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RESEARCHING COWORKING SPACES ABROAD

Before leaving for three months to Tokyo, Japan, Jimmi researched coworking extensively. He used the sites that were in English, to get a feel for pricing, location, size and culture. Then he researched Japanese websites (using Google Translate) to fill in the blanks. He wrote the owners/hosts using short English, along with Google Translated sentences in order to make the communication as easy as possible.  He prefaced his translated text with “translated with Google” to let the hosts know that he didn't speak Japanese, but was trying his best to communicate with them. Without the translation note, he was afraid he would come across sounding like a drunk or potentially insulting.

For Mike, when looking for coworking spaces in Europe, price is always important. Other factors include 24/7 access, the location’s walking distance or proximity to public transportation and his gut feeling, which is heavily influenced by communication with the cowokring host. An English speaking staff is ideal but not at all critical.

Larry considers location to be the most important factor; the last thing he wants is to commute to a coworking space while already travelling. Because many of his trips are exclusively for business, Larry uses coworking somewhat sporadically—either between meetings or for long stints of work. He’s found that hosting his meetings at coworking spaces can be tricky because it’s usually difficult to know the availability of meeting spaces beforehand. In his experience, short-term stays can actually be more difficult to arrange. While getting a one-month pass without a multi-month commitment in London can be difficult, paying the day rate is always an option. 

FINDING COWORKING SPACES ON SITE 

Based on his research before arriving, Jimmi thought he would only find a few spaces scattered about Tokyo. But, as it turned out, the websites he had found using English searches had only scratched the surface. Once he was there, he found that it was extremely easy to network around the city. According to Jimmi, “I thought asking owners about other coworking places might be taboo – think competition. As it turns out, the spaces are all very supportive of each other, and I was directed to many coworking spaces with the help of space owners. The owner of Open Source Café even showed me a Google maps mashup he made that listed close to 100 coworking locations throughout the city.”

Mike, found most spaces to be responsive, helpful and friendly both when communicating with them both before and after arriving in Spain.  While Google Translate was required in several instances, it hardly made things difficult. However, he warns against going out ‘cold turkey’ to check the spaces out. He goes on to say, “I have encountered several ‘ghost’ spaces that had an online presence and location, but when I got to the address there was nothing there – a dead end. Perhaps due to the informal nature of a lot of coworking spaces, there seems to be a lot of opening/closing/moving happening – and why the web is not always up to date...Always call or email ahead!” 

LANGUAGE BARRIER?

For both Mike and Jimmi, being in a country where they don’t know the language or cultural norms, the language barrier was something they anticipated. Via email, Mike found that most people replied in English, but ultimately the coworking space he found best suited his needs was run by a friendly couple who spoke very little English – which, it turned out, had its own advantages. “Although the language barrier was there, it wasn’t a problem. We used email communication for the tricky stuff (thanks Google Translate) and, in context, you can get around with hand gestures and smiles. It also helped improve my Spanish, so that's a good thing!”

Jimmi also had a very positive experience with both the extreme language barrier and little historical cultural overlap in Japan. He found that being part of the tech world actually helped. Several of the Japanese people he met while coworking spoke English out of either education, necessity or pure interest. Also, being in the largest city in Japan meant there would be more people, overall, who spoke English.  While there was definitely a language barrier, coworking gave him a leg up in regards to meeting people with common interests, social personalities and the willingness to figure out a way to communicate – even if it required some creativity.

REAL WORLD: COMMUNICATING BY PROGRAMMING

Jimmi shared an incredibly creative anecdote about an experience he had with a fellow programmer to overcome their language barrier.  He went on to explain, “I became friends with a Japanese programmer in Tokyo who spoke very little English outside of a few key words, but who programmed in English - as is the case with most programming languages around the world.

While trying to set up plans for my Birthday party in Tokyo, I wrote him this:

I will go to ABC Mart at 20:00. Because someone might still show up at that time - Maybe get a drink. If you come later, 21:00 at restaurant. 

Does that make sense? If you want to come early, ABC mart at 20:00. If you want to come later, restaurant at 21:00.

He responded with: 

My English not good. I can't understand to detail what you said. Is it this? 

$jimmi->gotoABCMart("20:00"); while(time() < "21:00"){
  $jimmi->meet($someOne)->drink();
}
$jimmi->gotoBistro(); $tao->gotoBistro("21:00");

And with that, my birthday plans were set in motion!”

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