Comments

sophisticated adj складний;

entrenched adj укорінений;

eye contact n зоровий контакт;

laggard adj неквапний;

sluggishness n інертність, неквапність;

long-term adj довготерміновий;

taciturn adj небагатослівний;

take at one’s word phr сприймати слова всерйоз;

in depth phr детально;

get to the root phr докопатися до суті.

6. Hong kong

Conversation. Appropriate topics include how a person is feeling and recent events. Topics to avoid include politics, censorship, and protest movements.

Punctuality. Be sure to show your respect by being prompt. Punctuality is a much-appreciated virtue in Hong Kong.

Public manners. It is important to maintain a two arm’s-length distance from your contact. Touching and patting are considered taboo. Feet should be facing the ground rather than having the soles of shoes showing.

Business entertaining. Be prepared for a long banquet. You may be involved in this type of meal after a business relationship has been established. Be prepared to use chopsticks. When you are not using them, lay them on the rest or across the bowl – never place them vertically. You may be offered a finger towel rather than a napkin at the end of a meal. When eating rice, be sure to leave most of it in the bowl by the time the last course is concluded. Otherwise you will be perceived as not having had enough to eat during the meal.

Gift-giving is considered a business custom. Avoid giving a clock. This item is equated with death. Just as with business cards, present a gift with both hands. Open a gift in front of the person who gave it to you only when requested to do so.

Comments

virtue adj позитивна якість, чеснота.

7. Indonesia

Conversation. Appropriate topics of conversation include family, food, the weather, and travel experiences. Although you may feel uncomfortable being asked personal questions about your own family, the cost of something you bought, and so on, it is acceptable to ask similar questions once they have been posed to you. If you are visiting Java, however, you should avoid topics such as family, purchases, and possessions.

Punctuality. Promptness is appreciated.

Public manners. When you are in a private home or mosque, be sure to remove your shoes. Point them toward the door from which you entered. Hugging and kissing in public is considered to be inappropriate. Indonesians would, as a rule, rather be wrong than not be able to give you directions. For that reason, it’s a good idea to ask a few people to confirm the directions you have been given. If you are at a gathering in Java and are introduced to a group whose members all represent the same organization, it is not necessary to shake hands with each person.

Business entertaining. Rather than giving your Indonesian partner a gift, consider passing along a compliment or a thank-you note. Understand that it will be considered good manners to take a second helping of food. Recognize, too, that eating is regarded as a very private matter and that conversation will therefore be kept to a bare minimum. It is considered good manners to leave a taste of food on the plate and a few sips of your beverage in the glass. Eat with your right hand, rather than your left hand. Be aware that women may be seated at separate tables from men. (In Java, however, men and women may be seated next to each other. The most important male guest will typically be seated next to the host, just as the most important female guest will be asked to sit next to the hostess.) While a fork and large spoon will be available for you, a knife will not. Food is served in bite-sized pieces, so a knife will not be needed. Use the fork as a tool for putting food on the spoon.