When Italians talk they keep their hands held high as a way of holding the floor in a

conversation. What seems like affection arm touching during an Italian conversation is
nothing more than a way of stopping the listener from raising his hands and taking the
floor. To interrupt an Italian you must grab his hands in mid air and hold them down. As a
comparison the Germans and British look as if they are physically paralyzed when they talk.
They are daunted when trying to converse with Italians and French and rarely get an
opportunity to speak. French use their forearms and hands when they talk, Italians use their
entire arms and body, while the Brits and Germans stand at attention.

When it comes to doing international business, smart attire, excellent references and a good
proposal can all become instantly unstuck by the smallest, most innocent gesture sinking
the whole deal. Our research in 42 countries shows North Americans to be the least
culturally sensitive people with the British coming in a close second. Considering that 86%
of North Americans don't have a passport, it follows that they would be the most ignorant of
international body language customs. Even George W Bush had to apply for a passport after
becoming President of the United States so he could travel overseas. The Brits, however, do
travel extensively but prefer everyone else to use British body signals, speak English and
serve fish and chips. Most foreign cultures do not expect you to learn their language but are
extremely impressed by the traveller who has taken the time to learn and use local body
language customs. This tells them that you respect their culture.

One area where handshakes, kissing and bear hugs have not become established is Japan,
where such bodily contact is considered impolite. Japanese people bow on first meeting, the
person with the highest status bowing the least and the one with the least status bowing
the most. On first meeting, business cards are exchanged, each person assesses the others
status and appropriate bowing follows.

In Japan, make sure your shoes are spotlessly clean and in good condition. Every time a
Japanese bows, he inspects them.

The Japanese way of listening to someone involves a repertoire of smiley nods and polite
noises, which have no direct equivalent in other languages. The idea is to encourage you to
keep on talking but this is often misinterpreted by Westerners and Europeans. The Head
Nod is an almost universal sign for "yes", except for the Bulgarians who use the gesture to
signify "no", and the Japanese who use it for politeness. If you say something a Japanese
doesn't agree with, he'll still say "yes" - or Hai in Japanese - to keep you talking. A
Japanese "yes" usually means, "yes, I heard you" and not "yes, I agree". For example, if
you say to a Japanese person "you don't agree, do you?" he will nod his head and say "yes"
even though he may not agree. In the Japanese context, it means "Yes, you are correct - I
don't agree."

People do business with people who make them feel comfortable and it comes down to
sincerity and good manners. When entering a foreign country, concentrate on reducing the
broadness of your body language until you have the opportunity to observe the locals. If
you're not sure how to be polite in someone else's culture, ask the locals to show you how
things are done.

Cultural misinterpretation of gestures can produce embarrassing results and a person's

background should always be considered before jumping to conclusions about the meaning
of his or her body language and gestures.

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Synonyms

Nouns (imenice): Verbs (glagoli):

encounter – meeting bump – knock, hit, strike
peck – kiss Fumble – stumble, blunder, flounder,
affection – fondness, liking, feeling, love, bumble
care, desire take the floor – discuss, debate
attire – clothes, wear, dress, clothing grab – snatch, catch, capture, grip, grasp
nod – incline, bob, bow, duck, dip daunt – discourage, frighten, scare, terrify,
sincerity – honesty, truth, frankness intimidate, deter
broadness – wideness come/become unstuck – break down, fall
apart
establish – set up, found, start, create,
institute, organize
bow – bob
misinterpret – misunderstand, get wrong
jump to conclusions – presume,
presuppose
Adjectives and adverbs Prepositions and conjunctions
(pridevi i prilozi): (predlozi i veznici):
embarrassing – humiliating, upsetting, whereas – but on the other hand
compromising, shaming
hilarious – funny, entertaining, amusing,
humorous
unstuck – ruined
ignorant – uneducated, illiterate,
inexperienced

Tabela 26.2.

Conclusion

• There are cultural and ideological differences in every country and it is of great
importance to have an understanding about a culture’s customs. It is very important
to recognize that people from different countries are different in many ways.

Napomena za testove napredovanja

Kako biste što bolje usvojili gradivo, uz ovu lekciju dostupan je test za vežbu, koji se odnosi
na gramatiku.

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