WHY 'MISSION'?
The translation and interpreting science, translatology, is based on the statement that various languages of the world are mutually translatable into one another. In our translation and interpreting activity we do not go so far as to prove that this is indeed possible. We assume, however, that even though some Japanese and foreign words and phrases may be considered not quite translatable, the contents of actual messages can always be efficiently translated. It is a kind of a minimalist assumption but we hope it is possible to fulfill. Since it is the shape of interpersonal relations that relies on this assumption, we do not hesitate to define it as the 'mission' accompanying constantly our translation and interpreting activity.
THE JAPANESE AND POLAND
It has been already mentioned that it is common in Poland to consider Japan and the Japanese people as exotic and foreign to Poles. At the same time, the Japanese recognize Poland as a distant and mostly anonymous land. A Japanese tourist may know that Auschwitz is in Poland ('Schindler's List') and it has become quite common recently among the Japanese to recognize Warsaw as a stage of 'The Pianist' action. To confront these images against reality, however, may not always foster an enlightenment - and it is not necessary a solution here to list Copernicus, Chopin, Curie-Sklodowska, Wajda, Polanski, Walesa or John Paul II.
The Japanese businessmen regard Poland as a country with cheap labor force, very close to UE. The fact that it is not possible to communicate immediately with most Polish people is not very surprising. Instead, they are almost always surprised with the condition of Polish motor roads. Sometimes they do not understand jokes that Polish love to tell to each other and it is a catastrophe for them to hear that it is not possible for a Polish partner to say at what time exactly will the parts scheduled to arrive two weeks from now be delivered. They cannot communicate if they are not introduced to a person. They cannot understand why somebody writes down a facsimile number straight on the business card they have just handed to them. It is not clear for Japanese why fish in most Polish restaurants is only served boiled or fried. The famous Polish potatoes accompanying many national meals will probably be treated by a Japanese as an hors-d'oeuvre instead.
OVERCOME STEREOTYPES
If one makes up a list of the problems like above and supplements it by typically Polish stereotypes on Japanese and the way they behave, one may come into conclusion that the mutual communication between Polish and Japanese is impossible. This is not true. The Japanese - Polish communication takes place and brings results. They are not always easy to achieve. It is not always that the Japanese - Polish business talks proceed in a friendly atmosphere. The partners are often reserved and suspicious. If they only manage to overcome the mutual stereotypes, gather the partners' understanding, and fulfill their needs, their business inteactions do not differ too much from those observed in any other corporate relations. Fortunately, it is more and more common for us to observe such situations. And we are happy with it. It is the most satisfactory part of our mission.