Before you begin

Send a supplier-facing product brief and a separate private note with priorities, limits and decision authority.

A photograph tells an interpreter what a product looks like. It rarely explains why one detail is essential, which terms carry a precise technical meaning or what you can change to meet a supplier's minimum quantity. Those points belong in the briefing.

Prepare two layers: information that can be shared with suppliers and instructions that remain private between you and the interpreter. The first makes discussions consistent. The second explains your priorities and negotiating boundaries without disclosing them automatically at each stand.

Explain the product in the language of decisions

Describe what the product does, where it will be sold and what customers expect from it. Identify the features that must stay unchanged and the features open to discussion. Supply dimensions with units, material references and labelled images. Where you have a drawing, add its revision number.

A short explanation of the problem is often more valuable than a pile of catalogues. “The closure must survive repeated opening without loosening” gives context to a hardware discussion. “High quality closure” leaves the interpreter and supplier to guess what you mean.

List terminology that has caused confusion before. Include your preferred English term, a photo or diagram and any established Chinese term already used in approved documents. Ask the interpreter to flag uncertain translations for clarification rather than invent a technical equivalent.

Share private priorities clearly

Explain what success would look like by the end of the day. Perhaps you need two suppliers able to make a sample using an existing tool, or confirmation that a smaller initial order is possible. Put the most important outcome first so the interpreter can help keep conversations focused.

Separate your target price from your absolute limit, and state which may be disclosed. Clarify who can make commitments. The interpreter should know whether you want every proposal translated immediately, a pause for private discussion or a written note to review later. Agreement on this process prevents accidental signals of acceptance.

An example briefing email

Example: We are attending the fair to shortlist suppliers for a reusable desk organiser. Our first order is expected to be 1,000 units in two colours. Attached is revision B of the product sheet, with dimensions and reference images.

The compartment layout is fixed. We can discuss material and packaging options if the supplier explains the effect on cost and performance. Please help us distinguish existing moulds from any proposed new tooling.

Our priority questions are minimum quantity per colour, sample route, tooling responsibility and the lead-time starting point. Please ask for clarification when a price excludes an item or depends on an unconfirmed specification.

The internal budget sheet is private and must not be shared with suppliers. We will make all commercial decisions. After each priority meeting, please allow five minutes to review the open questions with us.

Attach only the material needed to prepare. If you send a large technical pack, identify the pages that matter and ask whether review time requires a separate scope. A short pre-fair briefing and substantial document translation are different services.

Agree on a working method

Use short speaking turns, especially when discussing numbers, tolerances or alternative constructions. Ask the interpreter to retain conditions attached to an answer. “Possible if we change the material” should remain conditional in the translated conversation.

Choose a simple signal for a private pause. Decide who records prices and who marks unanswered questions. If the interpreter is expected to make notes, keep the format realistic: supplier reference, key answers, qualifications and next action. Detailed note-taking may need time outside the conversation.

Update the brief as the day teaches you more

The first few meetings may reveal that your preferred quantity is impractical or that suppliers use different terms for the same component. Take a short break to reconcile those findings before visiting more stands. Issue a clear revised instruction rather than letting each conversation start from a different assumption.

At the end of the day, review the shortlist and identify missing information. If a supplier's answer was uncertain, preserve that uncertainty in the notes. Your follow-up request should ask for confirmation rather than present an exploratory discussion as a settled agreement.

Send your product sheet and priority questions when arranging Canton Fair interpreting with TalkEast. That gives the assignment a practical starting point before you meet.

Sources & further reading