Choosing words with care.

English is not my first language. As children, my grandparents immigrated to China during the Russian Revolution. My grandfather was a Chinese/Japanese interpreter during World War II. After living the first 15 years of her life in Harbin, China, my mother moved to Brazil for six years to await acceptance to the United States. I was born here in the U.S. not long after my mother arrived. We spoke only Russian at home, and my mother would spend many afternoons reading classic Russian literature to me. When I started school, I was put into an English as a Second Language program, though it did little good, as my brother and I were the only Russian speakers in the group. I recall how it felt to be an outsider and to understand only a portion of what was being said. There are still moments when I can think of a word in Russian and have to pause to think of it in English. I remember little frustrations, like asking my kindergarten teacher for scissors, but only being able to say the word in Russian.

As we put together this issue's special report on the Asia/Pacific region, I reflected on the fact that there are many people in the world struggling to do business in an environment where they cannot use their native language. As more and more countries do business with one another, the barriers of language and culture become more of an issue. To develop topics for this supplement, we consulted a panel of experts from all over IABC's Asia/Pacific region. They provided some impressive input, but I think I was most amazed by the articulate quality of their responses. They were both elegant and clear. It made me wonder why it was that people for whom English was a second (or third or fourth) language offered such sophisticated simplicity in their writing. Perhaps it's because they choose their words with great care, giving them the kind of deliberation that the rest of us do not have to take. As with anything, when you are faced with a challenge--if it means enough--you will work that much harder to overcome the obstacles. Judging from the quality of their ideas and writing, it's my sense that our panelists offered the kind of care and attention to this project that they do in support of their own livelihood.

As this issue of CW is being sent to IABC members, I am heading on my first journey to Asia to speak at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With issues of the magazine in hand, I'll be proud to present content that addresses topics of importance to our members in this region. And if we've done our job right, we will have ensured that these same topics are also of interest to our many members around the world. Some challenges really are worth that extra effort. I know this project meant a great deal to our team of outstanding volunteer leaders and staff. Without doubt, it was a challenge worth meeting.

Natasha Spring, Executive Editor