Handling Difficulty in Listening To Foreign Customer When I Work At Hegar Company.
ABSTRACT
Saya telah menjalani masa magang selama 3 minggu dari tanggal 8 juli
sampai dengan tanggal 19 augustus 2014 di perusahaan Hegar yang
berlokasi di Bandung dan Bali dimana perusahaan Hegar adalah suatu
perusahaan yang menyediakan besi, baja dan juga memberikan
pelayanan desain, pemasangan dan membangun kostruksi. Perusahaan
ini memiliki banyak pelanggan asing sehingga membutuhkan penerjemah
untuk menjaga kelancaran selama bertransaksi. Saya bekerja sebagai
asisten marketing dengan tugas utama sebagai penterjemah. Didalam
tugas akhir saya ini, saya akan membahas tentang permasalahan saya
selama saya bekerja di perusahaan Hegar yang akan ditelaah secara detil
dengan penyebab, akibat, dan juga solusi untuk penyelesaian masalah
tersebut.
Tugas akhir ini membahas tentang penyebab dan akibat dari masalah
saya yaitu kemampuan mendengar bahasa Inggris yang kurang terhadap
pelanggan asing. Hal tersebut disebabkan oleh tiga hal. Pertama saya
tidak terbiasa mendengar aksen orang asing yang berbeda-beda dalam
melafalkan bahasa Inggris. Kedua, kurangnya konsentrasi saat
mendengarkan penjelasan dari pelanggan asing, dan ketiga, adanya
gangguan di saat pelanggan berbicara kepada saya. Sehingga tiga hal
tersebut menyebabkan saya memiliki pendengaran yang buruk. Masalah
saya dalam memiliki kemampuan mendengar yang buruk juga
menyebabkan kesalahan dalam penyampaian pesan yang ditujukan dari
pelanggan kepada pihak teknisi dan juga membutuhkan waktu yang
sangat panjang untuk menyampaikan pesan pelanggan. Untuk
menyelesaikan masalah tersebut telah ditelaah dengan dampak positif
dan negatif yakni dengan menonton film berbahasa inggris tanpa
mengaktifkan
mode
terjemahan,
dilanjutkan
dengan
latihan
mendengarkan penutur asing, dan terakhir dengan meningkatkan
konsentrasi selama mendengar klien asing. Solusi untuk masalah tersebut
adalah dengan cara menggabungkan ketiga solusi saya.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT…...............................................................................................i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY.............................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................................................iv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION........……………………...............................1
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS..........................................................6
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS………………………...…………10
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION…………...……………………………...…...14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
C. COMPANY BROCHURE
iv
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.
Background of the Study
In doing business with foreigners many businessmen need an interpreter,
because they cannot speak and understand the language used by their
business partners. The Interpreter helps to deliver the message to them to
avoid misinterpretation. An interpreter should have a good listening skill, so
the messages delivered will not be misinterpreted. As stated in The
Difference between Translation and Interpreting that “Interpreters must have
extraordinary listening abilities.” (par.3). Listening does not only involve
hearing other’s explanation but also understanding the messages. In What is
Listening, it is stated “Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words
and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and
ideas.” (par.3) Based on the quotations above it can be seen that an
interpreter not only needs to have great listening skills but also should be able
to understand the message.
Talking about listening skills, I had a similar experience when I did my
internship for 3 weeks from 8 July until 19 August 2014. As a marketing
1
Maranatha Christian University
assistant in Hegar Company which is located in Bandung and Bali, my job
was handling foreign customers but my main job was as an interpreter. In
doing my job English listening skill was needed because I had to be able to
hand over the information correctly and clearly.
When I did my internship, I had a difficulty in listening to foreign
customers. Once I had to listen to a German customer. The customer said he
needed to get a special template shape on his membrane. As I could not
catch what he said, I asked him several times to get the complete information,
but it was hard for me because I had a bad listening skill. As a result, I could
not get what he really wanted. Therefore, I choose the topic of having
difficulty in listening to customers who speak English to be analyzed to find
out the causes, effects and solutions to my problem.
