Chapter2跨商務(wù)文化交際

1、Chapter2跨商務(wù)文化交際Introductory Case一位剛到美國的中國企業(yè)經(jīng)理，被美國朋友請去做客。這位經(jīng)理到這位美國人家里后，覺得其房屋陳設(shè)很奇怪。突然他發(fā)現(xiàn)一個臺子上竟擺著一尊泥塑的孫悟空，他很興奮，連忙問女主人：“你怎么會有這尊孫悟空？是從中國買的嗎？花了多少錢？用的是人民幣還是美元？ 女主人只是笑了笑，沒有答復(fù)。這位中國經(jīng)理也沒有再問下去。分析：美國人的價值觀念和中國人不同，價錢的上下往往與身份密切相關(guān)。中國經(jīng)理無心提出的價錢問題，卻使得這位美國人不知如何答復(fù)是好。在言語交際(verbal communication)的過程中，交際雙方必須考慮語言的語音層面和語用層面，成認

2、不同的文化背景和差異，增強理解和信任，才能通過語言促進溝通，實現(xiàn)交際的目的，建立良好的關(guān)系。 Verbal communicationDefinition: The communication that is carried out either in oral or in written form with the use of words.The transferring of thoughts between individuals via spoken or written messages.It is at the core of what most of us do whether

3、 you are building a biz, dealing with difficult situations , revitalizing a team, coping with complaints or providing customer service.Attributes of Verbal CommunicationExpress all kinds of ideas we want to expressEg: A manager talks market development plan with his subordinates in a meeting.Keep an

4、d disseminate informationEg: A manager can be reached by telephone or email if you cant find him in his office. Telephone and Email are the most effective ways for biz communication. Be clearer and more efficient than other ways. Language and CultureLanguage is a set of symbols and the rules for com

5、bining those symbols and rules that are used and understood by a large community of people.It is closely related to culture. Language and culture interact with each other and shape each other. Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of language.It is part of culture. Culture

6、enriches and influences language. Different culture generate different languages. The Influence of Culture on LanguageLanguage as a reflection of the environmentLanguage reflects the environment in which we live. We label things that are around us. The environment influences the development of techn

7、ology, products, and the appropriate vocabulary.Language as reflection of valuesLanguage reflects cultural values.Language is a mirror of culture, because language reflects human relationships, reflects the way the society operates. 親屬稱謂是語言反映文化的一個突出例證。例如，在英語中的是 “兄或“弟，是“姐或“妹，漢語中沒有一個字與或完全相等。在我們的文化中嚴格區(qū)

8、分“兄與“弟“、姐與“妹，因為“長幼有序。英語中一詞 “uncle 相當于漢語中的“伯父、叔父、舅父、姨父、姑父, “aunt相當于漢語中的“伯母、嬸母、舅母、姨母、姑母。這反映了漢族不僅注重長幼順序，而且對于是父系、母系或姻系亦十分重視。Chinese way of greetingFor thousands of years, about 75% of the Chinese lived in villages and the rest in small towns. A community generally consists of families descended from one

9、 ancestor, bearing the same surname. In this community, people know each other well, keeping track of each others lives, being aware of happenings in each others households and having a genuine concern for each others well-being. Therefore, familiarity, consideration for each others comfort and heal

10、th, and an interest in each others business and activities are found in the life of the Chinese people.That is why when Chinese people meet, they often exchange greetings such as “Have you eaten yet? “Where are you going? “Where have you been? etc.But in America, there is a saying “good fences make

11、good neighbors revealing that they tend to keep a safe distance from each other.Denotational meaningConnotational meaninga wordMeanings of Words Word Meaning and CultureDenotational meaning (指示意義)It refers to a definitional meaning depending upon our choice of word selection.Denotation means a dicti

12、onary definition.Connotational meaning (隱含意義)It refers to extended meanings or associated meanings.Connotational meanings have developed over time through use by people and especially by poets and writers.Example: The Color of Red In Chinese red implies “happy, joyous, auspicious, flourishing. The C

