Some Tips on How to Avoid Pitfalls in Gift-Giving Abroad.

· Don't rely on your own taste.

 

· Don't bring a gift to an Arab man's wife; in fact, don't ask about her at all. Bringing gifts for the children is, however, acceptable.

 

· In Arab countries, don't admire an object openly. The owner may feel obligated to give it to you.

 

· Do not bring drinks to an Arab home. For many Arabs, alcohol is forbidden by religious law.

 

· Don't try to outgive the Japanese. It causes great embarrassment and obligates them to reciprocate even if they cannot afford it.

 

· Do not insist that your Japanese counterpart open the gift in your presence. This is not their custom and can easily cause embarrassment on the part of the recipient.

 

· As a courtesy, hold your gift with two hands when presenting it to a Japanese business person, but do not make a big thing of the presentation.

 

· Be careful when selecting colours or deciding on the number of items.

· The colour purple is inappropriate in Latin America.

 

· Avoid giving knives and handkerchiefs in Latin America. Knives suggest the cutting off of the relationship, and handkerchiefs imply that you wish the recipient hardship. To offset the bad luck, the recipient must offer you money.

 

· In Germany, red roses imply that you are in love with the recipient. Moreover, perfume is too personal a gift for business relationships.

 

· In China, expensive presents are not acceptable and cause great embarrassment. Give a collective gift from your company to theirs.

 

· In China, a banquet is acceptable, but you will insult your hosts if you give a more lavish banquet than the one given you.

 

· A clock is a symbol of bad luck in China.

 

 

Do you know that people greet each other in a different way?

 

1. Discuss the questions with your partner:

- Which method is closest to the way you greet people in Russia?

 

- How much difference is there between formal and informal greetings and introductions in Russia?

 

- Is there much difference between the way people from different countries greet each other?

 

- English uses you when addressing people both in formal and informal situations. Do we do the same in Russian?

 

4. Understanding the social and business culture of a nation is important when doing business with people from that country. Read the passage about social culture in the UK.

1) What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and when should I use each term?

 

‘The UK’ is a term widely used to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The term ‘Great Britain’ was used historically to differentiate it from Brittany in France, and refers to its larger size. ‘Great’ is usually omitted in the conversation.

 

2) How should I refer to UK nationals?

 

Although you may well hear the English referring to nationals as ‘English’, avoid doing this as it could cause offence by excluding those of Scottish, Welsh, or Irish ethnicity. The slang term ‘Brit’ is roughly equivalent to ‘Yank’. The term ‘British’ is widely acceptable.

 

3) How is the famous British politeness expressed?

 

‘Please’ and Thank you’ are used even if you brush up against someone on the train. Many expressions are used to show consideration: ‘I’m sorry to trouble you…’, ‘Would you mind very much if…?’

 

4) Why are pubs so important to the British?

 

Pubs vary from the historic country pub to the high street ‘local’. It is not just the place to drink your favourite beer, but also a pivotal social centre. It is the place where social barriers and British reserve are broken down, the world’s problems are solved through heated debate, and firm friendships are created. Just be sure to pay for your round and never tip the barman.

 

5) What customs would the British expect newcomers to observe?

 

The British take queues very seriously. Never jump in line or show impatience as waiting your turn is only fair play. Eventually we will all get there so we ‘mustn’t grumble’. While you wait, you can chat about the weather, your garden or even your dog, but don’t get too personal.

 

6) What should I avoid doing or saying?

 

Even though the British will enjoy jokes at the royal family’s expense, it is not generally a good idea for a foreigner to criticize royalty. Other subjects off limits to criticism might include pubs, cricket, warm beer, and the BBC. Complex subjects such as Ireland or enigmatic British class system should be approached more carefully, unless you are with good friends or in a pub! On meeting someone at a party, the first questions should be not ‘What do you do?’ or ‘Where did you go to school?’ The British also consider it bad form to ‘blow you own trumpet’, especially at a first meeting. Social kissing is acceptable but bear hugs might alarm some people. Never try to guess a person’s accent.

 

7) What are good ice-breaking conversation topics?

 

The weather is a universally safe topic. News topics, sports and cultural events, gardens, pets, and holidays or vacation plans all work well. The British often love to explain local historical sites and places of interest, and will be very happy to give advice to newcomers on where to go and what to see.

