This month from July 24th, 2012 to July, 28th, 2012, 5 days, is my first time cooperation with FREEIVA, which provided me an excellent Argentinean client Mr. B and Mr. A. Here I would like to express my sincere attitude to all staffs of FREEIVA and especially Nick, who give me a 30 minutes call and introduced every details and things need to be careful with during providing interpretation service.
Now, I am going to share my experience with everyone as follows. Mr. B and Mr. A are son and father. It is the first time they came to China from Buenos Aries, Argentina. They arrived in Shanghai Pudong Airport in the morning of July, 23rd and planned to departure from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Shenzhan Baoan Airport in the night. Unfortunately the strongest typhoon attacked Guangdong (According to later statistics, more than 460 thousand people are influenced and more than $ 16 Million USD economical loss), all the flights were delayed. Mr. B told me keeping in touch and waiting for his update. Next early morning they boarded the earliest flight departure from Shanghai at 7:20 and arrived at Shenzhen at 9:40.
24th, July, 2012 (1st Day): I went to the airport in heavy rain around 8 am, picked them up and we taken a taxi to the hotel and checked in. After they taken a shower and got clothes changed, it is almost near 12 am. So we decided to visit 2 suppliers nearby that I have already made appointments before they came. So we taken metro to the supplier and waiting for them to pick us up, they told us 5 minute would arrive, yet, we almost wait for them about 30 minutes. After we arrived at their factory, we had a short meeting, inspected their workshop and headed for the next one. The previous factory driver dropped us at the next factory. We had a short conversation, asked our concerned questions and they showed us their samples, and we got some samples from them and back to Hotel. This is the first day of 5 days. (From this day, I realized it is very important for the foreigners to pay attention to weather forecast and avoid visit during bad weather condition time, and also one kind remind to Chinese factories or suppliers is that it is very important to be punctual as customer has very limited time for your company during their stay in China and also it gives very bad impression for your company if keeping customers waiting.)
25th, July, 2012 (2nd Day): We met at hotel around 8 am, and taken a metro to a mini projector factory in Baoan, Shenzhen. We are very impressed by their products and company after their display of samples, company introduction and factory tour. We bought some samples we like. They invited us for a very delicious lunch and after that we headed for the next one, a very big speaker factory in Baoan, Shenzhen, recommended by me. They introduced their company and products to us also led us around their workshop and Lab and office. We are very satisfied with their company, we will definitely doing business with them. After expressing our gratitude to them for receiving us and saying goodbye to them, their driver dropped us to the third supplier, a professional media player manufacturer. They showed us their samples; we decided to take 2 of our most interested models back. As it is almost evening time, we have another appointment with a car media player factory, we head for it and had a short meeting with them and finished today’s visit. (In the second day, we visited 4 suppliers, and are satisfied with almost all of them, we all hold the opinion that it is a very productive and fruitful visiting day.)
26th, July, 2012 (3rd Day): As today’s arrangement is trying to visit 6 furniture suppliers in Shunde, Foshan, which is long distance from Shenzhen. I got up at 6 am and met with Mr. A and Mr. B at 7:00 in Shenzhen North Railway Station and taken the earliest bullet train (The most fast train @ speed of 300 Kms/Hour) from Shenzhen to Guangzhou at 7:25 first and then transfer from Shenzhen to Shunde by the earliest train at 9:03. The first home leather sofa furniture company, a very professional home leather sofa factory, picked us up from Shunde train station. We visited their showroom first and the contact sales lady Miss Wang showed us their catalogue and material sample, and then showed us their workshop. We are satisfied with their product, gratitude for her precious time for receiving us and as time is tight we left them and for the next one. The next is a professional office furniture factory, they also very nice and experienced. We asked the questions we concerned collected their catalogue and went for lunch. As it is a very rural industrial area and hard to find a restaurant, fortunately I noticed one when we are on the way coming to this company and it is not far. We walked there and ordered 1 fired fish, 1 pork and 1 vegetable. Though it is very small restaurant, the test is very delicious and charge is also economical. After lunch the third factory came to pick us up. There are solid wooden furniture manufacturer, most of their products are classic solid wooden sofa, table and chair. Their General Manager Mr. Zhou Showed us around their warehouse, workshop, R&D office, and QC house, and each processing steps. We are very appreciated for his time and patience and also impressed by their products. As time was getting close to the evening, we decided to visit the fourth also the last one, a rattan furniture factory, their boss came to pick us up and showed us around their factory and explain the whole process of how to manufacture a rattan furniture. We liked their products which are mainly used in outside open air waterproof and asked our concerned questions. We hope could do business with them too. After that He sent us to the railway station and we take the train back to Shenzhen (From This day’ and my old experience, for the furniture buyer, Foshan and Dongguan is the top 2 famous furniture production center in Guangdong, which has the latest design, widest choice, different quality level and best price, yet as the distance is long from Shenzhen, it is better take the earliest train there or book the hotel in Foshan or Dongguan)
