Coaching a Definition of Done Across Languages

In Taiwan, many software service reviews mix English engineering detail with Mandarin stakeholder conversation. A Definition of Done that exists only in one language invites two realities: engineers think “Done” means merged and tested; clients think it means accepted on their checklist.

Run a forty-minute bilingual pass

Bring the account manager and the delivery lead. Read each Done criterion aloud in the language the client will use at acceptance. Ask one question per line: “Would you refuse the release if this were missing?” If the answer is uncertain, the criterion is decoration.

Avoid false twins

Words like “complete,” “verified,” and “ready” translate cleanly and still hide disagreement. Prefer observable checks: “acceptance path demonstrated on staging,” “client sign-off recorded,” “rollback note attached for production changes.” Observability survives translation better than adjectives.

Coaching stance

Do not perform as interpreter unless you are hired for that skill. Your role is to keep the conversation on acceptance behaviour. If nuance requires a professional interpreter for a high-stakes rewrite, say so early rather than improvising accuracy.