13、hinese use red lanterns, red antithetical couplets, red dresses, red candles, red flowers and the like when we are in celebration. In English, red is usually associated with sth. undesirable, e.g., “red flags denotes “danger, “in the red means “deficit in finance.Spring FestivalChristmas DayComparis

14、on between English and Chinese Some words have the same denotational and conntational meanings.There are also many words with the same denotational meanings but different connotational meanings.Both denotational and connotatinal meanings are different in many other words.Examples Dove: peaceFox: cun

15、ningOwl: wisdomBat: an evil animalCricket: a happy insectDragon: fierceness鴿子：和平鴿狐貍：像狐貍一樣狡猾貓頭鷹：壞運氣蝙蝠：福，幸福，洪福蟋蟀：哀愁龍：龍袍，龍的傳人(Chinese Dragon)European DragonChinese Dragon Culture Red Yellow Green Blue Europe and North AmericaDanger CautionCowardiceSafetyGrowth and rebirthMasculinitySweetnesscalmJapan A

16、nger Danger GraceNobilityChildish gaietyFuture Youth Energy Villainy(邪惡)China Joy Celebration Power Honor Royalty No special associationNo special associationArabic countriesNo special associationHappinessprosperityFertilityvirtueStrengthFaithTruth Cultural Associations of ColorBusiness Implications

17、International businesspersons may encounter problems with such connotational meanings of colors.International marketers need to know what associations certain culture has in terms of colors and how they might affect product design, packaging, and advertising messages.在不同語言之間可能出現(xiàn)幾種不同的情況：兩種語言分別以A,B代替1

18、A,B 概念意義一樣，內(nèi)涵意義一樣或大致一樣。例如：Fox與“狐貍不僅概念意義一樣，內(nèi)涵意義也一樣，都包括了“狡猾 cunning 這一層意思。Pig與“豬在概念上都指同一種動物，在英語中用于指人時具有“骯臟dirty、“貪婪greedy、“令人討厭disgusting等意思，“豬或豬玀在漢語中也有類似的含義。2A,B概念意義一樣，內(nèi)涵意義不同。如：“狗：在西方人們通常將狗作為寵物來養(yǎng)，狗被認為是人類最好的朋友，因此西方人對于食狗肉十分反感。在英語中有時含有貶義，但總的來說屬中性或含褒義的情況居多。在成語treat someone like a dog虐待某人中含貶義，但在以下的例句中都屬中性

19、或含褒義：You lucky dog.你這家伙真幸運。Every dog has its day.凡人皆有得意日。He works like a dog.他工作很賣力。You cant teach an old dog new tricks人年紀大了學(xué)新東西不容易。在漢語中，“狗一般用于貶義，這從漢語中的成語可以看，例如，狗急跳墻、狗仗人勢、雞鳴狗盜、狼心狗肺、狗頭軍師、狗血噴頭等。3A,B概念意義一樣，A有內(nèi)涵意義，B無內(nèi)涵意義在數(shù)詞中，在西方語言中13普遍被認為是不祥的數(shù)字，因為這個數(shù)字與猶大出賣耶穌，耶穌受難相聯(lián)系。人們通常避開13這個數(shù)字，在旅行時尤其避開13號星期五。訂婚結(jié)婚也避開1

20、3號。有的飯店不設(shè)13層，避開13號作為房間號碼。在我國文化傳統(tǒng)中，13不具有這些不祥的含義。但在近年，由于受到西方文化的影響，有些人也認為是個不吉利的數(shù)字。In the figure, some people see a duck, some people see a rabbit, and others alternately see a duck and a rabbit . In the picture, some see the pro an Indian while others see the back of an Eskimo walking away, and still o

21、thers alternately see both.Seeing does not mean believing, sometimes. Focus on the dot and move your head back and forth. What is happening?From responding to these pictures, we can gather that people see differently and evaluate differently. Such an understanding helps form the basis for successful

