The Foreign Office has advised Britons to make themselves aware of local laws before they make trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to the department’s latest British Behaviour Abroad report, it is in Middle-Eastern states where Britons are most likely to fall foul of the authorities.
“The report highlights just how many British nationals encounter difficulties whilst abroad,” commented Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant.
Brits were proportionally more likely to have been jailed in the UAE than in any other country, the study showed, although most arrests were made in Spain (2,290).
Mr Bryant noted: “Researching the local laws and customs before you travel could avoid time in a foreign jail.”
Tourists visiting Shanghai for next year’s World Expo could be confused by signs on wet floors reading “Slip Carefully!”
So authorities in China want to make sure they never see them.
The Shanghai government, along with neighbouring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, published a 20-page guide book this week to standardise signs and eliminate notoriously bad, and sometimes amusing, English translations.
“A number of the English translations are quite baffling, others are simply awkward,” Xue Mingyang, director of the Shanghai Education Commission, was quoted as telling the China Daily.
The official campaign prompted local media to share favourite mistranslations.
At Shanghai’s iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, visitors are warned “Ragamuffin, drunken people and psychotics are forbidden to enter”, according to the Shanghaiist city blog.
A malfunctioning online translation tool may have helped a restaurant named “Translate server error” get its photo published in Tuesday’s Oriental Morning Post. The sign’s Chinese characters merely read “Restaurant”.
The nearly 400 standard translations included in the guidelines were devised by linguists and experts from Shanghai universities.
They range from the basic labelling of men’s and women’s toilets to a stern “No Smoking, Eating, Drinking or Loitering”.
Pollution is sometimes a problem, but recent improvements made before the Olympic Games last year mean that now is a good time to be there. What better place to do business than the original city of democracy, learning, philosophical excellence and the arts?
Arriving: The state-of-the-art Eleftherios Venizelos international airport was finished in 2001 in readiness for the Olympics and makes flying into Athens easier than ever, says athensguide.com. It’s about 20 miles from the capital and the city centre can be reached via a new six-lane motorway or the new metro extension. Immaculate trains leave every 30 minutes and stop at all stations to Monastiraki in the centre of town. The names of each stop, and signposts in general, are now translated phonetically into English to make life easier for travellers.
Business etiquette: The linchpin of business dealings in Greece is personal relationships, says kwintessential.co.uk. The Greeks prefer to do business with friends, but becoming too chummy too quickly might cause offence. The preferred way to do business is face to face and appointments are ideally made one or two weeks in advance. Afternoons are usually reserved for lunch so are not a good time for business, says worldexecutive.com. Nepotism is not frowned upon either, so expect to find relatives working for the same company. Printed material should be written in both English and Greek and an interpreter is a good idea.
A hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona, 7pm. A weary traveller, recently off an 11-hour flight from Gatwick, has just eaten half a bucket-sized portion of beef, cheese and peppers in the hotel restaurant and is about to get into bed.
Caller: “Hi, Mr Richardson. This is Brad here. Your waiter for this evening.”
Me (puzzled but friendly): “Oh, hi, Brad.”
Brad: “I was just calling to check you enjoyed your meal this evening.”
Me: “Well, cheers for asking, Brad. It was fine.”
Brad: “Only, I guess you being tired and all, you forgot to express your appreciation in the customary way…”
Like a lemon I got dressed, went downstairs to the restaurant and handed Brad a $5 bill. The recollection of this episode has tortured me ever since.
Yes, I know that Brad gets paid diddly-squat and, like all American waitpersons, relies on tips to stay alive. I forgot, I screwed up. But I was already in my pyjamas, for God’s sake.
Tipping, let’s face it, is a cultural and pecuniary minefield. There are complex cultural variants, such as baksheesh in the Middle East (basically, daylight robbery) and ta’arof in Iran, a preposterous formality whereby offers of money are refused two or three times before being greedily gobbled up. But these require a lifetime of study.
People from diverse cultures react differently to the element of surprise, according to authors Ana Valenzuela (Baruch College), Barbara Mellers (University of California, Berkeley), and Judi Strebel (San Francisco State University). The research team explored different cultural responses to promotional gifts, such as gift cards, mugs, snacks, t-shirts, etc.
