Posts Tagged ‘communication’

Americans are pragmatists, Iranians are poets

If you want an example of how challenging it can sometimes be to communicate across cultures, I came across an excellent article that details some of the differences between the U.S. and Iranian styles of speaking. For example, do ‘yes’ and ‘no’ always mean what we think? “Speech has a different function than it does [...]

August 7, 2006 communication 0 Comments

Irish English and American English

Language is of course one of the most common obstacles to communication across cultures.  It often surprises us, though, when these obstacles crop up even among individuals who speak the same language, albeit in different countries.  There is a popular quote attributed to George Bernard Shaw about England and America being “two countries separated by the same language.” [...]

July 31, 2006 communication 0 Comments

Networking across cultures

There was a recent article on MSNBC (via entrepreneur.com) about networking around the world.  It offers a few tips on overcoming cultural differences in business. For example, here is an excerpt on how to treat business cards in Asia: The business card means much more in the Asian culture than it does here in America; it’s [...]

July 12, 2006 business 0 Comments

Explaining the French

There is a fun little story in the Sunday NY Times about the recent re-publication of a World War II-era manual called “Instructions for British Servicemen in France 1944.”  This attempt to explain French culture to the British has gained a new following in both the U.K. and France.  Even today, it provides an entertaining [...]

July 3, 2006 how we live 0 Comments

Learning directness in India

Some cross-cultural trainers in India are being asked to teach employees to be more direct in their communication style. This goes against the Indians’ traditional approach of being indirect, but it’s an effort to accommodate the Western business style and to continue growing the country’s outsourcing industry. Junk the fake accent, young workers in India’s booming outsourcing industry are being [...]

June 16, 2006 communication 0 Comments

Mexican candidates have to be truthful

Interesting story out of Mexico, in the run-up to that country’s upcoming presidential election.  Mexico’s Federal Election Institute has ruled that some of the candidates’ advertisements ”are too false to be on the air.” The institute twice voted to cancel advertisements calling the leftist candidate – Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former Mexico City mayor – [...]

June 13, 2006 politics/law 0 Comments

Doing business in Mexico

U.S. News and World Report this week takes a look at small firms that do business in Mexico.  The article provides several ideas for business assistance, as well as these cultural tips: No doubt, face time is a must for potential exporters. “You really need to get a feel for what the environment is like,” Duncan says. [...]

April 20, 2006 business 0 Comments
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