Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a) Pre-reading
People around the world have different habits and customs. Can you list some cultural differences
between different nations?
Have you ever had any personal intercultural experience? If yes, share your experience with your
fellow students.
We now live in a fully global society where it is imperative to have an awareness of cultural differences as
they relate to networking etiquette.
Tourists on holidays usually just see the visible surface aspects of a culture. They see what people eat, how
they dress, how they behave in public. But they do not really learn to understand the deeper-lying values,
the invisible seven eighths of the so-called “iceberg of culture” These aspects of intercultural understanding
are especially important in the tourism industry where cultural interaction is part of so many people’s work.
It’s very important to respect the cultural boundaries relating to personal space. Body language and
expressions are just different in many places. Arabs, for example, like to talk with little space between
themselves and the other person, much to the discomfort of Westerners.
Register
When using slang in a business environment, you might want to keep in mind that what means one thing to
us might have no meaning, or a very different meaning, to a business man or woman from another culture.
That is why it is appropriate to stick to the formal register.
Behaviour
There are some tourist destinations where a certain behaviour may be considered offensive and it can lead
to serious repercussions for the tourist who was not informed in advance about the customs of that country
(an example is Dubai, a luxury destination visited annually by over 6 million tourists- kissing in public is
punishable by imprisonment followed by expulsion and restriction for visiting the country for life).
Describe some basic differences in business card etiquette in Asia and in Europe or America.
https://takelessons.com/blog/life-in-spain-vs-us-z03
A diverse country filled with delicious dishes, rich cultural offerings, and plenty of fun, Spain is a
country that will delight, amaze, and inspire you.
And as anyone who has travelled abroad knows, no two countries are alike! You might even be
surprised by some of the cultural differences that exist. Knowing these will help you blend in,
connect more with the culture and people, and feel comfortable in whatever setting you find
yourself in!