The authors conducted four studies in which participants received a gift as a token of appreciation for participating in a survey. Some of the participants knew about the gifts before participating, while others were surprised. Regardless of the gift, participants from the United States enjoyed the surprise more than participants in Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.
“Why does this phenomenon happen? For Westerners, an unexpected gift reinforces feelings of control over their environment. For East Asians, an unexpected gift indicates imbalance and prophesizes bad fortune,” the authors write. “Our findings suggest that East Asians’ experience of surprise is closely connected to their motivation to seek emotional balance.”
Manners and attitude speak volumes in Asian countries. When making a new business contact, ensure your intentions aren’t lost in translation.
When conducting business in any country, certain customs are assumed: a firm handshake, eye contact, an exchange of business cards followed by friendly conversation. Although Asian countries often have similar customs, it is important to understand that even something as simple as direct eye contact can be misconstrued and cause a business interaction to end before it even begins.
Manners and attitude speak volumes in Asian countries, pointing to your inner character. Here are some basic tips to help make introductory business exchanges in China and Japan successful.
Business Introductions
When first meeting a new business contact, it is important to make a good impression and present yourself according to the customs of the country. In Japan and China, this entails bowing to indicate respect, says Asia Pulse’s Guide to Business Etiquette in Asia. In Japan, bowing is especially important, although the Chinese also consider bowing a key part of any introduction.
Travellers who have not familiarised themselves with the value of local currency are going over budget on their holidays, according to new data.
In a survey conducted by American Express Global Foreign Exchange Services, 46 per cent of tourists admitted to not fully understanding the conversion rate to the currency in their chosen destination.
Vice president of American Express Global Foreign Exchange Services Helen Grace noted that with the increasing demand for exotic currencies, such as the Dominican Peso and the United Arab Emirates Dirham, holiday makers must improve their knowledge of local currencies or risk over spending significantly while abroad.
Ms Grace said: “It can be really difficult to stick to a budget when you are unsure of the currency rate, and some find it hard to think of foreign currency as real money.”
The survey concluded that travellers are losing £975 million pounds per year due to confusion over foreign currency.
A Buddhist preacher in Thailand has announced plans for new guidelines aimed at curbing the flamboyant behaviour of gay and transgender monks.
The “good manners” curriculum - the country’s first - is being introduced in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
The senior monk told the BBC he was particularly concerned by effeminate activities among novices such as the wearing of make-up and tight robes.
More than 90% of the Thai population are followers of Buddhism.
Tales of monks behaving badly are nothing new in Thailand.
In recent years, they have been accused of abuses of their exalted position in society that range from amassing dozens of luxury cars, to running fake amulet scams, to violating their vows of celibacy, our correspondent says.
President Obama’s recent trip to Turkey has brought attention back to the country. A nation rich in resources, an established democracy undergoing liberal reforms and the possibility of joining the EU make Turkey one to watch for the near future. An already expanding export market based in the manufacturing industries means doing business in Turkey is rapidly being recognised as a lucrative venture.
Doing business in Turkey however requires understanding the people, culture, etiquette and approach to business. By acquiring cross cultural skills, international business people can maximise their prospects of success in Turkey.
This brief guide to doing business in Turkey offers some key tips on how to approach business in Turkey, the etiquette you should employ and how best to present yourself to your Turkish clients, colleagues or customers.
Doing Business - Meeting and Greeting
When meeting, shake hands firmly. When departing, it is not always customary to shake hands although it is practised occasionally.
In the business context most women will shake hands with men. However, this may not be the case in Eastern or rural Turkey where people are more conservative. If unsure, wait for the woman to extend her hand.
When addressing a Turk the most common method is to call a man by his first name followed by ‘bey’ (pronounced bay). So, Ertan Gonca, would be Ertan Bey. Similarly a woman’s first name would be followed by ‘hanim’ (pronounced ha-num).
