The most precious time in my 16-year career in technical
communications was the three-year span I spent as a Staff/Principal Technical
Writer at SAP Asia Pte, Ltd in Singapore. It taught me many subtle nuances of the
technical writing process. And, it helped me learn how to adapt to several cultural
pangs.
A New Beginning
On February 5, 2012, at the fourth early hour of a very pleasant
morning, I landed in an illuminated world far away from my native country. At
home, mornings are lazy. However, in Singapore, life seemed to be busy with
taxi drivers waiting for the passengers in a queue, and the airport crew
bustling with their daily chores.
In Singapore, a typical workday starts as early as 7 a.m. You
must not be surprised to see both locals and expats dressed in formals waiting
at the bus bays and mapid rail transit (MRT) stations to catch that first train
or bus to work.
As a new expat, it took a couple of days for me to adjust to
the rhythm of the Singaporean work style. As the saying goes, you need to
discipline yourself first to be more productive at work.
Cultural Differences
The Singaporean culture is rich and harmonious. The people
of Singapore focus on maintaining racial and religious harmony among all its citizens. Singapore boasts about
its racial diversity. The Chinese form the largest ethnic group in Singapore.
This is followed by Malays and Tamilians, and quite a few Caucasians. And,
don’t forget the Indians? One out of every four people has to be an Indian. It’s
a safe to say that many Singaporean companies are filled with software engineers
from India.
Singapore’s product-based companies value the importance of technical
documentation. Singapore’s government encourages hiring citizens in the technical
writing teams. However, due to Chinese language influence and less technical
know-how, Indian and other foreign writers are preferred. For this reason, many
local residents are upset by the fact that we expatriates from India, the Philippines,
U.S.A., the UK and Sri Lanka are occupying their
jobs. The Singapore government has unique hiring policies, and it is mandatory
to post all opportunities for citizens first at least for one month prior to opening it up to expatriates.
Punctuality is the key in Singapore’s workforce. If you are
late for any meeting three times in a row and you will not be considered an ethical
employee. Much like the Swiss obsession with punctuality, you can even see the
need to be on-time at the train stations or bus stops. Geo-tagged digital
displays give the exact arrivals and departures. Workers leave their cubicle
workspaces at 5 p.m. sharp in order to catch their bus or train back home.
It is noteworthy to mention that various Hawker Centres
(Food courts with Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and Indian cuisines) have dinner ready
punctually at 6 p.m. Their shops will close exactly at 8:30 p.m.
Singapore’s people are very apologetic for what they feel
might upset another person. You will also be amused with the native slang and
two magical words that sum up how they deal with others. The first word “CAN LA” means you can or we can do it. The
other slang word is CANNOT LA which speaks
for itself because it is something that will never be done. Politeness is so
tempting in Singapore. You will be floored by it. Be ready to work more than the
“required” for politeness’s sake.
Every Cent Matters
When opportunity knocked at my door, I did think twice and
contacted a few expats who were from my circle to try to understand how tough
it would be to live in Singapore. After my initial research and detailed
exposure to technical writing in India, I decided to take the plunge into an “international”
experience. Singapore offers excellent disciplined multicultural instruction for
its technical writers. The documentation process and tools used there adhere to
strict guidelines of the documentation development life cycle (DDLC). This is
done because when documentation is released in Singapore it must comply to strict policies, which includes
planning, designing, developing, reviewing, and maintaining both actual and
adhoc versions of documentation.
Additionally, if you are not trained in specific documentation
tools, then you are required to secure training at one of the authentic centres.
For example, if you don’t know DITA, then you must get trained in DITA in a
reputed training centre. You can also take the initiative to use internal
training resources to attain full expertise and independence in the use of the specific
tools. Singapore’s technical writing teams consist of writers from various countries,
ethnicities, and backgrounds. There are some inevitable communication gaps
because each person has an individual working style that may be related to his
or her cultural experience. SAP Asia Pte, Ltd, my employer had writers from
Singapore, Philippines, India, UK and the U.S.A. The team was exceptionally collaborative
and flexible. The training and product documentation that we developed were
technically accurate and grammatically correct. We had rigorous quality
assurance reviews at three stages of content development:- SME’s approval from the Program Manager, PMs, Dev and QA
- Followed by Editorial approval by our most senior writer based in England
- Final sign-off from the DITA experts
It will be an honour to call myself privileged for being one
of the DITA Information Architects to test all content maps for technical
accuracy, broken links, and missing files. I had to maintain the checklist for
each release that was published in our product documentation Infocenter. I was
also assigned to manage and guide junior writers at our Pune location in Singapore.
On a personal front, the salary you earn in Singapore must
be carefully spent because Indian food is very expensive there as compared to local
food. Half of your salary will vanish in the form of house rent, school fees,
electricity, transportation, and groceries. That’s why every cent counts and it
matters to be smart by being frugal! My suggestion is that you research your
job position with someone who has held the same job in Singapore to find out
what you will need financially.
You may find these websites helpful:
- https://www.jobstreet.com.sg/
- https://www.guidemesingapore.com/business-guides/immigration/get-to-know-singapore/cost-of-living-in-singapore
- https://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/new_delhi/visa_information/overview.html
Key Lessons Learned/ Key Take Away
The learning curve in Singapore has its own trade-offs in
the form of less social life on a no-man’s island. On other side, you get to
explore a new culture, new cuisines and various languages. You need to work
hard to keep up with the busy Singapore lifestyle by participating in various
activities that will help you get acquainted with the local population.
Singapore is a safe haven for you if you are smart and
active. My final recommendation is that you should be prepared. Do your
research. It’s well worth it.
To know how it feels to land and walk through a new world
away from home, read my blog: A
new life at Singapore.
A Few Useful Tips…
·
Do follow email etiquettes and be formal in your
email conversations
·
Be on time for telephonic discussion, skype call
and face-to-face interviews.
·
Do not address residents with a simple “Hi”
unless you are very close to them. Instead, you must add a proper salutation.
For example, use their name with a salutation such as “Dear Harry”.
·
Never negotiate or bargain with locals on the
price of a product.
·
Don’t forget to wear your sports shoes when you
go to the gym.
·
Never argue with locals at meetings, bus bay,
food courts, or any other public places.
·
Don’t be shy to experience various spa
treatments or to partake of their local cuisines.
·
Become a part of local community clubs and
participate in their social activities.
