Breaking the Language Barrier with PDFs
and how cranking out PDFs made it happen
Hi,
Zwigs is back.
I’ve been working on creating a better water bottle for athletes for over a year now. From dreaming up designs to fumbling my way through learning CAD design and 3D printing, losing $5,000 dollars to a freelancer, it’s been a long journey, to say the least.
But having a working prototype in my hand is surreal, especially since it’s been in my head for over 365 days just clamoring to get out.
While this is my biggest milestone -to date- in my “entrepreneurship journey”, it’s not what I want to talk about today. What this post is actually about is how I’ve learned to communicate with foreign designers, engineers, and manufacturers to bring my vision to life, and it’s all through the magic of PDFs.
If you’re interested in the full story, check out my YouTube video below!
PDFs
Language
Portable. Document. Format. Why is it called that? I don’t know and I don’t care. Probably, it has something to do with sending a document to a different person. In my case, that particular person is a Chinese sales rep. They work for the manufacturer who created my working prototype. Now their English is pretty good, but not great.
And the tricky part? They're the middleman between me and the Chinese engineers actually working on the prototype. That’s a recipe for miscommunication if I ever saw one!
Time
Language isn't the sole obstacle when interacting with my Chinese Sales Rep. Another significant barrier is the element of time. With a twelve-hour time difference between New York City, USA and Shanghai, China, coordinating communication becomes an added challenge.
Time = Money
As the saying goes. Being misunderstood wastes time. Especially when communicating with a twelve hour time gap.
Multi-Language Communication
To tackle this challenge, my solution would involve whipping up PDFs in multiple languages, four to be exact. But let's be clear, I'm talking about visuals here – no way am I touching written languages. High School Spanish was a close call for me!
Pictures
Videos
3D Files (STL)
Written English
Pictures
I would capture screenshots of the CAD(Computer Aided Design) files provided to me. Using elements like arrows, circles, highlights, and shading, I would precisely indicate the areas or features requiring attention. This visual approach facilitates effective communication without relying on my language abilities.
Videos
Recording videos of the physical prototypes already in my possession provided a highly accurate means of capturing the desired movements of the bottle. This approach far surpassed the accuracy achieved through a simple before-and-after picture comparison, and provided another language of communication decreasing the chances of a misunderstanding.
3D Files(STL)
An STL file, utilized for 3D printing purposes, offers a comprehensive representation of a product, enabling views from all dimensions and angles. Unlike a 2D image, it provides a holistic perspective. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, this can be deemed invaluable in comparison, especially when trying to break the language barrier.
I learned how to make these when I was fooling around with my 3D printer making my first -extremely rudimentary- prototype, more on that here.
Written Description
Finally, there's the written description. I'd rely on words to explain the message conveyed by the preceding three "languages." While some nuances might get lost in translation, the other methods would step in to bridge any gaps, ensuring effective communication.
Live Meetings
Although live meetings proved effective for communication, they came with their own set of challenges. When writing English written communications, I have the luxury of time to contemplate and construct a succinct message using straightforward language.
However, in live conversations, the immediate nature of interaction doesn't afford the same level of careful consideration. Consequently, I would sometimes find myself using less polished English, as if i were conversing with a native english speaking colleague, thereby making comprehension more difficult.
Anyway thanks for reading!
Check out my YouTube for more!