22、 intercultural communication.1. AppropriatelyC. Dogs are the best friends of human beings. I ate dog meat.A. Chinese dragons are great. Chinese dragons are ferocious. 2. Effectively C. This is a present for you. It is not so good. This is a present for you. Hope you like it.A. I dont think your idea

23、 is good. From my point of view, your idea is not good enough.How to use language for communication?3. Given contextC. Bottom up. Take this cup of alcohol. If you dont. Me either.A. Help yourself, please. I made all these by myself. Please enjoy them. 4. Speaker & listener Where are you from? How ma

24、ny people are there in your family? Why did you come to China? How old are you? How much do you earn in your company? Language in use and CultureHow to Address people: The usage of the surname and given name in English and Chinese can be summarized as follows:Relationship/ SituationChineseEnglishFor

25、malSurname+TitleTitle+SurnameNeutralSurname+TitleTitle+SurnameGiven NameClose/InformalGiven NameGiven Name在一項對于英語國家在華任教的教師的調(diào)查中發(fā)現(xiàn)，有的中國學(xué)生用姓作為對于一位女教師的稱謂。她的全名Marcia Vale是，學(xué)生理應(yīng)稱她為Dr. Vale 或 Marcia，但有的學(xué)生直呼她的姓，叫她Vale，這引起了這位英國教師極大的不快。她在調(diào)查問卷中寫道：“在交往中，我發(fā)現(xiàn)這可能是挺奇怪的最不能容忍的是學(xué)生堅持用我的姓稱呼我。在英語口語中，從正式的到很隨便的稱呼，有許多不同的方式。

26、如果只叫姓，那是絕對錯誤的。在漢語中“老張“、小李“、司徒、“歐陽作為稱謂都是可承受的，但是在英語國家用姓作稱謂只限于很少的幾種情況，例如，在小學(xué)里教師對于學(xué)生，教練對于球員，監(jiān)獄看守對于囚犯等。難怪英國教師對于學(xué)生的稱呼如此反感。 Different perceptions of titlesChinese prefer to address others by using their titles, or occupation, such as 宋局長(Director Song), 高經(jīng)理(Manager Gao), 劉教師(Teacher Liu) in which the surna

27、me comes last in order to show respect for the person concerned.However, this custom is not totally applicable in English in that only a few occupations or titles are used before a persons last name: Dr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Mr., Judge, Governor, Mayor, etc. For Americans, its what you actually do that

28、 counts, not where you fit on organizational chart. The Americans treat titles like “vice president for marketing and “sales manager as meaningful. But they will not use them to address a person, even if reduced to “manager or “vice president.The use of respectful titles such as “Manager Zhang or “D

29、irector Wang to indicate peoples status is typical of Chinese culture.How to show gratitudeIn the Western countries, people tend to verbalize their gratitude more often and accept thanks more directly and frankly than Chinese people.Westerners say thanks anytime, anywhere, and to anybody, even among

30、 family members. They tend to accept others expression of gratitude by saying “Im glad to help.Chinese are likely to feel embarrassed when they express their gratitude or here others gratitude. They may just say nothing for being helped and reply to “thanks with “no,no for having helped.How to invit

31、e othersInvitationThree features of “false invitations in American English: Indefinite reference of time No inquiry or immediate reply or decision Usually marked with model verbs like “must, “should, and adverbs indicating emphasis of uncertainty of time like “really, “definitely, “soon, “one day, “

32、some time, etc.美國人常在完畢交流之前向?qū)Ψ秸f句“邀請用語，如“Lets get together sometimes this week, I will call you. “Lets have lunch together sometimes soon. 這很容易引起異文化的人的誤解。在美國的外國留學(xué)生常常反映美國人講話靠不住，說是要邀請吃飯，結(jié)果等了很久還是不兌現(xiàn)。其實這些所謂邀請往往是完畢交談的信號，是自然發(fā)出的告辭用語，表示對所談內(nèi)容感興趣，希望下次繼續(xù)交流之意。有人調(diào)查了這一現(xiàn)象，發(fā)現(xiàn)問題出在外國學(xué)生對于美國英語的講話規(guī)那么不了解，聽美國人說：We must get

