Cross Cultural Tips
CROSS CULTURAL TIPS
Grammar Pattern
Warm-up
Discuss these questions with your teacher before reading.
- Have you ever attended a business meeting with people from another country? What cultural differences did you notice?
다른 나라 사람들과 비즈니스 미팅을 한 적이 있나요? 어떤 문화적 차이를 느꼈나요? - In your experience, what is the most challenging aspect of communicating with international colleagues?
경험상, 해외 동료와 소통할 때 가장 어려운 점은 무엇인가요?
Vocabulary
Key words and expressions from the reading.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Grammar Pattern
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUSINESS MEETINGS. IN ADDITION, HOW PARTICIPANTS BEHAVE WILL DEPEND UPON CULTURAL BACKGROUND. USE THEFOLLOWING AS A CHECKLIST TO HELP YOU PREPARE YOURSELF FOR COMMUNICATING IN INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS...
PREPARATION Some cultures...
-are happy with telephone meetings in preference to personal contact
-expect extensive pre-meeting documentation and briefing information.
-prefer communication of prepared ideas to spontaineity during discussion
-value fact over opinion
STRUCTURE Some cultures...
-regard small talk as essential to establish the required personal relationship
-prefer certain types of meeting (briefing) to others (problem solving)
-view informality as unprofessional
-expect to work systematically on an agenda
-work organically and value flexibility and disgression
ROLES Some cultures...
-see the chair as controller and decsion-maker rather than facilitator
-prefer an individualist to a collectivist approach
-expect important decisions will be made by senior personnel in the company.
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION People can....
-find idiomatic language difficult. Keep it short and simple.
-be frustrated by native language speaker domination. Allow others to speak.
-misunderstand silence: is it agreement, non-understanding, thinking time, boredom?
-be offended. Humor is often personal and culturally specific. Use with cautious.
TIME Some cultures...
-respect punctuality
-are very concerned with deadlines
-are flexible about time
DECISION-MAKING Some cultures...
-prefer logic to imagination
-prefer diplomacy to open disagreement
-don't welcome interruption and contradiction
-see directness as rude and unsophisticated
NON-VERBAL ASPECTS Some cultures...
- expect a formal dress code
-see handshaking as the basis for establishing a personal relationship
-see the exchange of business cards as important
-have strong expectations about using first or family names. Family names are safer.
-mistake friendliness for unprofessionalism.
Korean Trap
Korean speakers often make this mistake in cross-cultural business English.
두 가지 실수가 있습니다. 첫째, unique는 이미 '유일한'이라는 절대적 의미이므로 very와 함께 쓰지 않습니다(quite unique 또는 distinct 사용). 둘째, 복수 비교에서 'another countries'가 아니라 'other countries'입니다. another는 단수에만 사용합니다.
Discussion
Discuss these questions with your teacher after reading.
- The passage mentions that some cultures "view informality as unprofessional." Where does Korean business culture fall on the formality spectrum? Is it changing with younger generations?
본문에서 일부 문화가 '비격식을 비전문적으로 본다'고 합니다. 한국 비즈니스 문화는 격식의 스펙트럼에서 어디에 위치하나요? 젊은 세대로 변화하고 있나요? - The text warns that "silence" can mean different things: agreement, confusion, thinking time, or boredom. In Korean meetings, what does silence usually mean? How might foreigners misinterpret it?
'침묵'이 동의, 혼란, 사고 시간, 지루함 등 다른 의미를 가질 수 있다고 경고합니다. 한국 회의에서 침묵은 보통 무엇을 의미하나요? 외국인이 어떻게 오해할 수 있나요? - The passage says some cultures "expect important decisions will be made by senior personnel." How does hierarchy affect decision-making in your company? Can junior staff openly disagree with seniors?
'중요한 결정은 고위 인사가 내린다'고 기대하는 문화가 있습니다. 위계 질서가 회사의 의사결정에 어떤 영향을 미치나요? 하급 직원이 상급자와 공개적으로 의견을 달리할 수 있나요? - The text advises to "keep it short and simple" and avoid idioms. What English idioms or expressions have confused you in international meetings?
'짧고 간단하게' 하고 관용어를 피하라고 합니다. 국제 회의에서 혼란스러웠던 영어 관용구나 표현에는 어떤 것이 있나요?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: CROSS CULTURAL TIPS
Level: Business (BIZ)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!