Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Guide to Building Trust, Inspiring Respect, and Creating Long-Lasting Business Relationships

Chapter 4Overview of Concepts and Terms

This chapter contains an alphabetical list of concepts and terms that will help you better understand how to build trust, inspire respect, and create long-lasting business relationships in Asia. Please note, however, that these are offered only as guidelines, and that not every concept will apply universally across all Asian cultures. Supplement what you find here by reviewing each of the following country chapters and develop the Asian contacts that can provide you with an even deeper cultural understanding.

Business Cards

Out of respect for your Asian counterparts, print your business cards in English on one side and in their language on the other. Always present and receive business cards with the right hand, or both hands (not the left), with the text facing toward the recipient. When receiving a card, review it carefully for a moment (to show respect for the person named) before placing it in a business card case, portfolio, or on the table in front of you.

Colloquialisms

The playwright George Bernard Shaw once described the relationship between England and the United States as “two countries divided by a common language.” If this linguistic chasm can be said to exist between the interpretations of English in two Western countries, imagine the divide between English and the languages of Asia. Avoid using slang words or colloquialisms, both from your own culture (because the listener will not know what you mean) and from the Asian ...