27th, July, 2012 (4th Day): Today we arranged 4 companies in Shenzhen to Visit. First we went to a professional Tablet PC (MID) factory. They received us in their office and we are pleased with their sample and their production capacity and factory management, we got 7 pieces of 2 different models from them and left for another big manufactory of LED and LCD TV. They are OME factory for HITACHI, and their management and factory looks very good. Yet the contact person is not so satisfied enough. He keeps us waiting for quite a long time without arranging a driver to drop us, while their factory is very inconvenient for taking a taxi or metro or a private car. So as we still have another supplier to meet, we decided don’t waste time for waiting. We go ourselves out of the industrial park and waiting for taxi on the street. After 20 minutes still no result , we phoned an escort taxi company, they said if there is a call to you then it means a taxi will coming otherwise no taxi nearby. We wait about 10 minutes still no call. We asked the security guard of that industrial park.. He kindly advised us to go about 500 meters and there is a bus station that we could take to the down town. We followed his instruction and reached that station, after 4 to 5 minutes we successfully get on the bus heading for the third supplier. After we arrived, she lead us to their small office (within 60 Square meters), obviously very small company with less than 3 people. They showed their sample (various samples). As they showed us some samples and the quotation is not bad, we decided to buy some samples from them. And after that they taken us to a factory, which was producing another kind of product and the name of company is not in conformity with the name of their company. So I suggested client that they are small trading company, we would have capital risk and don’t have a reliable quality warranty, we’d better do not cooperate with them. After that we tried to visit another company, but they suggest he is in Hong Kong and not convenient for receiving us in factory could meet with us in the hotel. So we decided erase them from the list too and back to hotel directly. (From this day’s experience we learned the importance of hiring a car or a reliable interpreter or guide, in that case, even if the factory don’t ask taxi for us or leave us alone, we could still get away from that factory and don’t waste a whole morning or afternoon there. And also factory audit is very important; when you see their company with your own eyes you would know their company capacity immediately)
28th, July, 2012 (5th Day): This is the final day of client’s stay in Shenzhen, China. As we have so efficiently finished visiting so many companies in the past 4 days. We decided to do some shopping for relax. We meet at the hotel lobby 8:20 and went to star bucks for some bread and coffee in Huaqiangbei area and went to SEG electronics market first for the code bar scanning gun, yet we searched all floors, but could not fund so we given up. After that one of the Shenzhen furniture factories called me said that as we don’t have time to go their factory, they brought us their catalogue and also some material for their home sofa. We checked their catalogue and asked for all the information that we concerned. We are pleased with their products and hope to cooperate with them too. After this meeting, we continued our shopping for A full function rice cooker from Suning and got 3 more tablet pc from Sangda Market and bought a ceramic knife for his brother to cook at Shundian department store. After that we back to have some Guilin rice noodle which is also very featured, delicious and popular Chinese food as lunch. And time is getting close to 2 pm. As we booked the business car from Hotel to Hong Kong Airport around 2 pm. So we hurried for checking out and collecting all luggages from room. I We said goodbye to each other until their car disappear from my eyes.
To conclude, this five days interpretation is one of my unforgettable experiences in my freelance interpretation career, they are very kind and easy going client I have ever met and we enjoyed the time we spent together. Thanks Mr. B and Mr. A Hope to meet with more customers that who come to Shenzhen, China for Business or Tourism. Remember, if you need a interpreter/translator/tour guide/business assistant in Shenzhen, please don’t forget to contact Shenzhen freelance interpreter Jason Yang.
on 2012-07-31 10:05:00 Tags: Shenzhen Chinese Interpreter, Shenzhen English Interpreter,Chinese Translator in Shenzhen, Madarin Interpreter/Translator/ Freelance interpreter
