Working Internationally Requires Cultural Knowledge

It was an interesting subject to teach, one I hadn't given much thought to in the past

. The first unit we learned about immigration and why people move from their home country. The world is often at war, people have to escape their homelands unwillingly due to hardships and violence at home. These people often fill displaced and out of sync with those around them, especially if the new homeland is very different culturally from their homelands. Language, believes, laws differ greatly from one country to the next and people don't often know what is expected of them.

Business practices vary by country. One country might find it polite to shake hands and exchange business cars, another country might find it offenses. Business lunches are also an area of cultural differences as are the style and formalities of meetings and business dress. Asian business owners tend to be more formal in manner and dress then their American counter parts. A working knowledge of the countries you are doing business with is a must for international businesses.

I gathered several items from around my home for one of the units. Several pieces of clothing, trinkets and dishes. The children were astounded to learn of all the countries the items in our homes originate from. I had a giant map on the wall and as the children looked at each piece and founds its home we stuck a straight pin in the country. A lot of third world countries are responsible for our goods and clothing.

A unit that was interesting to consider was customs and foods. What if you are McDonalds Restaurant and are trying to sell hamburgers in India? You better understand that much of the country is vegetarian. The Asian fast food often offers rice and the South America chains add beans and rice to their menus. Different taste for different regions.

Lastly, for international business you will need a translator or some type of business translation services to insure you are saying exactly what you want to say. Misinterpretation can mean the lose of a sell, offense or worse. There is translation technology on the market that is advanced and can help with this area.

Whatever your business, whatever country you are working in or for it is vital to understand their cultures, food preferences, business practices and customs.

by: Art Gib

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