Doing Business in Brazil

Brazilians take pride in their Portuguese heritage, so to call locals Spanish .1 Americans would be insulting them. On the same note, Brazil's official language is Portuguese , not Spanish. Frequently the spelling of Portuguese words is exactly the same as Spanish, but the pronunciation differs greatly. A. . Before opening your mouth in this country, learn to .speak a few words If your business destination is one of the northern cities like Rio, city of the .2 carnival and samba, expect a casual environment. B. Bring comfortable, semi-casual clothes for business in the north and .conservative dark suits or dresses for southern cities like Sao Paolo Time is important to southerners and lateness is considered rude and .3 unprofessional. C. If you called a meeting at around four, a Rio citizen, for example, may interpret the gathering time at around four, and could show up at four fifteen or four thirty. Whatever you do, dont be put off, or indicate that you were concerned about the late arrival: your South .American counterpart won't understand D At that time, introductions are made. Formalise your.4 contact's first name by saying Senhor, Senhora or Senhorita (Mr., Mrs.,or Miss). The surname is generally not used. Once you have become friendly .with Senhora Astrud, you would be expected to simply call her Astrud If you are indicating approval on a business matter, never give the okay .5 sign with your fingers. E. Instead, use the gesture of closing your hand and raising your thumb up. During the business day you will most likely be offered cafezinho, a very strong Brazilian coffee. Accept it .graciousl.y so as not to offend your host. If you don't like coffee, sip it slowly People from the US should never refer to their country as "America". It is .6 better to say you are from the United States. South American, particularly, Brazilians, find North Americans a bit egocentric when referring to back .home as America. F

.Questions on the text I. The text has a missing sentence in each paragraph. Choose the best sentence for each paragraph. Write the number of the sentence in the .box In the north, however, your host may not always be so punctual .1 .Avoid committing a cultural offence .2 However, when scheduling meetings in southern cities, you'll find business .3 .settings just the opposite: quite formal After all, Brazilians live in America too 4 This is an obscene gesture in Brazil .5 Shaking hands and exchanging business cards begin any first business .6 .meeting in Brazil

.II. Choose the best title for each numbered paragraph _____:Paragraph 1 _____:Paragraph 2 _____:Paragraph 3 _____:Paragraph 4 _____:Paragraph 5
A. Some important business customs B. Advice on speaking the language C. Advice on dress D. Where to do business in Brazil E. Some things to avoid F. Some American Habits Questions on the text. G. Advice on punctuality

1. What is the author's purpose in writing the text? a) to convince the reader to do business in Brazil b) to argue against doing business in Brazil c) to raise cultural awareness about Brazil d) to educate readers about Rio.

2. According to the author why should people not refer to Spanish Americans?

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3. Complete the sentence with words from the text.

You should take two different kinds of clothing to Brazil because__________ _______________________________________________________. 4. What is a surname? a) First name b) Last name c) Middle name d) Married name

5. What are two things that are done at initial

business

meetings?

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