“I bought a machine in China but it was delivered without a user manual”.

Earlier this year we were contacted by a vending operations company based in the USA that had purchased a pizza vending machine from a manufacturer in China, and had it delivered to its headquarters.

However, there was a slight issue with the machine when it arrived at the company. It was delivered without any kind of operating instructions or user manual, and none of the staff at the company had any idea how to operate it.

A little surprised, the GM of the vending operations company contacted the manufacturer in China, who gave him some frustrating news – that indeed no user manual whatsoever (not even one in Chinese) existed for the machine!

Machine Purchased from China Without a User Manual

# Buying a Machine from China Without an Operating Manual

With a limited warranty, and no way of sending the machine back to China without spending thousands on shipping costs, the GM of the vending operations company in USA had no choice but to find a way to a have a clear, concise, comprehensive, and professional user, operations and maintenance manual written up in English for his vending machine and his operations team.

But how would this be possible? And who could help? The vending operations company is based in the USA, with a machine that only the manufacturer based in Southern China knows how to operate correctly. The GM went online and started his search.

Who Can Help Me Write a Manual for an Imported Machine from China?

# Professional Technical Writing for Industrial Equipment

After contacting a few companies who were unable to help, stating that it was beyond their scope of services, he then contacted HI-COM, to see if they had a solution. Thanks to HI-COM’s wealth of knowledge and experience of writing, producing and translating technical user manuals, as well as a permanent presence of a production team in China, the GM had come to the right place.

However, this was not a typical request. In most cases, the client already has a certain amount of content to be used in their manual, such as product information, specifications, user instructions, safety guidelines, images and diagrams of the product. But for this project, HI-COM was effectively starting with a completely blank canvas, as no such content was provided to us by the client, as it simply did not exist!

After discussing with the client and HI-COM’s internal production team, it was concluded that there was only one real solution, which was only possible thanks to HI-COM’s unique attributes:

• Its in-house staff, made up of experienced native English and Chinese translators and technical writers
• Its presence in China

The proposed solution was for two members of HI-COM’S production team (one English and one Chinese), to travel from their Shanghai office to visit the manufacturer of the vending machine in Guangzhou to view the machine and gather all the information they needed to write up the user manual for their American client, and so they did!

Creating a Custom User Manual

# How to Get a User Manual for an Imported Machine

Upon arrival at the manufacturer’s factory, there was no reception area, and not a single employee spoke a word of English, so it was vital that HI-COM had a Chinese native with them to find the right person to speak to and arrange the viewing of the machine.

This was also the case when it came to viewing the machine. The machine’s head engineer did not speak any English, so HI-COM’s Chinese Project Manager, who is fluent in English, was able to explain to his English colleague what was being said by the engineer while he was walking them through the components, mechanisms and functions of the machine.

HI-COM’s team made sure that all conversations were recorded, and that sufficient photos and video footage were taken, to equip them with the content they needed.

Technical Writing for Industrial Equipment

# Manual Writing for Chinese Equipment

After arriving back in Shanghai, HI-COM’S production team started work on the manual. Thanks to their experience of writing up other manuals, they split the content into clear, easy-to-read chapters, packed with photos they had taken during their visit.

After finishing a first draft, the team sent the manual to the client for review, and then after a few rounds of modifications and feedback from the client’s technical team, the content was validated. It was now time to work on the presentation of the manual.

Design and Layout of Technical User Manuals

Thanks to HI-COM’s in-house DTP and document layout service offering, the client did not need to look elsewhere to finalize his manual. He was able to liaise directly with HI-COM’s design team to obtain the exact layout, style, and format he was looking for, and any last minute changes and updates could be taken care of with a minimum of fuss.

Thanks to HI-COM’s expertise and professionalism, the GM of the vending operations company now had a clear, concise, and comprehensive user manual for his team, enabling them to operate and maintain the vending machine that had previously been laying idle and useless, and in turn bring in valuable income for his company.

Need a Custom User Manual for Your Imported Equipment?

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Bastille Day, an iconic French event celebrated in China, was marked by an exceptional evening organized by Aeroluxus, with HICOM as silver sponsor.

Introduction

On July 5, Aeroluxus, founded and managed by Franck Dubarry, organized a major event for the French community in China: the 5th Bastille Day Gala Dinner. This special evening, entitled “Together under the stars and moon of Hangzhou to celebrate Franco-Chinese cooperation and harmony”, also marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China. HICOM, a Shanghai-based translation, copywriting and digital marketing agency, was honored to participate as a silver sponsor of this prestigious event.

Presenting the event

The event, held at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Hangzhou, brought together many influential figures from the French and Chinese business communities. The aim of the gala dinner was twofold: to celebrate France’s national holiday, while strengthening ties between companies and business leaders from both countries. The theme of the evening was “Together under the stars and moon of Hangzhou”, highlighting the friendship and collaboration between France and China.

