (Also, I have to pay tax on my cash income, which is worth enquiring about again).
As for the New Year bonus, what made it even more interesting was that three people got nothing, on grounds they had been caught 'xie mi' - leaking company secrets. And even more interesting than that, despite having apparently proved their treacherousness, they are still allowed to work for the company, one even leaving for Africa today for a year long assignment.
Currently, I'm in an office with three other girls, all doing translation. One is, I suppose, team leader, although no-one really knows. These three received a bit more than everyone else. So aside from the already existing physical separation, be it only a paper thin wall, a certain amount of resentment has already been added to an ever-increasing pile of grievances. And there is no point in mentioning the relationship between the Translation Dept and HR, Finance and Logistics - precisely zero communication, a mutual dislike, and now, presumably, distrust.
So where am I all in this? Being the overpaid foreigner, I try to stay out of it. There is a huge amount I don't understand. At risk of the usual over generalisation, (although it has been confirmed by colleagues), the company feels a little like a microcosm of Chinese society - unclear, vague, and underpinned with lying. There are some seriously unhappy employees around, and without a trade union or ACAS, and no signs of management at the company, I have to start wondering when it will get worse.
As for the work, I seem to have dropped off the radar of Mr and Mrs Boss. Maybe they're busy, or think I'm syphoning of secrets, but either way, I've not heard anything about the supposed business I was supposed to be creating, and have been doing English-Chinese translation with everyone else. I was thinking of pasting a paragraph of the stuff I have to translate on here - 'effects of generator de-excitation on turbine intermediate pressure casing outer shell temperature', etc, etc, but then I don't want to be done for company crimes.
Which brings us nicely onto the New Year Party, set for this Friday. The preparation could not be worse. No-one is keen on it, and with the latest developments, as well as a round of the flu, it is unlikely to be the jolliest of affairs. In fact, one person of the translation team told me that they're going to boycott it, which would really spice things up. Each department is supposed to perform two items. We've chosen a small play, and the second one was going to be a slightly racy dance routine. Despite having the dancing skills of a dead octopus, I was ready to give it ago, but time restraints meant I've pulled out, along with, now, everyone else. If worse comes to worse, a group singalong might be the best way out, I can always mouth my way through it like school hymn practice.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Monday, 1 December 2008
A great example of lying
http://thepekingorder.blogspot.com/2008/11/china-petroleum-equipment-and.html
This article is from the excellent and funny Peking Order blogspot. Definitely worth a look for seeing what you can get away with as a Westerner in China.
This article is from the excellent and funny Peking Order blogspot. Definitely worth a look for seeing what you can get away with as a Westerner in China.
Circuit breakers and will breakers
Last week started with a short meeting between myself and Mr Big Boss. His office is on the floor above ours, and is notably for looking like an empty store room. A skanky old table, two plastic chairs, a state-of-the-art laptop and a flask for holding green tea where the only things in there. He's moved me to the Commercial Department, responsible for finding clients. I'm now meant to find clients in Europe who might want to co-operate with us. The boss' idea was find out the top 100 companies in Europe and find out which ones work in power plant operation and maintenance, eventually getting the list down to 2 or 3, after which we call them up, etc, etc, etc. Now, call my cynical, but I think the chances of a leading European company wanting to co-operate with our company (see below) are not huge. Still, I have to trawl the Internet.
My other task is to translate and proof-read reams and reams of documents relating to the operation of a power station. I've pretty had my fill of circuit breakers now, having spent three days on one 110-page text. Translating a text for the first time is obviously very time-consuming, and efficiency is key. I thought proof-reading would be easier, but it's actually quite tricky (and even more boring), because you only end up half-changing the not-very-good English, when it would be easier to start all over again. It's also almost equally time-consuming, as so much of the English is such that I have to look at the Chinese anyway.
The task of the translator's is truly thankless. Translating from your language into your foreign language is significantly harder than the other way round. I think it's almost impossible for these guys to do it right. The stuff they are translating - circuit breakers, steam turbines, boiler processes, is just excrutiatingly dull. Also, none of them are engineers so have limited knowledge about what they are translating. I've found, despite by best research efforts, I don't understand much of the English I write myself.
