Communication Barriers in Outsourcing
Websites like Freelancer.com are booming. In the tough economy, business owners are hiring freelancers outside of the U.S. to do work for a fraction of the price a U.S. developer would charge. Over the past year, I have used Freelancer.com several times, and have had the chance to deal with a few different individuals and companies stationed around the globe. With this experience, I have learned a lot about the problems that go overlooked when it comes to outsourcing.
The major problem in outsourcing is the communication barrier. Unless you’re dealing with a native English speaker, it’s almost impossible to fully communicate what you’re looking for. Not only that, but when the developer has problems or a question, the broken English is hard on the eyes and difficult to understand.
The solution that seems obvious is to speak in simple English. Well when you’re talking about a website development or application development project, it’s almost impossible to speak in such easy-to-understand English. Any word that the foreign developer does not understand can mess up the entire project.
After trying to finish a long-term project of mine that I have been working on for the past year, I’ve discovered how the communication barrier has slowed me and my business down. I take more time trying to explain and understand the developers I outsource to than I do to conduct my routine business.
In my opinion, after this year of facing a harsh reality that little is getting done, outsourcing isn’t worth the time. I’d rather work with somebody from the U.S. and pay them double or triple what I pay foreigners. This barrier is low-end outsourcing’s ultimate downfall.
I agree that it is hard to work with some people but I have found many people who speak great English and also some simple tasks do not require mastery of the English language.
Sam would you be prepared to outsource in my country South Africa? Where English is the official business language.
I actually fully understand your frustrations as I’ve encountered the same problem before mostly by Asian providers…in my case I tried to outsource content generation and got crappy copy.
I’m toying with the idea of creating an exclusive marketplace which will showcase South African skills pool.
Not all programmers are created equal native or foreign. The problem comes down to good help is hard to find. In my experience, Offshore resource has gotten pretty good now that most had a good 5 years down their belt. Lets face it…programming is not rocket science. I do agree that communication can be an issue…more cultural than language though. Most Indian programmers I work with has better grammar then me. I am glad you rather work with someone in the U.S. though. The job market is very tight…so you should be able to find very qualify help. Good Luck!
Having an ideal employer through outsourcing is really tough. However, if you could find a good one. I suggest you save his contacts and get in touch with him if you will need a contractor.