 

Discuss the meaning of the words and phrases in italics.

 

Now break the ice for five minutes by asking you partner similar questions to the ones in the article. Make sure that you show interest in what your partner is saying.

 

 

5. Listen to the conversation and complete the sentences:

 

When speaking with friends or …………………………….. there are certain things that are not polite to speak of.

 

Although time has changed it’s not acceptable to talk about ………………and ……………….. in India.

 

In North America there’s no problem to talk about money but ………………………. is not a topic to talk about round the dinner table.

 

Americans are ……………………., because they believe that death is optional.

 

No matter if positive or negative features are discussed, …………………..is acceptable because everyone is interested in it.

 

The British people are ………………-conscious, so the subjects they like are …………… and art.

 

To talk about the value of somebody’s own home, how much it is worth is of great interest for people from …………………….

 

But it’s rather tasteless to talk about property in ………………….

 

6. Making small talk can be a useful way of finding out what something is like, and can make doing business easier. Is small talk important in Russia, or do you prefer to get straight down to business? Listen to the conversation and discuss it. Role out a similar conversation

 

7. Read the article and choose the most suitable heading (a-i) for each paragraph (1-7). There are one extra heading which is not needed.

a) Smaller firms will benefit

 

b) False impressions

 

c) A challenge for translators

 

d) Realizing the need of variety

 

e) Different cultures, different needs

 

f) Surprising figures

 

g) Time is needed

 

h) Personal preferences

 

i) Proficiency in English

 

A Multilingual Internet?

As both Asian and European markets use the Internet more and more to conduct business, there will be an increasing need for language choices for the different markets.

 

 

English is so often used on the Net that it might make you think everyone in the world speaks English, or at least give you the impression that it is the world’s most widely-spoken language. If this were true, it would, of course, bring benefits for worldwide communication and understanding, though it could also possibly become a threat to cultural diversity. English certainly seems to be everywhere, from films to pop music and TV, and from business to science and other fields.

 

 

Information varies, but suggests that about 75% of the pages on the Web are English. Yet English is the mother tongue for only 5.4% of the world’s population, while a further 7% of the world’s population are proficient speakers of English. This means that only around 12% of the world’s population can communicate well in English. This figure is nowhere near the total number of people speaking Chinese languages, which at 20.7%, is much higher.

 

 

More and more people are accessing the Internet nowadays, including many companies wanting to conduct e-business. As a consequence, the position of English is beginning to change. Both Europe and Asia are growth area, with businesses increasing their use of the Internet and people would apparently rather buy things online if they can order in their own language.

 

 

It has predicted that by 2003 only one third of Internet users will be speakers of English. As a result, companies wanting to reach world markets are beginning to realize that they will have to translate their websites for their various customers.

 

 

However, creating a multinational website is not an easy task. Companies wishing to translate their sites for different markets basically face both technical and linguistic problems. They are unable to use automated translation systems, which already exist in the market, simply because the quality is not good enough for professional use. Businesses all over the world are now faced with this huge challenge.

 

 

Moreover, translating websites is only the beginning. Customers with questions or problems will need to discuss matters in their own language, for example, while prices will need to be in the local currency. Dates will also need to be in the right format to avoid confusion. Companies will need to adapt their advertising materials so as not to offend different cultures. They may also have to change their way of doing business to suit certain customers – in Japan, for example, as the Japanese do not tend to give their credit card details over the Web. There are also legal issues to take into consideration.

 

 

Such vast changes will not happen overnight. It is impossible to say exactly how many texts there are on the Web as the number is changing all the time. One thing which is certain, however, is that a growth in the use of Internet is guaranteed. Companies doing e-business simply need time to translate their sites into the various languages necessary to do business. Meanwhile, more and more material in different languages is being added to the Web at a fast pace.

 

 

While all this is happening, local companies, with few employees, doing e-business only in the language of their target market and who are aware of the cultural aspects of that market, will certainly be at an advantage. The problems of language and culture could well limit larger companies from expanding and so offer more opportunities to smaller businesses on poorer areas of the world.

 

Look at the underlined part of the sentence in the text and choose the correct meaning:

 

cultural variety might be attacked

 

cultural variety might disappear

 

NOTE! English has become the first truly global language with some 1.35 billion speakers as a first, second or auxiliary language. (Citadel Press, New York, 2008).