Go for your Business English. Новосельцева Н.Н - 15 стр.

UptoLike

ВУЗ: 

УлГТУ | Ульяновск

Составители: 

Рубрика: 

5
Business international etiquette
1 Read the text and write down one thing about each nationality that you can
remember.
2 Share what you have written with other students in the class.
Travelling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier. We live in a
global village, but how well do we know and understand each other? Here is a
simple test. Imagine you have arranged a meeting at four o’clock. What time should
you expect your foreign business colleagues to arrive? If they are German, they will
be bang on time. If they are American, they will probably be 15 minutes early. If
they are British, they will be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for
the Italians.
When the European Community began to increase in size, several guidebooks
appeared giving advice on international etiquette. At first many people thought this
was a joke, especially the British, who seemed to assume that the widespread
understanding of their language meant a corresponding understanding of English
customs. Very soon they had to change their ideas, as they realized that they had a
lot to learn about how to behave with their foreign business friends.
For example:
• The British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters with
a drink during the meal; the Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a
time to relax and get to know one another, and they rarely drink at lunchtime.
• The Germans like to talk business before dinner; the French like to eat first and
talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss
anything.
• Taking off your jacket and rolling up your sleeves is a sign of getting down to
work in Britain and Holland, but in Germany people regard it as taking it easy.
• American executives sometimes signal their feelings of ease and importance in
their offices by putting their feet on the desk whilst on the telephone. In Japan,
people would be shocked. Showing the soles of your feet is the height of bad
manners. It is a social insult only exceeded by blowing your nose in public.
Business that always runs smooth is running downhill.

Страницы