HICOM as Silver Sponsor

As silver sponsor, HICOM played a key role in the event’s success. We designed and donated the booklet presenting the event and all its partners, an essential support that highlighted the evening’s various speakers and activities. For HICOM, this sponsorship represented a unique opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to promoting Franco-Chinese relations, and to support an initiative aimed at bringing the two communities closer together.

Learn more about HICOM’s copywriting services

Highlights of the evening

The evening, whose main sponsor was Dassault Aviation, was marked by a warm and friendly atmosphere, conducive to exchanges and new encounters. Guests enjoyed a refined dinner, inspiring speeches and captivating artistic performances. Speeches by representatives of Aeroluxus and other partner companies underlined the importance of cooperation between France and China.

Conclusion

The 5th Bastille Day Gala Dinner was a resounding success, bringing together the French and Chinese communities under the banner of cooperation and friendship. HICOM is proud to have contributed to this event as a silver sponsor, and to play an active part in promoting Franco-Chinese relations. Our sincere thanks go to the organizers, partners and all participants for a memorable evening. We look forward to continuing to support and participate in such events in the future, helping to strengthen the ties between our two countries.

We had the privilege of providing simultaneous interpreting services at a crucial event organized by ENSOMENA in Shanghai. The event consisted of two distinct parts, a Gala Dinner and Workshops. Our team ensured seamless interpretation between English and Chinese during the Invest Saudi presentation, with 70 headsets provided, guaranteeing optimal comprehension and enriching participation for all participants.

The international event, which took place on June 26, 2024 in Shanghai, focused on investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

#1 Gala Dinner: Exploring Saudi Arabia

The gala dinner included a video exploring Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2023, highlighting the country’s positioning as a global logistics hub, foreign investment experiences and initiatives to stimulate regional economic development.

#2 Activities: Introduction to Invest Saudi

The day began with a series of presentations detailing investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Experts discussed the Invest Saudi program, past Saudi investment successes, government initiatives to facilitate investment, particularly in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and the role of strategic premium residences in attracting investors. These discussions set the scene for two panels moderated by Abdullmalik Alzuhairi, exploring respectively the efforts of government entities to stimulate investment and the future prospects of the private sector in logistics and transportation in Saudi Arabia.

During this event, our interpreters worked as a team to maintain optimum performance and accuracy. They used specialized ASR booths and state-of-the-art headsets to ensure real-time translation. Participants were able to listen to the interpreting via headphones, alternating between English and Chinese depending on the speaker. This configuration ensured a smooth, uninterrupted flow of information.

Based on the type of event, it is possible that simultaneous interpreting isn’t the right fit for you. Learn about consecutive interpreting and the difference between both to make the righ choice!

At HI-COM, we provide expert conference and simultaneous interpreting services for business meetings and events in any industry. We also offer a full suite of technical equipment, so you can focus on managing your event or conference.

Ensure your next event’s success with our professional interpreting services. Contact HI-COM today to discuss how we can help you bridge language barriers and create an inclusive experience for all your attendees.

Get in touch with us now!

We were honored to provide simultaneous interpreting services at the 2nd VDMA Industry Future Fit Conference, focusing on the impact of AI in production. Our team enhanced the English to Chinese and Chinese to English interpreting for attendees by providing 180 headsets, ensuring that participants could fully engage with the conference material.

This major international conference, held on June 4th, 2024, focused on the impact of AI in production. The conference brought together experts and industry leaders to discuss the latest developments and applications of AI in manufacturing. Key topics included political and economic exchanges between China and Germany, next-generation AI applications in manufacturing, and AI’s role in enhancing productivity.

During the event, our interpreters worked in pairs, taking turns to maintain optimal performance and accuracy. They operated from specialized ASR booths and used state-of-the-art headsets to deliver real-time translation. The audience had access to the interpreting via headphones, with alternating English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation depending on the speaker. This setup ensured a smooth and uninterrupted flow of information.

Simultaneous and conference interpreting involves interpreters listening to the speaker and translating what is being spoken in real-time to the audience. This is in contrast to consecutive interpreting, where interpreters translate during pauses in speaking. A conference or simultaneous interpreting setup involves interpreters in specialized automatic speech recognition (ASR) booths and headset devices with live audio of the simultaneous translation.

Based on the type of event, it is possible that simultaneous interpreting isn’t the right fit for you. Learn about consecutive interpreting and the difference between both to make the righ choice!

At HI-COM, we provide expert conference and simultaneous interpreting services for business meetings and events in any industry. We also offer a full suite of technical equipment, so you can focus on managing your event or conference.

Ensure your next event’s success with our professional interpreting services. Contact HI-COM today to discuss how we can help you bridge language barriers and create an inclusive experience for all your attendees.

Get in touch with us now!