Cultural and communication differences exist in many capacities. In business, international managers often see differences in how meetings are used and conducted among cultures. In some regions, meetings are used to approve key decisions, as opposed to debate the merits of one strategy over another. Where meetings are used to…
Any intentional business leader recognizes that residents of Berlin, Tokyo or Dallas are different, regardless of the development of the Internet, social media, tourism, trade and other channels that bring the world closer together. Since conducting international business requires working with people, culture has a powerful impact on the relationships…
The ideas that we value, believe and support are molded by our culture. Communicating with people from different cultures often creates communication and relationship challenges. In order to be successful in international business, we need to understand other cultures by developing intercultural competence. Intercultural Competence Intercultural competence is the skill…
Marketing globally requires making many financial, legal, logistical, communication and marketing decisions. Because the international business environment can be very complex, it often requires detailed analyses of factors present in a new market. One such factor that requires deep analysis is the cultural and social differences that are present in that…
Deciding to market internationally can be extremely risky and costly for businesses, but the opportunities can be very rewarding. Before a business enters a new market, it should take time to evaluate the country’s laws, customs, languages, preferences, ethical codes, labor force, marketplaces and political systems. A strong knowledge of…
Understanding how people make decisions in business can be difficult. What’s important for professional translators and interpreters to know is that people make decisions differently for a number of reasons. It’s particularly important to understand others’ decision-making rationale when trying to interpret the motives of people from other cultures, particularly…