The workload is quite a lot now, but that hasn't stopped anyone from engaging in talking on QQ (instant messaging) and watching movies. Although the Internet was cut off last week to stop time-wasting, they seemed to have found a way round it on some computers. Also, film watching and generally farting around have proven adequate replacements. There are two rows, one facing the other offices and main corridor, the other facing outside, so the people sitting in the latter position have a distinct advantage. They can watch Ugly Betty and Heroes in relative safety.
The other reason for the lack of enthusiasm is the company. The management system is non-existent. The head of the Commercial Department is apparently the Big Boss. There is no-one in charge of the translation department. When I asked them who gave them work, they said they didn't know. There is no motivating activities going on at all. Relations between the different departments are visibly antagonistic. I get told off like a school-child if I'm 3 mintues late. The translators intensely dislike the HR Department, "because they control us". While all companies exist only to make profit, this one, and I imagine many of the same sort in China, do it brazenly and don't try to hide it. I quite obviously should be training these guys, but the Boss wants me to earn money for him instead. So the endemic slacking off (I should mention that I'm writing this during office hours) is understandable. I think it's like the school system - everything is done because people are forced, not because they want to, with highly predictable results.
Thus, I'm a bit reluctant to do business with European companies, partly because of all the lying I will have to do. Our website has some guff about 'integrated management system', 'happy workforce', etc. All complete rubbish. The website also talks about "our two hi-tech training simulation rooms are the central part of our training centre". Turns out what this means is that a week before the trainees arrive, we rent out a conference room in a hotel and rig up some computers. Really professional.
My other task is to translate and proof-read reams and reams of documents relating to the operation of a power station. I've pretty had my fill of circuit breakers now, having spent three days on one 110-page text. Translating a text for the first time is obviously very time-consuming, and efficiency is key. I thought proof-reading would be easier, but it's actually quite tricky (and even more boring), because you only end up half-changing the not-very-good English, when it would be easier to start all over again. It's also almost equally time-consuming, as so much of the English is such that I have to look at the Chinese anyway.
The task of the translator's is truly thankless. Translating from your language into your foreign language is significantly harder than the other way round. I think it's almost impossible for these guys to do it right. The stuff they are translating - circuit breakers, steam turbines, boiler processes, is just excrutiatingly dull. Also, none of them are engineers so have limited knowledge about what they are translating. I've found, despite by best research efforts, I don't understand much of the English I write myself.
The workload is quite a lot now, but that hasn't stopped anyone from engaging in talking on QQ (instant messaging) and watching movies. Although the Internet was cut off last week to stop time-wasting, they seemed to have found a way round it on some computers. Also, film watching and generally farting around have proven adequate replacements. There are two rows, one facing the other offices and main corridor, the other facing outside, so the people sitting in the latter position have a distinct advantage. They can watch Ugly Betty and Heroes in relative safety.
The other reason for the lack of enthusiasm is the company. The management system is non-existent. The head of the Commercial Department is apparently the Big Boss. There is no-one in charge of the translation department. When I asked them who gave them work, they said they didn't know. There is no motivating activities going on at all. Relations between the different departments are visibly antagonistic. I get told off like a school-child if I'm 3 mintues late. The translators intensely dislike the HR Department, "because they control us". While all companies exist only to make profit, this one, and I imagine many of the same sort in China, do it brazenly and don't try to hide it. I quite obviously should be training these guys, but the Boss wants me to earn money for him instead. So the endemic slacking off (I should mention that I'm writing this during office hours) is understandable. I think it's like the school system - everything is done because people are forced, not because they want to, with highly predictable results.
Thus, I'm a bit reluctant to do business with European companies, partly because of all the lying I will have to do. Our website has some guff about 'integrated management system', 'happy workforce', etc. All complete rubbish. The website also talks about "our two hi-tech training simulation rooms are the central part of our training centre". Turns out what this means is that a week before the trainees arrive, we rent out a conference room in a hotel and rig up some computers. Really professional.
Friday, 21 November 2008
The daily grind
End of my fifth week in my new job at an engineering company in Xian, and the end of a slightly slow week. I haven't been given much to do at all, so spent the best part of the week farting about on the internet and chatting on QQ. Today was a little bit more interesting.
