Victor Romain has been teaching business English in Russia for quite some time, hoping that proficiency in this international language of commerce will help his students achieve success. But more than just language skills are needed to overcome communication barriers: A knowledge of others’ cultures is required too.

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), Austrian philosopher, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Globalization has had a significant impact on the way business is done. It has brought more and more corporate personnel of different nationalities into the same office space and has sent many company representatives flying around the world on business trips.

Business English-language training companies today do more than just instruct people on how to communicate in this international world of commerce. Almost as important is the ability to develop cultural sensitivity, especially in a business context. Our company, one of many in the field, sees this as one of its central goals.

Until a few years ago it was unusual for corporations to worry about such things as cross-cultural understanding, and there were not many firms offering special training in this field.

Today, personnel-training companies offer these services everywhere and have become as popular with and as important to corporations as owning a second-hand Volkswagen Beetle was to many Western students in the mid-’60s to early ’70s. Why is this?

This is because a corporation could be making a major blunder in sending someone to conclude a business deal without that person understanding the basic business etiquette and social skills of that country, be it Russia, South Korea, or Japan, for example.

In many cases, merely sending a woman to a given country in which business and important decisions are the domain of men, could already be putting the firm at a disadvantage and the contract signing in jeopardy — no matter how good that person’s experience or education.

The training of corporate personnel in the importance of cultural-awareness issues is one of the most important aspects of any international business English training course. Why should this be so? Because what might seem a harmless spoken or facial expression or a joke or deed that would be inoffensive in your culture could cost your company the loss of a contract and total respect from representatives from another country.

Just because businesspeople might use English as a mutual means of communication does not in any way guarantee that the meanings behind the words will carry the same connotations in all cultures.

This is true even for people from different English-speaking countries. If an Englishman, for example, tries to pay an American a compliment by saying, "Your business is going like a bomb," that will suggest that the Englishman is of the opinion that the company is failing.

For example, one well-intentioned act that went hugely awry was made by a large British corporation that put pork on the menu to a visiting Muslim delegation.

Needless to say, the visitors were grievously offended and the company kissed a large contract goodbye — and it had, probably, taken thousands of pounds and months of pre-negotiations to even get that far. Effort, time, money. All wasted!

Two interesting stories I heard during conversations with Russian businessmen friends this week come to mind. One was about an Englishman who wished to start a small joint-venture operation some years ago. Having been invited to Russia for talks, he was also invited to his potential partner’s wedding anniversary party the very evening of his arrival.

He was met at the airport by the businessman’s driver and, wishing to create a good impression, asked him to stop to buy a bouquet of flowers for the businessman’s wife. He also had a present for the host — a beautiful knife, for opening envelopes.

He had made three bad mistakes.

First, the number of flowers was an even number. An even number of flowers, in Russia, are only given to bereaved family members, after the tragic loss of a loved one. Secondly, giving knives, when trying to establish a business deal, usually signifies the cutting off of a relationship.

And his third mistake? He had not taken time out to study a few simple things, about Russian culture, before stepping on the plane in the United Kingdom. One can only imagine the embarrassment he experienced at the anniversary party as a result.

The second story is of a Russian who was trying to do business with a middle-aged South Korean gentleman. After a few days of initial contact, he made one small, but quite significant, mistake, which all but cost him the contract.

Upon meeting his counterpart, he ventured to ask how business was doing. A usual enough question, one might think. At this the South Korean got riled up and his answer was a very brusque "O.K." Feeling that the talks were foundering, the Russian businessman went home and sat and thought about what had happened.

He then phoned his friend, a Korean born in Russia, for advice on what could have gone wrong. His friend explained that in Korean culture, asking "How’s business doing?" is actually reserved for family or close friends. This question, harmless enough among Russians, carries the connotation that one is being deliberately nosey and over-inquisitive among Koreans.

Meanwhile, in Japan, people often want to spend time getting to know the person with whom they are doing business. A business card should always be received with respect. The card should then be read carefully before putting it into your cardholder and never written upon. A Japanese person may sometimes say "yes" to mean, "I understand what you said." They will never say "no." Once a contact has been made, don’t expect to start business straight away; a lot of small talk and long periods of silence, which the Japanese value for contemplation, may be inevitable.

Often, people must work with others of different nationalities or cultural backgrounds. Frequently, ignorance of others’ cultural sensitivities can cause hostility between employees. This is counterproductive for a corporation and can lead to unnecessary stress factors for the people involved. Training personnel in how to enjoy social interaction with people of different cultures can only come with constant, everyday self-practice and analysis and well-planned training, personnel and programs.

Learning about the different ways in which people communicate can only enrich our lives. The many different communication styles possessed by different cultures, are a reflection of deeper philosophies and views of the world in which we live. These, in turn, are the foundation of one’s culture. Understanding these philosophies can only present to us a much broader picture of what this world can offer us, should we wish to try to understand other people’s cultures. As a result, problems in communication automatically start to diminish.