The communication between distinct social worlds or forms of life is a central topic
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that the `language barrier', which is normally thought as a problem, can aid
communication by preventing people who hold potentially clashing concepts, beliefs
and customs from directly confronting each other. The importance for such people of
not understanding each other is revealed in the work of interpreters, who facilitate
the interaction between representatives of different steel companies and support the
transfer of technology from Japan to Brazil. They maintain cordial relationships by
acting as `buffers' between the Japanese and Brazilian forms of life. Three `models
of mediation' are discussed in a comparison of the Japanese—Portuguese
interpreters with other cases of interaction.
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