Geri then put their cards away much too quickly. In Asia, peple use
business cards as a conversation starter. You chat about each others cards
and work and do not put theirs away until they getly and respectfully place
yours in safekeeping. Shoving it into her back jeans pocket was the ultimate
disrespect.
Geri didnt discover her fourth gaffe until she returned home. One of her
colleagues Bill, a seasoned business traveler, analyzed the fiasco for her.
Bill told her the reason the gentlemen had turned Geraldines card over and
over when she gave it to them at the ai port was to find her name, title, and
company printed in Japanese on the other side. The flip side of Geris card
was, of course, blank.
Then, fifth horror of horrors, Geri should not have written on the card.
Cards in Asia are not exactly sacred, but one should never deface them with
messy handwriting.
The sad tale of Geri and the Japanese gets worse. Bill broke the bad
news to her: she should not have opened the gift in front
How to Talk When Youre in Other Countries 163
of her clients. Why? Because in a land where saving face is critcal, it
would be embarrassing to discover the gift they gave was not as nice as the
one they received. (Yikes, Geri hadnt even given them a gift!) Gaffe
number seven.
Geris little squeal when receiving the gift was also a boo-boo. In Asia,
the lower the tone of voice, the higher the rank. The final flub was, of
course, giving the gentlemen a thank-you hug. Huging, highly revered in
certain parts of the world is, in Japan, abs lutely unacceptable with a new
client.
Needless to say, Geri has not been invited back to Japan. However, she
does have a gig coming up in El Salvador. This time shes smart. Shes
studying up on the customs there. Happily, shes finding she can hug to her
hearts content. However she shouldnt use her (or anybody elses) first name.
Oh, and she must not intrduce herself as an American. After all,
Salvadorans are Amercans, too!
The differences round the world go on and on. Whenever I travel, I have
to hit myself over the head and realize Im not in the anything-goes ol USA.
I love to travel in jeans, Im an incurable hugger, and I cant wait to see whats
in a gift box anybody gives me. However, whenever I plan to leave Uncle
ooja
(Ooja)
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