I had the situation on one listing & I partnered with a Spanish speaking agent in my office. Told him he would exclusively handle all communication with the seller & I would take care of everything else. The deal worked out fine but he did quit real estate after that transaction.  : /

    I studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew in school but never got past the first semester.  I also took the obligatory Spanish, I can say impressive things like "muy poquito" and "como esta usted".  My Vietnamese friend gave me one of those State Department courses on "learn a new language" and I listened to one session before giving that idea up.  And I have been married to a lady from India for 32 years, I have no idea what she is saying when she is talking to her friends or family members.

  Find me someone who can translate, please.

Yes, a few times with my Mexican clients. Luckily with my Japanese clients, watshi wa wakerimasu Nihongo. Most of my Chinese and Middle Eastern clients speak English well enough to avoid that. I do struggle with German clients occasionally and seem to do well with my French and French Canadians.

I already know several languages... but have never had to do real estate in another language... nor would I... I'm not trained in the nuances of legal documents in foreign languages. It's one thing to speak another language and a whole other thing to do legal business in it.

I was going to write a post about this. At an open house (rarely do) I noticed that the agent was speaking in their language & I just got the 'feeling' that he was not describing something correctly. I asked him to say what he said in english & indeed he was misrepresenting things to the buyers. 

Made me think about while buyers & agents are having their personal conversations (thinking we can't understand) how much is incorrectly being said. Or nastily said BTW.

I have Carmen for Spanish speaking, which is most of what we encounter here. We've had occasions where a young child is the translator. But for the most part the biggest communication problem that we have is with folks that speak English but just don't communicate clearly. Having good instincts helps with that.

I have.  I've been able to work through it in the following ways:

1.  The buyer had a family member "of age" who was able to translate

2.  My lender was able to translate

3.  My sister was able to assist me in the process of translation

4.  I got a translator

5.  I referred the buyer to another agent who was fluent and got a referral fee.

Not in a real estate transaction, but in a real estate class, yes.

I am working with two different clients now who have as their first language Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. I don't speak either. So far we have not had any major issues because they do have some English skills but we haven't done anything difficult yet. 

I have but with some patience I get through it.

PropertyMinder (AccelerAgent) - fortunately for me, never happened.

Sometimes I get an old codger that cant hear or speak very well, conversations can be difficult.

I have had that happen with a prospective buyer that spoke very good English but just had poor listening and comprehension skills.

yes, I have had things lost in translation with ENGLISH speaking clients. family members of the client have assisted with other languages.

Yes. I recall one transaction when a child was the translator.

Just today, I had a chinese lady, no clue. When we met she brought her grand daughter who translated. 

I have not PropertyMinder (AccelerAgent) 

I find that our business is not brain surgery and most issues can be "worked out". 

There was usually a translator involved.  Either a friend or a daughter of the other party.

I am multi-lingual, but only the stuff that is highly useful... like where the library and bathrooms are and how to order 3 tacos please.  As well as some of the more "colorful" language.

Yes, I sometimes have to piece together what was said, and/or ask them to repeat some of what they said. Eventually I will get it all,but there have been times when I had to tell people that I just can't understand you, and ask them to fax, email, or text. Prefer email which is faster. I was once showing condos near Arlinton VA, and one of the families whose condo I showed let me borrow their 10 year old son to use as an interpretor. I had 4 other condos to show, and they knew all the owners and knew none of them spoke English. Borrowing their little boy worked well. I brought him back home when done showing and thanked them.

PropertyMinder (AccelerAgent) No liability issues here. Refer it out to someone who speaks their language.

Had a Chinese and Spanish issues where interpreters were needed. However certain subjects are complex making learning a challenge no matter what language you speak...ignorance is universal and spoken by everyone

Yes, a few thimes with German customers. Then we just clicked and the barrier somehow went away.

My parents spoke 7+ languages and their friends were a mix...luckily, I am pretty good with accents.

The hardest one was yesterday....a builders agent who was extremely difficult to understand...I focused so hard, I was worn out when we left.

Eve

I've used a translator 

They often have a bilingual speaking agent already.  In Silicon Valley most people speak another language or two besides American English.

The most uncomfortable situation is an Asian speaking Queen's London accented English.

I have had clients who did not speak English fluently. No expectation of them or their translator to understand the consequences of the stacks of paper to be signed was not reasonable. The goal was to obtain a house so they could bring the rest of the family across the border. The main criteria was how many bunk beds the house could accommodate. When we found the house with a capacity for eight, they bought it. I imagine their loan officer was equally inspired to see this family together in whole.  Checking back a couple years past and they have become to 'go to' for anyting that needs handled in the community. Couldn't ask for better neighbors even the skeptics said.

Learn a language. Yep, took Spanish lessons for a stay in Brazil. That did not work out so well.

Russian lesson for a trip to Moscow and Minsk.

To learn a language well enough to communcate legal real estate situations requries much more that Rosetta Stone, Duo-lingo or the community college.

No, I've never worked with anyone with thta kind of language barrier.

Not being prejudiced or targeting anyone but, what about when they speak another language to each other and you feel lost in the situation?

Tim,

Even though I speak French fluently,  when it came to contracts, I always recommended that they avail themselves of an attorney that could converse in French legalese and translate the legalities.

 I once had Russian clients who were unethical and heard their scheme in Russian.  Funny enough, I had told them I spoke Russian, but they did notbelieve me...so I told the owner what these guys were up to...

Not matter how well we speak a language, there are times when computer experts talk and I have no idea what they are saying, same with scientists discussing some complex formula...A

I have experienced some difficulty understanding, and then explaining to folks whose first language is not English - fortunately it has all worked out, either because of their realtor speaking their language, or a younger family member who could interpret.  For me, what is more difficult PropertyMinder (AccelerAgent), are older folks who cannot hear or see well, and don't understand nor cannot remember what is being said, or what they are reading.  They live alone and are a widow or widower with no adult children in the same state. 

yes, to make sure they will not use the lash in future ''I did not understand'' I doubled everything via email communication. 

I speak the language of real estate exceptionally well.  I know real estate laws well.  I know how to listen and communicate to a place of mutual understanding. It serves me and all of my clients very well. 

Fortunately not

I have faced issues with this on rare occasions.

no

Many of the foreign buyers I encounter have interpreters of hand held devices that translate questions

No not so far when in doubt seek an interpreter 

I have had transactions with clients that spoke a language other than English, and usually try to contract someone to help me.  

We have an incredibly diverse population in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our agent population mirrors that diversity. I have no problem referring a prospective client to another agent who can better serve that client due to the sharing of a mother tongue.