B. Identification of the Problem
The research questions of my term paper are stated below :
1. Why did I have difficulty in listening to foreign customers when I did my
internship as a marketing assistant?
2. How did my difficulty influence me and the customers?
3. How do I overcome the problem?
2
Maranatha Christian University
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to find out the causes, the effects and also
the solutions to my problem. I believe this term paper will give a benefit
mainly to Hegar Company’s marketing staffs as they will get the information
to know how to improve their listening skills. This term paper will also be
helpful for the readers; they will know how to have better listening skills. The
benefit for me as a writer is it can help me to solve my difficulty in listening to
foreign customers if I work as an interpreter in the future.
D. Description of the Institution
According to Hegar Company’s brochure, Hegar is a general contractor
which was established in 1992.They provide design installation service and
also sell iron and steel to their customers. Hegar Company is located in
Bandung in Jl.Paralon 1 no 1 and their showroom is located in Plaza IBCC,
Bandung. Hegar Company also opens a branch in Bali which is located in
Istana Kuta Galeria , Patih Jelantik Road Blok Broadway 2 no. 11. Kuta. They
give priority to customers’ safety, strong construction and aesthetic value.
3
Maranatha Christian University
E. Method of Study
In order to solve the problem, I have collected data to support the
analysis. The data that I use to complete my study is mainly based on my
experience when I did my internship at Hegar Company which was
recorded in my journal. My study is also supported by finding information
from internet and books in Library.
F. Limitation of the Study
The subject of this study is myself as a marketing assistant who handled
foreign customers from Japan, Canada, German, Australia, Austria during my
internship from 8 July until 19 August 2014 in Hegar company Bandung and
Bali.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper contains four chapters. Chapter I, the introduction of this
term paper, is divided into seven parts, they are Background of the Study,
Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of the Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term Paper. Chapter II discusses the causes and the
effects of the problem. The solutions to the problem will be presented in
Chapter III. The last Chapter, Chapter IV, is the conclusion. Finally, this term
4
Maranatha Christian University
paper is completed by a Bibliography and the Appendix, which contains a
Flowchart, Internship Journal, Company Brochure.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I want to state my chosen solutions of my problem
dealing with the foreign customers. There are three causes of my problem.
The first cause is I did not understand the foreign customers’ accents. The
second cause is I had distractions while I was listening to my customers.
Additionally, I find out that my problems give me two effects, they are I
misinterpreted the foreign customer’s message, and I wasted more time to
get the customers’ message. To overcome my problem, there are three
potential solutions to help me improve my listening skills. The first potential
solution is watching English films without subtitles. The second is by
practicing listening with native speakers, and the third potential solution is by
concentrating more while listening to foreign customers. Those solutions will
be helpful to improve my listening skills.
14
Maranatha Christian University
The best solution to my problem is by combining all my three potential
solutions. By combining the three potential solutions, it will help me to solve
the difficulty in listening to foreign customers. The first step is watching
English films without subtitles. Watching films without subtitles will force me to
listen to what the people in the film were talking about. After that, practicing to
listen to native speakers helps increase my ability to listen to foreign
customers. The last step is to concentrate more while listening to foreign
customers. Concentrating more will make it easier for me to catch the foreign
customers’ words. Therefore, by using the three solutions, my listening skills
will become better and it will be easier to catch what the foreign customers
say.
Finally, I have a suggestion for interpreters who work in Hegar
Company. An Interpreter should have great listening skills, because an
interpreter should be able to pass on the right information. Listening skill is
also important to avoid the bad effects, such as misinterpreting customers’
messages and wasting too much time delivering the message.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Dwyer,Judith. The Business Communication Handbook. Frenchs Forest NSW: Julie
Catalano, 2003.
