Mediator bridges multicultural disputes
June 25, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NEIGHBORHOOD disputes are bound to arise in large residential complexes, but the job of neighborhood mediator becomes trickier when residents are from other countries and speak different languages.
Getting through those barriers makes work difficult but challenging for Chen Peiyin, a community mediator in her 50s who has worked at the Jinxiu Jiangnan Residential Complex in the Hongqiao area for six years.
Sixty percent of the 800-plus households in the Jinxiu Jiangnan complex are expatriates. The majority of them are South Koreans. This is a popular area for Korean expatriates, who often work for South Korean companies and enjoy a cluster of local culture, including Korean restaurants.
"Disputes between neighbors are common and unavoidable, particularly when it comes to people from different countries because their living habits and cultural backgrounds vary," said Chen. "My job is to minimize the negative impact through reconciliation and to avoid lawsuits."
Chen, who wears her hair cropped short, is a warm-hearted, easy-going woman who knows how to smile and, more importantly, knows how to listen.
Her job also requires patience because it can take seven or eight visits and several months to resolve a dispute.
Take one example. A Taiwanese bought an apartment at the community and rented it out to a South Korean family at 8,000 yuan (US$1,231) a month. When the South Korean man and his pregnant wife moved into the apartment, they found the water pipes leaked and asked the landlord to fix the problem.
Workmen were brought in, but the problem continued. So did the tenants' complaints. The landlord turned a deaf ear. Finally, in exasperation, the Taiwanese man sold the unit without telling the tenant beforehand and asked the Korean couple to move out, even though their one-year lease was still in force.
The tenant refused and stopped paying rent. The stage was set for Chen to intervene.
"The Korean man was enraged by all this and refused to listen to anything I had to say when I visited him and his wife," Chen recalled.
To bridge the language gap, she relied on a volunteer team of Korean residents who speak some Chinese.
Through interpreters, she told the Korean tenant that she understood his concerns and would try to find a solution.
"He finally calmed down," Chen said.
The landlord finally agreed to compensate the couple 15,000 yuan, and the Koreans finally agreed to find another apartment and move in two months' time.
"Many expatriates aren't familiar with the concept of a residential committee and mediators, and they don't trust us at first," Chen said. "At first, they may refuse to take phone calls from us or open their doors to us."
Chen, who used to work as a real estate agent, says the key to success is not getting frustrated.
"Cultural differences exist, and it's my job to keep a good relationship among neighbors," she said.
She recalled the time the 11-year-old son of a South Korean family fractured his leg while playing with a Chinese friend. It was hard to figure out who was at fault, but the accident caused bad blood between the two families involved.
Chen listened to both sides and proposed 1,500 yuan in compensation to the injured boy's family to cover medical fees. The families finally accepted the settlement proposal.
Our interview was interrupted by a phone call. A person was complaining about water leaking from the ceiling because the neighbor upstairs is washing the floors. The community is not new. It has a history of six years, therefore, problems erupt.
"I have to go," said Chen.
All in a day's work.
Getting through those barriers makes work difficult but challenging for Chen Peiyin, a community mediator in her 50s who has worked at the Jinxiu Jiangnan Residential Complex in the Hongqiao area for six years.
Sixty percent of the 800-plus households in the Jinxiu Jiangnan complex are expatriates. The majority of them are South Koreans. This is a popular area for Korean expatriates, who often work for South Korean companies and enjoy a cluster of local culture, including Korean restaurants.
"Disputes between neighbors are common and unavoidable, particularly when it comes to people from different countries because their living habits and cultural backgrounds vary," said Chen. "My job is to minimize the negative impact through reconciliation and to avoid lawsuits."
Chen, who wears her hair cropped short, is a warm-hearted, easy-going woman who knows how to smile and, more importantly, knows how to listen.
Her job also requires patience because it can take seven or eight visits and several months to resolve a dispute.
Take one example. A Taiwanese bought an apartment at the community and rented it out to a South Korean family at 8,000 yuan (US$1,231) a month. When the South Korean man and his pregnant wife moved into the apartment, they found the water pipes leaked and asked the landlord to fix the problem.
Workmen were brought in, but the problem continued. So did the tenants' complaints. The landlord turned a deaf ear. Finally, in exasperation, the Taiwanese man sold the unit without telling the tenant beforehand and asked the Korean couple to move out, even though their one-year lease was still in force.
The tenant refused and stopped paying rent. The stage was set for Chen to intervene.
"The Korean man was enraged by all this and refused to listen to anything I had to say when I visited him and his wife," Chen recalled.
To bridge the language gap, she relied on a volunteer team of Korean residents who speak some Chinese.
Through interpreters, she told the Korean tenant that she understood his concerns and would try to find a solution.
"He finally calmed down," Chen said.
The landlord finally agreed to compensate the couple 15,000 yuan, and the Koreans finally agreed to find another apartment and move in two months' time.
"Many expatriates aren't familiar with the concept of a residential committee and mediators, and they don't trust us at first," Chen said. "At first, they may refuse to take phone calls from us or open their doors to us."
Chen, who used to work as a real estate agent, says the key to success is not getting frustrated.
"Cultural differences exist, and it's my job to keep a good relationship among neighbors," she said.
She recalled the time the 11-year-old son of a South Korean family fractured his leg while playing with a Chinese friend. It was hard to figure out who was at fault, but the accident caused bad blood between the two families involved.
Chen listened to both sides and proposed 1,500 yuan in compensation to the injured boy's family to cover medical fees. The families finally accepted the settlement proposal.
Our interview was interrupted by a phone call. A person was complaining about water leaking from the ceiling because the neighbor upstairs is washing the floors. The community is not new. It has a history of six years, therefore, problems erupt.
"I have to go," said Chen.
All in a day's work.
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