Mrs Boss (head of HR, wife of Big Boss) seems concerned about my health, and on hearing I had a migraine earlier in the week, recommended I do 'eye exercises' that all school kids do. (Should be able to post a video of it next week.) It involves rubbing the acupuncture areas around the eyes in various ways to relieve stress, etc. I'm a fraction cynical about it (no surprise there), but everyone is convinced that it is beneficial. I asked why most people wore glasses, and they said because, being forced, they never did the exercises properly.
In the afternoon, the tax inspectors were coming round to check the books (and to enjoy a free large lunch with free alcohol), so they put me in the HR office, which contains the HR boss (big boss' wife) and two or three other members of staff, including a manager. I spent most of the time chatting with the other two, and even Mrs Boss when she came back. Even the manager spent most of her time chatting to me or on QQ. Finally they gave me something to do - translation of electrical engineering theory. They also shared their snacks with me, including something that looked like a twig and smelled like a school physics lab.
The last hour of the week I try and teach English to the translators. I'm going to be avoiding anything to do with China or the cultural differences in the future, as any perceived slight against their motherland is pounced on. I was saying how some Westerners have trouble crossing the road (true) or don't look after their valuables properly when taking the bus (also true). This was interpreted as yet another Westerner attacking and mis-understanding China. The whole patriotism and 'victim-complex', while understandable, gets tiring after a while. One girl spoke fluently about the Terracotta Warriors, but was a direct translation of the guff they learn in school - 'It shows the wisdom and intelligence of the Chinese people, many foreigners like to admire the greatness of our First Emperor', etc,etc.
I think they also might be pissed off I get paid (a lot) more than them, which is true and also pretty unfair. The communication between them and their managers is pretty terrible, there seems to be a lot of bad feeling between them. Mrs Boss thinks they are inexperienced and don't understand the ways of the world, they think they are lied to (which would not surprise me), underpaid and disregarded. I think somewhere in the middle is true, legitimate complaints all round. I have to find a way to steer through it, stay as friendly as I can, which being the foreigner makes it extra interesting. I also said no to Mrss Boss' request that I take part in her daughter's cosplay performance (cosplay being something from Japan where you dress up as computer game characters). No doubt I've caused her to lose face, as well as hurting the feelings of all of China, but I've been to a cosplay thing before, and prancing around as some wizard from the year 3000 with my boss' daughter is not my idea of a fun weekend.
Mrs Boss (head of HR, wife of Big Boss) seems concerned about my health, and on hearing I had a migraine earlier in the week, recommended I do 'eye exercises' that all school kids do. (Should be able to post a video of it next week.) It involves rubbing the acupuncture areas around the eyes in various ways to relieve stress, etc. I'm a fraction cynical about it (no surprise there), but everyone is convinced that it is beneficial. I asked why most people wore glasses, and they said because, being forced, they never did the exercises properly.
In the afternoon, the tax inspectors were coming round to check the books (and to enjoy a free large lunch with free alcohol), so they put me in the HR office, which contains the HR boss (big boss' wife) and two or three other members of staff, including a manager. I spent most of the time chatting with the other two, and even Mrs Boss when she came back. Even the manager spent most of her time chatting to me or on QQ. Finally they gave me something to do - translation of electrical engineering theory. They also shared their snacks with me, including something that looked like a twig and smelled like a school physics lab.
The last hour of the week I try and teach English to the translators. I'm going to be avoiding anything to do with China or the cultural differences in the future, as any perceived slight against their motherland is pounced on. I was saying how some Westerners have trouble crossing the road (true) or don't look after their valuables properly when taking the bus (also true). This was interpreted as yet another Westerner attacking and mis-understanding China. The whole patriotism and 'victim-complex', while understandable, gets tiring after a while. One girl spoke fluently about the Terracotta Warriors, but was a direct translation of the guff they learn in school - 'It shows the wisdom and intelligence of the Chinese people, many foreigners like to admire the greatness of our First Emperor', etc,etc.