Electronic Sources
“Active Listening.” Mindtools.com. 2013. Mindtolls essential skills for an excellent
career. 7 November 2014
“Cause of Poor Listening.” Boundless.com.11 July 2014. Boundless 3 November
2014 < https://www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundlesscommunications-textbook/learning-to-listen-and-helping-others-do-the-same5/understanding-listening-29/causes-of-poor-listening-134-1824>
“Foreign Accent make Speakers Seem Less Truthful to Listeners, Research Shows.”
News.chicago.edu.19 July 2010. Uni of Chicago. 4 October 2014.
Ferry, Glenns. “The Waste Time of Television.” Teenink.com. Teen ink. 17
November 2014
Maranatha Christian University
“How poor Communication can Lead to More Errors.” Livesaysolar.com. 2013. Live
say solar practice builders. 2 November 2014
“Improve Your English with English Films.” Learningenglish.de. 2014. LEO Network.
28 Agustus 2014.
Jabr, Ferris. “Does Thinking really Hard Burn more Calories.”
Scientificamerican.com. 18 July 2012. Scientific American. 10 November
2014
Keith, William, and Christian O. Lundberg. Public Speaking Choices and
Responsibility. Boston MA.: Monica Eckman, 2014. Google Books. Web. 10
November 2014
.
“Listening skills.” Skillsyouneed.com. 2011. Skill you need. 6 November 2014
Nagel, Donovan. “How to Improve You Foreign Language Comprehension.”
Mezzoguild.com. 2014. The Mezzofanti Guild. 6 November 2014
“TOEFL Listening Practice.” Testpreppractice.net. TOEFL Practice. 6 November
2014
Maranatha Christian University
“The difference between translation and interpreting.” Languagescientific.com. 2014.
Language scient. 6 November 2014
William, Lutes. “Using Video Materials as a Teaching Strategy for Listening
Comprehension.” Recursosbliblioteca.utp.edu.co. 5 October 2014
“What is Listening.” Ccfs.edu. 2014. City college of Fransisco. 6 November 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Saya telah menjalani masa magang selama 3 minggu dari tanggal 8 juli
sampai dengan tanggal 19 augustus 2014 di perusahaan Hegar yang
berlokasi di Bandung dan Bali dimana perusahaan Hegar adalah suatu
perusahaan yang menyediakan besi, baja dan juga memberikan
pelayanan desain, pemasangan dan membangun kostruksi. Perusahaan
ini memiliki banyak pelanggan asing sehingga membutuhkan penerjemah
untuk menjaga kelancaran selama bertransaksi. Saya bekerja sebagai
asisten marketing dengan tugas utama sebagai penterjemah. Didalam
tugas akhir saya ini, saya akan membahas tentang permasalahan saya
selama saya bekerja di perusahaan Hegar yang akan ditelaah secara detil
dengan penyebab, akibat, dan juga solusi untuk penyelesaian masalah
tersebut.
Tugas akhir ini membahas tentang penyebab dan akibat dari masalah
saya yaitu kemampuan mendengar bahasa Inggris yang kurang terhadap
pelanggan asing. Hal tersebut disebabkan oleh tiga hal. Pertama saya
tidak terbiasa mendengar aksen orang asing yang berbeda-beda dalam
melafalkan bahasa Inggris. Kedua, kurangnya konsentrasi saat
mendengarkan penjelasan dari pelanggan asing, dan ketiga, adanya
gangguan di saat pelanggan berbicara kepada saya. Sehingga tiga hal
tersebut menyebabkan saya memiliki pendengaran yang buruk. Masalah
saya dalam memiliki kemampuan mendengar yang buruk juga
menyebabkan kesalahan dalam penyampaian pesan yang ditujukan dari
pelanggan kepada pihak teknisi dan juga membutuhkan waktu yang
sangat panjang untuk menyampaikan pesan pelanggan. Untuk
menyelesaikan masalah tersebut telah ditelaah dengan dampak positif
dan negatif yakni dengan menonton film berbahasa inggris tanpa
mengaktifkan
mode
terjemahan,
dilanjutkan
dengan
latihan
mendengarkan penutur asing, dan terakhir dengan meningkatkan
konsentrasi selama mendengar klien asing. Solusi untuk masalah tersebut
adalah dengan cara menggabungkan ketiga solusi saya.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT…...............................................................................................i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY.............................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................................................iv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION........……………………...............................1
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS..........................................................6
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS………………………...…………10
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION…………...……………………………...…...14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
C. COMPANY BROCHURE
iv
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.
