| From: | "Fisher, Victor" <Victor-Fisher@******.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Japanese Business Etiquette [Was Things to do in Seattle...] |
| Date: | Thu, 5 Jun 1997 16:05:12 -0400 |
Oh yeah? I have a friend who is currenly living in Japan and working for
a large Japanese auto manufacturer (one of the big three BTW). He is a
>native english speaker, and his job is to sit in at business meetings and
take notes on what was said, then he later explains to his employers
>what was meant. My understanding is that this is common practice in Japanese
business. His employers may speak English, but they still use
>translators, they are just more subtle about it.
Sorry I didn't delineate myself further [was that the right choice
of words?]. Many Japanese overseas study English much more extensively
than Americans Japanese. And, many companies I was given to believe also
employ translators [human]. But I'll bet those who use translators don't
do so exclusively in important meetings. Many languages, especially ones
like Japanese, often can express a different content just by the
inflection and tone given a sentence, that a translator [at least now]
just can't replicate.
I know at Oxford University, in England, they're doing incredible
things with computer simulated human voices, where great singers can now
perform musical pieces they never sang in life. It's incredible.
Still, you can't tell me that an English businessman with a good
command of Japanese wouldn't score more points [or at least garner a
little more respect] by addressing those 'foreign' businessmen in their
native language. Almost everywhere I've been [except France :-], people
are honored that someone is trying to learn how to speak their tongue,
and tend [NOT ALWAYS] to be a little more sympathetic.
I think I understand a little about the position; I almost took a
similar one in Tokyo teaching English to Japanese students.
There was even a congresional committee on the tv a year or two
ago, talking about the same thing.
And it just proves my point; Japanese businessmen understand more
about how Americans do business than vice versa. It's not an inditement
or anything. I just think learning the language, both in character, and
real life, is worth it.
What the hell was I talking about , anyway?!?