I think they also might be pissed off I get paid (a lot) more than them, which is true and also pretty unfair. The communication between them and their managers is pretty terrible, there seems to be a lot of bad feeling between them. Mrs Boss thinks they are inexperienced and don't understand the ways of the world, they think they are lied to (which would not surprise me), underpaid and disregarded. I think somewhere in the middle is true, legitimate complaints all round. I have to find a way to steer through it, stay as friendly as I can, which being the foreigner makes it extra interesting. I also said no to Mrss Boss' request that I take part in her daughter's cosplay performance (cosplay being something from Japan where you dress up as computer game characters). No doubt I've caused her to lose face, as well as hurting the feelings of all of China, but I've been to a cosplay thing before, and prancing around as some wizard from the year 3000 with my boss' daughter is not my idea of a fun weekend.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
The boss breaks down
Things afoot in the danwei. Last Friday, the day before the boss came back from Indonesia, one of the managers quit. He was responsible for finding pretty much all the overseas business, so there was an unpleasant feeling going round in the afternoon. Also, two other senior staff decided they have had enough, so left too.
The big boss, Mr ***, a stocky and capable lookng man, called everyone into the meeting room on Monday. There he explained what he thought went wrong, and apologised for not communicating enough with his senior staff. At one point he even started crying. I asked my colleague next to me what was wrong with him by way of a passed note, to which he replied 'prentend [sic] to be kindhearted'. Afterwards, everyone had nothing but scorn for his 'crocodile tears', claiming he is stingy and a good actor. Certainly, I try staying out of his way. I feel like I'm the pet favourite of his boss and his wife, which is not great - they are noticeable a lot nicer to me than everyone else, not least in terms of renumeration. So I have to perform a delicate balancing act. I do this primarily be keeping my mouth shut.
They both went out off on business again this week, so the last few days have been even slower than usual. I have some ideas I want to do to help the translators improve their English, but as mentioned in a previous post, I feel it's probably wiser to keep my head down, shut up, and keep talking chatting on the QQ.
The big boss, Mr ***, a stocky and capable lookng man, called everyone into the meeting room on Monday. There he explained what he thought went wrong, and apologised for not communicating enough with his senior staff. At one point he even started crying. I asked my colleague next to me what was wrong with him by way of a passed note, to which he replied 'prentend [sic] to be kindhearted'. Afterwards, everyone had nothing but scorn for his 'crocodile tears', claiming he is stingy and a good actor. Certainly, I try staying out of his way. I feel like I'm the pet favourite of his boss and his wife, which is not great - they are noticeable a lot nicer to me than everyone else, not least in terms of renumeration. So I have to perform a delicate balancing act. I do this primarily be keeping my mouth shut.
They both went out off on business again this week, so the last few days have been even slower than usual. I have some ideas I want to do to help the translators improve their English, but as mentioned in a previous post, I feel it's probably wiser to keep my head down, shut up, and keep talking chatting on the QQ.
More from the danwei
I'm currently at my computer in the office. I have almost nothing to do. I learnt a sentence in Chinese yesterday - 抢打出头鸟，the gun shoots the bird who pops his head up. This was said by a colleague in response to my suggestion that I ask someone to give me some translation to do. I was working on the idea that doing nothing is not the most optimal of my faculties, and that doing translation is something I actually want to do. I don't think he really understood that. I get the impression the ideal working day for a typical low-level office worker in China is to have nothing to do, leaving them free to chat on QQ (chinese msn) all day, with an occassional break for sleeping. I also get the feeling that using initiative is seen as the equivalent of veering off course, so better to sit down and shut up, just follow the middle way.
This might have something to do with something I noticed recently. People like to call other stupid. In schools, you won't get a huge amount of encouragement for doing something different or positive, but if you get something wrong you'll get shouted out and called 'stupid' - 笨 ben, as well as losing face in front of your 60 other classmates. In fact, in the local paper this morning there was an article about how a teacher hit a 7 year old kid for getting a maths question wrong, damaging his kidneys (although I imagine this is an isolated incident). I remember once last year I was on the campus at university studying, and at the table was a mother teaching her young son English. Not once did I hear any words of encouragement, only a shrill 'ben!' everytime he got his fifteen and fifty mixed up. Chinese girls also find it amusing to call their boyfriends 'ben'.
