An American businesswoman comes away from a meeting delighted; she finally got her Japanese supplier to agree to a price. A few days later, she receives questions about price. It’s almost as if she imagined the meeting. “What‘s going on here?” she asks. “We agreed on the price already, didn‘t we?” [1]  

The businesswoman recalls all the Um-hmms and Yesses she heard in the meeting. “They agreed to the price, they said yes,” she mutters to herself. “They even nodded and smiled.” Welcome to the world of intercultural business communication.

This American Businesswoman is not the first or last to feel frustrated in this way. Other people have misunderstood a “yes” response.

A lot of my work lies in internationally co-ordinated qualitative research. This involves regular contact with people around the world in the context of work colleagues, clients and respondents. Like most qualitative researchers, I love watching people. Observation is a crucial part of our work and is at the heart of ethnography, semiotics and general qualitative research consultancy.  I believe I am well placed to talk about cultural similarities and differences in an international context, being French and having lived in Italy and the UK.

1) Language
Clearly language divides.  English is entrenched now as business language but not everyone speaks it fluently and there is a need for compromise. In Europe, Nordic countries, Germany and some Eastern European countries speak perfect English while the French, Italians and Spaniards are in need of more lessons! I worked on an ice-cream testing project a few months ago for our Italian colleagues who asked us to keep a new yoghurt-based ice-cream in the fridge when they in fact meant the freezer – needless to say, none of us got to try that new ice-cream.

And between English speaking countries in general there is a lot of room for misunderstanding. If you ask for a rubber, I’ll probably give you an eraser instead!  

2) Religion and ethnicity Religion and ethnicity are two factors that should be taken into consideration when conducting qualitative research. Even today you have to be careful in mixing religions in group discussions in Northern Ireland.  Do not think of having mixed groups of Flemish and French speakers in Belgium. 

3) Body language The way people greet each other and the gestures they use are of absolute importance in international interpersonal relations.  Even after 7 years, in the UK, I still kiss people on both cheeks instead of one! My friends are now used to it!Don’t even think about shaking your Japanese client’s hand – take a little bow instead. It’s not easy to do business internationally but I feel that clients and suppliers should make an effort to understand and embrace these differences. It takes two to tango!  

Lost in Translation?

  • When Coca Cola was first marketed inChina in the 1920‘s, the name was translated phonetically (“ke-kou-ke-la) to mean “female horse stuffed with wax” or “bite the wax tadpole” depending on the dialect. It was quickly revised to sound more like “happiness in the mouth.”
  • Ignorant of foreign language, 3M introduced its scotch tape in Japan with the slogan, “It sticks like crazy.” The Japanese interpretation of the slogan was “it sticks foolishly.”
  • General Motors couldn‘t understand why the Chevy Nova was not selling well inLatin America, until they were told that in Spanish, “no va” means “it doesn‘t go.”

[1] When “Yes” means “No” or “Maybe”–Avoiding Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings in Global Business