Cross-Cultural Communication Consulting

Intercultural misunderstandings 

Back to home page

There are many reasons why intercultural misunderstandings can arise.

The simplest is inappropriate use of languauge. Thinking in your own Language and assuming that a word has the same meaning in another language can cause unnecessary problems such as these.

     WRONG VERB
A team from the German HQ was visiting a British subsidiary. The British expected that Germans liked to issue and follow orders. When the German team was there, this stereotype seemed to hold true.
They created this negative impression by thinking in German and using which verb incorrectly in English?

     DIFFICULT SITUATION
In another company, the British were finding the French members of their team rather difficult to work with. At every meeting, the French made demands, which the British considered quite rude and confrontational.
What simple French word were the French translating directly into English, and unintentionally sending the wrong message?

 

     LUNCH IN BELGIUM
A much more complex cause of misunderstanding is assuming that the other culture has the same values you do. Surely, modern industrialized Europeans have similar ideas of what is "good".
Not necessarily. Consider the following business mishap.

Click in the box to the left of one answer. Then scroll down to see the solution.

A German businessman living and working in French-speaking Belgium had developed a good relationship with a local colleague. He decided to invite the Belgian to lunch. On the agreed day, their workload was especially heavy. To save time, the German took his colleague to a simple restaurant which was conveniently located near their office. After this, instead of a closer relationship, the Belgian acted quite distant. In fact, they never became as friendly as they had been. What had happened?

The Belgian thought that the German’s behavior at lunch showed he had little breeding, and they didn’t belong to the same social class. The Belgian did not want to become too friendly with someone who was not his social equal.

The Belgian expected the German to be industrious and serious about their work. He believed in the stereotype of German efficiency. When the German insisted they keep their lunch date despite the pressing work to be done, the Belgian thought a lack of commitment was revealed. He no longer felt as warmly towards a colleague who was not as reliable and hard-working as he had thought.

The Belgian thought that the German’s choice of an inexpensive restaurant showed his lack of respect for the Belgian and for their relationship

The Belgian thought that the German had taken him to an inexpensive restaurant to save money. This revealed an aspect of the German’s character which caused the Belgian to lose respect for him.

 


 

    WHEN IN BELGIUM
When doing business in Belgium, are the following true or false?
Click in the box to the left of as many answers as you feel apply. Then scroll down and click on the button to see the solution.

You should expect to spend plenty of time in establishing a new
relationship.

If commitments do not allow you to spend several hours for a business
lunch, it is better to cancel and reschedule.

Before inviting a new associate to a restaurant, you should have a meal
there yourself to be sure it really is an excellent restaurant.

If you haven’t eaten there, but only heard that the restaurant is good,
you should inform your guest of this, just in case anything goes wrong.

You should expect to order a good bottle of wine and have a leisurely
meal of many courses when you invite a business partner to a lunch.

The purpose of the lengthy business lunch is to get to know your business
associate, so you should expect to discuss personal things such as your
family, your hobbies, and your home.

Back to home page