33、together soon.“我們一定得聚聚。就以為是正式邀請，實際上只不過是一句客氣話。社會語言學(xué)家專門就這個題目作了研究，分析終究客氣話與正式的口頭邀請在語言的使用上有什么區(qū)別。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)正式邀請比客氣話要具體得多，一般來說邀請需要包括時間、地點。例如：Come over for diner next Saturday night. “下星期六晚上過來吃晚飯。是明確的邀請。有的話聽起來似乎很像是邀請，但如果沒有具體的時間、地點那么仍然不能看作是邀請。 How to chat with othersPrivacy, as a value and psychological concept, h

34、as been given different meanings in different cultures.For westerners, keeping privacy has been seen as the symbol of independence and personal value. In conversation, they seldom or never ask questions related to privacy, such as age, money, marriage, health, and family.On the contrary, such questi

35、ons are frequently asked in dialogs between two Chinese. For Chinese, privacy is of group-orientation, and individuals in the same group would not have much awareness of privacy.Being modestBeing modest is one of the traditional virtues of the Chinese people. We often decline praise to show modesty.

36、 We often reply with pleasant modesty when being praised.However, Americans like praising people. Receiving such a reply of refusal, they often wonder whether they have made a wrong judgment or not. A young Chinese woman in the US was complimented by an American woman for the lovely dress she was we

37、aring: “Its exquisite. The colors are so beautiful! She was pleased but somewhat embarrassed. In typical Chinese way, she replied, “Oh, its just an ordinary dress I bought in China.In the above case, the words of the Chinese conveyed a message quite different from what was intended. As we all know,

38、the real intention of the Chinese was to be modest by saying those words. While for the American, the reply could have meant that the American did not know what a really good dress is. The implication was that the American womans taste in clothing was questionable. Oral CommunicationThink about it:W

39、hat are the differences in the speech styles between Easterners and Westerners? Such as a Chinese or Japanese with an American. Chinese Verbal StyleImplicit communication含蓄Listening centeredness聽話Politeness客氣A focus on insiders自己人 Face-directed communication strategies面子 Chinese VS. North American V

40、erbal StyleWhat is not said vs. what is saidThe use of we vs. I Polite vs. impolite talkIndirect vs. direct talkHesitant vs. assertive speechself-effacing (不出風(fēng)頭) vs. self-enhancing talkPrivate vs. public personal questionsReticent (沉默的)vs. expressive speechWays of VC between Easters and WesternersEa

41、sterners are generally more polite, beat about the bush, reasons first, conversational greetings, concern for others, vague, talk the same time.Westerners are generally more direct, come to the point, rude, personal opinions first, get down to business, none of my business, above the board, take tur

42、ns. Do you agree with such saying?As what has been explained above, verbal communication can be conducted both in spoken form and written form. It has cultural features sometimes. Therefore, people from different cultural backgrounds have different ways of verbal communication. In the following we j

43、ust show how differently the Easterners and the westerners communicate. Ways of VC between Easters and WesternersWhen talking, Easterners tend, often superficially, to yield to the other partys views without making any open protest. Westerners, however, are usually direct in presenting their differe

44、nt ideas or protest. Superficial and directBeat about the bush and come to the point Easterners are usually indirect while Westerners are direct when expressing themselves. In the languages by Easterners there are quite a few honorific forms which Westerners think are redundant. Westerners do have p

45、olite expressions, but for each meeting the phrase for exchanging these expressions is usually very short. To Easterners, Westerners appear rude. Being polite or being rudeReasons first and personal opinions firstWhen it comes to a position, Easterners tend to state the reasons first. Westerners, on