Where professional titles exist such as Doctor or Professor, always use them either on their own of before the first name. Curiously this is also the case with many other professions such as lawyers ‘Avukat’, engineers ‘Muhendis’ and managers ‘Mudur’.
When doing business in Turkey, initial meetings should always concentrate on relationship building. Engage in some light conversation to establish rapport. Questions about children will be welcomed. The Turks are proud of their country and will enjoy answering questions on their culture and history although be sure to avoid political history. Most Turkish men love football (soccer) and usually support one of three teams: Galatasaray, Besiktas or Fenerbahçe. Asking after their team’s recent fortunes will always produce lively and animate responses.
As virtual bridges crossing the overwhelming number of black rivers, crosswalks may someday be an anthropological resource. Within the accompanying urban signage exists a multitude of behavioral indicators.
This morning, witnessing suicidal pedestrians, I was reminded of the first time I was struck by the cultural undertones of crosswalks while committing an apparent urban faux pas in Munich.
Street-crossing would appear to be a universal system to provide safety beyond language barriers. It is a system built on common knowledge - look both ways before you cross - and universal symbols. Thus, regardless of your tongue, you should be able to achieve a high level of mobility within this system.
Perhaps it’s not so simple.
We all grow up learning and seeing these rules in action, but we do not learn the same cultural associations to this system. Some of us grow up in a car culture - as urban sprawl reigns supreme - where cultural associations favor cars, others in a neighborhood culture that favors pedestrians.
As a child of suburbia, I first became familiar with the associations of a car culture, and this is pretty much how I think pedestrians were treated ….
This video brings up three behavioral decisions.
* Do you push the button, or wait (most of the crosswalk buttons are dummies in New York.)
* In that respect, do you push the button more times to make it change faster (same goes for elevators)
* If you don’t see any cars, do you cross despite the signal
If it isn’t obvious, the last of these, is the one I am interested in. As a New York resident, I see implications of the pedestrian/car battle on a daily basis.
I first noticed a stark difference in the cultural significance of the digital boxes at crosswalks when I was in Europe. I was living in Paris, and quickly learned that you ignore the safety signs. The decision to cross or not is solely based on oncoming traffic. The city’s density diminishes the reliability on traffic lights for pedestrians. Impatient drivers, buses on schedules, taxis on the go, bikers weaving in and out of cars, none of which are guaranteed to follow the rules of the road. Therefore, one must fend for themselves. Cross at your own risk. Be ready to bolt when you hear the violent horn closing in to your right. These are the rules of Paris.
Hop on a train to Munich, and you’ll discover a different scenario.
I found myself standing at an intersection amongst six or so Germans, no cars in sight, and a static red hand across the street. I’m assuming the role of suave Parisian by now, so I dart across the street. Not sensing the herd behind me, I turn around and discover the glare of a disapproving group still standing on the other side. Tsk Tsk. Shortly the light changed, the “walking man” appeared, and the group crossed the street.
So now, I find myself wondering if there is some sort of law governing when a pedestrian can cross the street in Germany, or if I just came across a cautious bunch that did not appreciate my impatience. My unscientific experiment did not produce any concrete evidence, but did reveal the cultural habit in this German city to wait for the crosswalk signal.
Fast forward to this morning in New York City. I emerge from the subway (a system with its own etiquette ignored by many), find my bearings and approach an intersection. The digital box across the street displays a static red hand. I check for oncoming cars, see one in the distance, but decide I can make it. I make it across without having to pick up speed, but I appear to have developed a herd of followers. This is a phenomenon that happens in New York because people watch the flow of movement, not traffic signals. Not realizing the futility of this method, several pedestrians find themselves before a car barreling down the street, laying it on the horn. Fortunately, New Yorkers are alert and driver’s would rather not be inconvenienced by hitting someone.
So what do we learn from all this? Not much, relative to crosswalk laws. They are relatively the same across cities, however, watching the patterns of pedestrians and cars will shed light on urban attitudes. A dominant form of mobility may be revealed, or an intense competition between two may present itself, as we see here in New York.
Ultimately, I just enjoy considering urban conflicts, and the story they tell. From the streets of New York…
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