Background of the Study
In doing business with foreigners many businessmen need an interpreter,
because they cannot speak and understand the language used by their
business partners. The Interpreter helps to deliver the message to them to
avoid misinterpretation. An interpreter should have a good listening skill, so
the messages delivered will not be misinterpreted. As stated in The
Difference between Translation and Interpreting that “Interpreters must have
extraordinary listening abilities.” (par.3). Listening does not only involve
hearing other’s explanation but also understanding the messages. In What is
Listening, it is stated “Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words
and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and
ideas.” (par.3) Based on the quotations above it can be seen that an
interpreter not only needs to have great listening skills but also should be able
to understand the message.
Talking about listening skills, I had a similar experience when I did my
internship for 3 weeks from 8 July until 19 August 2014. As a marketing
1
Maranatha Christian University
assistant in Hegar Company which is located in Bandung and Bali, my job
was handling foreign customers but my main job was as an interpreter. In
doing my job English listening skill was needed because I had to be able to
hand over the information correctly and clearly.
When I did my internship, I had a difficulty in listening to foreign
customers. Once I had to listen to a German customer. The customer said he
needed to get a special template shape on his membrane. As I could not
catch what he said, I asked him several times to get the complete information,
but it was hard for me because I had a bad listening skill. As a result, I could
not get what he really wanted. Therefore, I choose the topic of having
difficulty in listening to customers who speak English to be analyzed to find
out the causes, effects and solutions to my problem.
B. Identification of the Problem
The research questions of my term paper are stated below :
1. Why did I have difficulty in listening to foreign customers when I did my
internship as a marketing assistant?
2. How did my difficulty influence me and the customers?
3. How do I overcome the problem?
2
Maranatha Christian University
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to find out the causes, the effects and also
the solutions to my problem. I believe this term paper will give a benefit
mainly to Hegar Company’s marketing staffs as they will get the information
to know how to improve their listening skills. This term paper will also be
helpful for the readers; they will know how to have better listening skills. The
benefit for me as a writer is it can help me to solve my difficulty in listening to
foreign customers if I work as an interpreter in the future.
D. Description of the Institution
According to Hegar Company’s brochure, Hegar is a general contractor
which was established in 1992.They provide design installation service and
also sell iron and steel to their customers. Hegar Company is located in
Bandung in Jl.Paralon 1 no 1 and their showroom is located in Plaza IBCC,
Bandung. Hegar Company also opens a branch in Bali which is located in
Istana Kuta Galeria , Patih Jelantik Road Blok Broadway 2 no. 11. Kuta. They
give priority to customers’ safety, strong construction and aesthetic value.
3
Maranatha Christian University
E. Method of Study
In order to solve the problem, I have collected data to support the
analysis. The data that I use to complete my study is mainly based on my
experience when I did my internship at Hegar Company which was
recorded in my journal. My study is also supported by finding information
from internet and books in Library.
F. Limitation of the Study
The subject of this study is myself as a marketing assistant who handled
foreign customers from Japan, Canada, German, Australia, Austria during my
internship from 8 July until 19 August 2014 in Hegar company Bandung and
Bali.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper contains four chapters. Chapter I, the introduction of this
term paper, is divided into seven parts, they are Background of the Study,
Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of the Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term Paper. Chapter II discusses the causes and the
effects of the problem. The solutions to the problem will be presented in
Chapter III. The last Chapter, Chapter IV, is the conclusion. Finally, this term
4
Maranatha Christian University
paper is completed by a Bibliography and the Appendix, which contains a
Flowchart, Internship Journal, Company Brochure.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I want to state my chosen solutions of my problem
dealing with the foreign customers. There are three causes of my problem.