So maybe me asking for something to do is just plain 'ben'.
This might have something to do with something I noticed recently. People like to call other stupid. In schools, you won't get a huge amount of encouragement for doing something different or positive, but if you get something wrong you'll get shouted out and called 'stupid' - 笨 ben, as well as losing face in front of your 60 other classmates. In fact, in the local paper this morning there was an article about how a teacher hit a 7 year old kid for getting a maths question wrong, damaging his kidneys (although I imagine this is an isolated incident). I remember once last year I was on the campus at university studying, and at the table was a mother teaching her young son English. Not once did I hear any words of encouragement, only a shrill 'ben!' everytime he got his fifteen and fifty mixed up. Chinese girls also find it amusing to call their boyfriends 'ben'.
So maybe me asking for something to do is just plain 'ben'.
Week 5 in the danwei
At the end of week three, I accompanied three engineers and two other new recruits from our company to visit the largest power station in this province, three hours northwest of Xian. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in running the power plant, so as to help with the work we do in the office.
The thing that struck me the most was the relatively fresh air (the power station was in the country), and the irony or having to go a coal-burning, four unit (i.e., very big) power station to get some fresh air. The morning was spent wondering round, looking at all the stuff. I asked a few questions, but eiher didn't understand or couldn't here the answers. Inside was a mass of pipes leading all over the place, completely unintelligable to me. Our guide didn't seem to fussed about what we did, so we spent most of the time touching and pressing things we probably shouldn't do, and of course, taking a load of photos.
We took lunch across the road in a small countryside restaurant, although regrettably baijiu (chinese white wine, similar to airline fuel) was considered unwise. After lunch, nobody really seemed to know what to do. We got passed around from one department to the next, where eventually they found someone to lead us on what turned out to be the exact same route as the morning visit. We went into the control room of the each of the units, something like a watered down version of Mission Control. Behind the 2 control desks was another desk where Party officials sat around drinking tea making sure no-one gets upto any funny business.
In the car park of the company hotel waiting to leave, we saw a wedding stumbling out after an afternoon's festivities. The power plant is a self-contained unit, with living, education and recreational facilities for all the thousands of staff. Although the sign on the main gate is that of a pivate company, its definitely a state-owned company, so has many of the characteristics of the the old 'danwei'. I'm sure some people have spent their whole lives living inside the unit, using the hotel for special occasions when needed.
Aside from a load of photos of unidentifiable pieces of equipment and the other staff making 'V' signs, and a free dinner, I'm not sure how much knowledge was garnered. Still, another interesting look at something different.
The thing that struck me the most was the relatively fresh air (the power station was in the country), and the irony or having to go a coal-burning, four unit (i.e., very big) power station to get some fresh air. The morning was spent wondering round, looking at all the stuff. I asked a few questions, but eiher didn't understand or couldn't here the answers. Inside was a mass of pipes leading all over the place, completely unintelligable to me. Our guide didn't seem to fussed about what we did, so we spent most of the time touching and pressing things we probably shouldn't do, and of course, taking a load of photos.
We took lunch across the road in a small countryside restaurant, although regrettably baijiu (chinese white wine, similar to airline fuel) was considered unwise. After lunch, nobody really seemed to know what to do. We got passed around from one department to the next, where eventually they found someone to lead us on what turned out to be the exact same route as the morning visit. We went into the control room of the each of the units, something like a watered down version of Mission Control. Behind the 2 control desks was another desk where Party officials sat around drinking tea making sure no-one gets upto any funny business.
In the car park of the company hotel waiting to leave, we saw a wedding stumbling out after an afternoon's festivities. The power plant is a self-contained unit, with living, education and recreational facilities for all the thousands of staff. Although the sign on the main gate is that of a pivate company, its definitely a state-owned company, so has many of the characteristics of the the old 'danwei'. I'm sure some people have spent their whole lives living inside the unit, using the hotel for special occasions when needed.
Aside from a load of photos of unidentifiable pieces of equipment and the other staff making 'V' signs, and a free dinner, I'm not sure how much knowledge was garnered. Still, another interesting look at something different.
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