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Did you know...?• you can follow Alpha Translations Canada Inc. on Twitter! • Alpha Translations Canada Inc. is on Facebook! • Alpha Translations Canada Inc. has an all-female staff! • Alpha Translations Canada Inc. has turned around projects with a volume of 800 pages within 5 days! Cultural GuidesThis month we are introducing Japan to our "Cultural Guides". The complete guide as well as all past "Cultural Guides" can be viewed on our website. Making Appointments Normal business hours might be 9-5, but most people don't follow this, and meetings can frequently go later. Today, making appointments through email or phone is the most common practice... Business Dress Before the turn of the century, very formal business attire would have been recomended. In the banking and finance industries, this is generally still the norm. But times have changed and with those times so has appreciation for variations in material and color and fashion overall... One of the recent prime ministers, Koizumi, had even advocated not wearing neckties in the summer, in order to save on air-conditioning costs! Thus you will find a good number of business people wearing short-sleeve business shirts with no tie and no jacket... First Name or Title? It is the general norm to add '-san' to the end of the last name for all people you meet. First names are rarely used except when people become very good friends. The only problem is it wouldn't be strange to have several Suzuki-san's in the same room. Then it's up to you to keep it straight by remembering who is who, but still not using their first names. Let's Make a Deal! Connections and relationships are golden in Japan. It doesn't necessarily get you the deal up front, but it gets you in the door, which can be the hardest step of all. In order to cement those relationships, it does require effort. Keeping in touch, a dinner or karaoke from time to time, holiday cards, maybe golf and more, depending on the type of relationship... Having a dual language business card is certainly helpful - English on one side, Japanese on the other... Prosperous Entertaining ...Entertaining for business has evolved over the past many years. Most people have heard of a geisha experience or perhaps Kobe beef (they feed beer to the animals and massage them as well - makes for good beef!). Sure these experiences do exist especially within reach of some of the most popular business districts of Tokyo such as Shinjuku, Akasaka, Ikebukuro, and Roppongi. At the same time these experiences will damage your wallet quite significantly! Also going out for Karaoke or heading to an "izakaya" for some drinking before heading out is also common.... As you get your drinks, consisting most often of beer or sake, the ritual of pouring for each other begins. It is customary to pour each other drinks, so don't pour your own, but pour for your Japanese colleague...Also, a pleasant reminder to everyone - there is no tipping in Japan! Public Behaviour ...The old recommendation regarding ones demeanor would have been to be solemn and quiet, but today, it's alright to veer away from that a bit. Don't get too loud and overuse your hands as it might turn off the Japanese. Also be careful about starting with jokes, as it's rather difficult to get the meaning across, and can leave the Japanese confused, which would be awkward especially at the beginning of a meeting!...Try not to use the word 'uh' in your speech, as it has a rough sound to the Japanese and can hurt the overall flow of what your saying. Avoid crossing your legs if possible. Sit up and be attentive in the meetings...Try to turn to the side when sneezing or coughing and cover your face. If you sneeze into a tissue, then throw it out right away... source: www.executiveplanet.com Please click here to read the complete Culture Guide! |
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