another fool wrote:

> Eric Takabayashi <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message news:<400146F9.82DD5D32@yahoo.co.jp>...
> > > And yet, strangely, I work in a research lab with about 35 Japanese.
> > > Of those 2 speak fleunt english, 1 speaks broken english, and 2 can
> > > write a coherent english statement if given several days and a
> > > Japanese/English dictionary.  All of them have at least a MS and most
> > > are PhD's in either physics or some field of engineering.
> >
> > I am not questioning their intelligence.
> >
> > However, it would seem they would have some trouble publishing or making presentations and giving speeches for
> > the international community, like the people I know do, from college students to university professors.
>
> Which would explain why 5 people have 90% of the publications and
> presentations out of our group.

That's your group. I'm talking about the rest of the people.

How do they do research if they are unable to function in English? Are they the ones making the discoveries for the
first time on the earth?

> I recently watched while one fellow
> spent a week putting together a 3 paragraph abstract for submission
> then handed it to me and asked me to proof it (which I don't mind).
> Better then the fellow who handed me his data and abstract and asked
> if I would write his paper for him (which I do mind).  I have yet to
> be at a conference attended by the Japanese where someone wasn't
> reading thier presentation off a piece of paper.  The sad thing being
> when they are asked questions and have no idea what they are being
> asked or how to answer.

So they do have trouble without English.

> > > I would
> > > imagine that the percentage would be considerably lower in the case we
> > > are discussing.  And who should bear the cost of hiring the
> > > translator?  The contractor or the contractee (since they will
> > > probably be "bearing" that cost eventually anyway from the winning
> > > contractor if applicable)?
> >
> > Both the Japanese and the foreigners would ideally have their own translators or multilingual staff, whom they
> > pay for themselves.
>
> Ideally, however, the contractee might not see it that way.
>
> > > Actually I was saying it about the "International Expo" not the
> > > construction industry per say.
> >
> > Now what does not explicitly forbidding foreigners from applying have with the actual acceptance or denial of
> > foreigners? I do not deny that foreign firms who are Japanese savvy can apply or even win contracts, but do you
> > deny any exclusion on the part of the Japanese?
>
> Not being part of thier decision making process I cannot make any
> comment on any exclusionairy tendancies on thier part.

Then you might want to look into the practices of the Japanese construction industry. One professor and a number of
other writers did.

> However, you
> cannot also make the statement that they are exclussionairy based
> simply on the fact that they are requiring submissions in the language
> of the land.

Why not, particularly with the other requirements?

> (and I have been part of the decision process where
> given 2 equal technical proposals and a slightly better cost proposal
> from a foriegn bidder the local bidder was given the contract based on
> the fact that they were perceived as being able to provide better
> service and follow up to problems then the foriegn bidder - would that
> be considered exclussionairy?)

Again, that is you. I am talking about those who are excluded.

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