46、 the contrary, usually state their position first, then the reasons. Before discussion Easterners tend to spend a lot of time talking about unimportant things, preparing for the serious discussion. Westerners dont do so. Conversational greetings and get down to businessEasterners often show a lot of

47、 concern for others, which Westerners consider as bothering other peoples business. Concern for others and none of my businessEasterners tend to be vague when talking, which often bring unhappiness to Westerners as it is against their habit. Vague and above the boardWhen debating in the West, two pa

48、rties usually take several turns of arguments, while in the East the two sides express their respective views at most once, then both sides either yield to each other, or just keep silent The same time and take turnsCommon ideas that seem to work wonders in any relationship 1) Learn to listen using

49、eye contact: Let the speaker know that you are interested in what is being said. 2) Be slow to speak: Sometimes, people speak to think out loud. Sometimes, all they really want is a shoulder to lean on and a willing ear to listen. By being slow to speak, you are allowing the speaker to work out or s

50、olve problems themselves 3) Keep the secret: People trust you with information because they believe that you will not gossip and spread slander. Keep their trust by keeping things private; between the two of you. 4) Be Attentive: Learn to actively listen. Let the speaker know that you are actually l

51、istening, although you are not speaking, by saying things like, yeah, hmmm, I know, thats true, okay, that makes sense, and so forth. 5) Show Gratitude: Let the speaker know that you feel honored that they were able to open up to you. If nothing personal was said, than let the speaker know that you

52、had a great time listening and that you learned a lot. In a society that forgets to show gratitude, a simple use of kind words, can make someones day a little brighter. 6) Stay in Tune: Dont disappear in the middle of the conversation because your mind wandered. Whether you actually get up and walk

53、away or let your mind wander elsewhere, its just plain rude. If you find that your attention span is small, actively repeat what is being said to you as the speaker is speaking.Written CommunicationWritten communication is the communication by means of written symbols, either printed or handwritten.

54、Letters and memorandums are the primary written means of exchanging information in biz.Writing skills is what any biz firm would require of their staff, ranging from executives to office clerks. How to write Biz letters LetterheadDateInside name and addressAttention lineSalutationSubject headingBody

55、 of letterComplimentary closeSignatureofficial capacityEnclosure notationLetterhead contains:The name, address, tel/fax/email of the sender or firm, the dateUsually centered at the top and printedDate never be omitted, typed in full on the right-hand side below letterhead.September 20th, 2021 (Am.)

56、20th September, 2021 (Br.)Attention line (經(jīng)辦人，交由Indicate that the letter is for a particular person or departmentSalutation Dear Sir/Sirs/Madam, Gentlemen, Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Export Manager, To whom it may concern(不知姓名, formalDear Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss Blake (知道姓名, less formalDear Jack/Mark (熟人, in

57、formalSubject headingTells what the letter is aboutCenters on the pageBody1 para: introduction or acknowledgement of the previous correspondence2 para: discuss matters or give info3 para: hope, call for future actionComplimentary closeYours faithfully, Faithfully yours, Truly yours, Respectfully you

58、rs (formal)Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours, Cordially yours (less formal)Sincerely, Cordially, Regards, Best regards, All the best, All best wishes (informal)Enclosure notationIndicates that other pieces of paper are mailed with the letterEnc. / Encls.Enc.: 1, Invoice #90001 2, Check # 1234Encls.:

59、2 InvoicesThe layout of a biz letterBlock Style (齊列式All letter elements are placed flush against the left margin80% of biz letters use this styleModified Block Style (混合式Date, complimentary close, signature block on the right sideSubject heading in the middleMore traditional and balancedStandard let

60、ter parts The Richard H. Verrill Corporation 954 Pelham Avenue New York 10202, N.Y. USAMarch 23, 2021Messers MacDonald & Evans211 East 34th StreetLondon 10061Attention: Sales DepartmentDear Sirs: Re: Inquiry about handy paint brushesSome years ago we bought from you a consignment of handy paint brus