The first cause is I did not understand the foreign customers’ accents. The
second cause is I had distractions while I was listening to my customers.
Additionally, I find out that my problems give me two effects, they are I
misinterpreted the foreign customer’s message, and I wasted more time to
get the customers’ message. To overcome my problem, there are three
potential solutions to help me improve my listening skills. The first potential
solution is watching English films without subtitles. The second is by
practicing listening with native speakers, and the third potential solution is by
concentrating more while listening to foreign customers. Those solutions will
be helpful to improve my listening skills.
14
Maranatha Christian University
The best solution to my problem is by combining all my three potential
solutions. By combining the three potential solutions, it will help me to solve
the difficulty in listening to foreign customers. The first step is watching
English films without subtitles. Watching films without subtitles will force me to
listen to what the people in the film were talking about. After that, practicing to
listen to native speakers helps increase my ability to listen to foreign
customers. The last step is to concentrate more while listening to foreign
customers. Concentrating more will make it easier for me to catch the foreign
customers’ words. Therefore, by using the three solutions, my listening skills
will become better and it will be easier to catch what the foreign customers
say.
Finally, I have a suggestion for interpreters who work in Hegar
Company. An Interpreter should have great listening skills, because an
interpreter should be able to pass on the right information. Listening skill is
also important to avoid the bad effects, such as misinterpreting customers’
messages and wasting too much time delivering the message.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Dwyer,Judith. The Business Communication Handbook. Frenchs Forest NSW: Julie
Catalano, 2003.
Electronic Sources
“Active Listening.” Mindtools.com. 2013. Mindtolls essential skills for an excellent
career. 7 November 2014
“Cause of Poor Listening.” Boundless.com.11 July 2014. Boundless 3 November
2014 < https://www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundlesscommunications-textbook/learning-to-listen-and-helping-others-do-the-same5/understanding-listening-29/causes-of-poor-listening-134-1824>
“Foreign Accent make Speakers Seem Less Truthful to Listeners, Research Shows.”
News.chicago.edu.19 July 2010. Uni of Chicago. 4 October 2014.
Ferry, Glenns. “The Waste Time of Television.” Teenink.com. Teen ink. 17
November 2014
Maranatha Christian University
“How poor Communication can Lead to More Errors.” Livesaysolar.com. 2013. Live
say solar practice builders. 2 November 2014
“Improve Your English with English Films.” Learningenglish.de. 2014. LEO Network.
28 Agustus 2014.
Jabr, Ferris. “Does Thinking really Hard Burn more Calories.”
Scientificamerican.com. 18 July 2012. Scientific American. 10 November
2014
Keith, William, and Christian O. Lundberg. Public Speaking Choices and
Responsibility. Boston MA.: Monica Eckman, 2014. Google Books. Web. 10
November 2014
.
“Listening skills.” Skillsyouneed.com. 2011. Skill you need. 6 November 2014
Nagel, Donovan. “How to Improve You Foreign Language Comprehension.”
Mezzoguild.com. 2014. The Mezzofanti Guild. 6 November 2014
“TOEFL Listening Practice.” Testpreppractice.net. TOEFL Practice. 6 November
2014
Maranatha Christian University
“The difference between translation and interpreting.” Languagescientific.com. 2014.
Language scient. 6 November 2014
William, Lutes. “Using Video Materials as a Teaching Strategy for Listening
Comprehension.” Recursosbliblioteca.utp.edu.co. 5 October 2014
“What is Listening.” Ccfs.edu. 2014. City college of Fransisco. 6 November 2014
Maranatha Christian University