Pittards win major language award

Pittards have won a top award for their use of languages to improve overseas trade. The company, who are recognised as a world leader in innovative technical leathers, won the Large Company regional category of the UK Trade & Investment 2003 Languages for Exports Awards. Pittards were praised by the judges for their 'good innovative strategy for language and culture generally and delivering a strong bottom-line impact, specifically in the Japanese market'. The company have taken several steps to develop use of languages: * the company have a long tradition of using languages in business, through their frequent recruitment of language graduates over the last 50 years; * in the developing market of Japan, staff were exposed to the language and culture of the country, but only knew a few polite phrases. Pittards' solution was to immerse four executives simultaneously into the language and culture by sending them to school in Tokyo for 14 intensive days of study. Staying outside the usual business hotels and travelling daily to school as students, the team was forced into a level of learning and understanding far beyond anything they might have encountered on normal courses in the UK; * the company undertook the first European Business Initiative scheme in partnership with Exeter University. With the help of the university, Pittards were able to identify possible future recruits and engineer their year abroad in the direction of developing understanding of the leather segment. Two students were identified in the first year - one in Russia and one in Vienna, covering Australia and Germany. The student in Vienna joined the company after graduating in 2002; * in the former Soviet Union, attempts have been made to overcome initial language barriers. A 10-week UK-based introduction to the language has helped the executive on the ground there to travel more freely and independently on the basis of better understanding of the language; * in the company's other emerging markets of South Korea, Taiwan and China, the process of linguistic and cultural understanding is beginning. The sales team at Yeovil includes five language graduates and two foreign nationals and the team has been actively travelling throughout China in recent weeks.