You are a savvy enough businessperson to understand that in order to maximize profits, you’re going to have to set up shop in China. That labor costs are substantially lower in China is well-known; Chinese workers do not demand health insurance or vacation or retirement benefits; your corporation won’t be bothered with issues such as “workers’ rights.”

However, before you can start working with Chinese business contacts in any serious way, it’s necessary to establish relationships based on trust. Like the US, China has few regulations regarding the behavior of corporations, which makes trust, rapport and familiarity all the more important.

Business cards in Chinese are one of the best ways to introduce yourself to potential Chinese business partners. Although establishing a solid relationship upon which to build a successful business relationship can take several years and a great deal of thoughtful communication, presenting business cards in Chinese immediately identifies you as one who is intelligent, worldly, and serious about doing business.

Business cards in Chinese are two-sided; the reverse side is usually in English, which has become the de facto international language of business. Businesspeople in China typically do not have two different sets of cards, which might be seen as extravagant and/or wasteful. On the other hand, business cards in Chinese which have both the English and Chinese pinyin characters on the same side would not only be difficult to read, but might suggest that you are a cheapskate.

Double-sided business cards in China are what savvy business people need in order to make that all-important first step towards establishing business relationships.

It is important to have your business cards in Chinese made by a firm that is an expert in the subtleties of the local culture and language. For example, there are many job titles in American Standard English that are difficult to translate into Mandarin; in such cases, a brief job description may be more appropriate than simply a title.

Addresses are another issue; in the West, it is customary to start out with a street address, followed by the name of the city, then state or province, and finally the country. Addresses in Asia are often just the opposite.

There are some minor – but potentially embarrassing cultural issues as well. For example, white is a color associated with death in many parts of China. The number 4 is also associated with death, and the names of the dead are often written in red ink. These are issues that are not even thought of in North America and Europe, but need to be considered when designing business cards in Chinese.

Wayne Hemrick does business within the Asian market place. He believes you can Maximize Your Business Success with Japanese, Chinese and Korean Business Cards. http://asianlanguagedtp.com/expert-process-popup.html