“Taking the time to learn a few key phrases in Japanese will help you for sure while doing business abroad. Greetings are an important part of the Japanese language and culture in general, and particularly so in business. One important business greeting is itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu (いつもおせわになっております, いつもお世話になっております) ”Thank you for your patronage”. It is also sometimes said by customers to suppliers, in the sense of “Thank you for your support,” or “Thank you for your work.”(Seifi, P. (2017, March 27).
When doing business in Japan, individuals need to understand what those in Japan expect from those whom they are doing business with. “The Japanese require more information about the person with whom they interact, so as to determine which form to use in their complex language. Thus, they are given to asking questions about your job, title, responsibilities and so on. When a business meeting is scheduled, they prefer advance information in the form of electronic mail, brochures, and even proposals to help them prepare. Japanese appreciate it when outsiders seek to learn more about their unique culture and language, even if it is only a few phrases or expressions in Japanese.” (Moran et al., 2014, pg 434)
When communicating in English language, an interpreter wait for the individual speaking to finish before translating the statement into Japanese. An interpreter from Japan will translate simultaneously and will likely know how the sentence will end. (Moran et al., 2014, pg 433)
References:
Moran, R., Abramson, N., & Moran, S. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.
Japanese Language. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2018, from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/atlas/japanese/language.html
rdg7 says
Julie,
Just wanted to add to your blog the importance of formality in the Japanese culture communication process. In the United States, it is very common for someone to speak in the same way to different people from different classes. Although, someone would formally speak to someone else they just met until both parties get a little bit more aquatinted with each other constitutes the same process in Japan, Japanese people tend to speak in more formal ways to people with different social classes and age. In this website https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/keigo/ you can see that the Japanese language have 3 ways of saying “Good Morning” to someone. one for each type of setting and one more formal than the other. Please keep in mind that this is only an example; however, the key point to take away is the fact that Japanese formality is very important not only in communication but in many other aspects of life. One anecdote i can give you is the fact that when you enter a store in Japan, no matter how informal the store may be (like for example a gas station mini market) all Japanese workers would yell out “Ohayou gozaimasu” as a formal welcome to their place of business; in fact, this is so important to their culture that they place bells on the doors to hear customers walk in. The same rules apply whenever you leave the store, all employees send you on your way with a formal farewell. This is something that you do not see everyday on many places in the United States; however, it is not expected since social learning has thought us to not expect it; nevertheless, this type of formality is always welcome.
bdj5038 says
I forgot my reference info:
Moran, R., Abramson, N., & Moran, S. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.
bdj5038 says
Hello Julie,
I find the Japanese culture very interesting when discussing their communication style. My limited experience has left me with a view as the communication is professional and very matter-of-fact. Many years ago I was in Okinawa for a short time. I did not speak a single word but communicating happened through gestures or more commonly, they spoke English. Recently through the lesson, the book stated: “nonverbal communications are subtle, and the Japanese are disconcerted by the broad expressions and gestures of Americans.” (Moran, R. et al., 2014) Looking back, I wonder if I came off more comical because when I am unfamiliar with something, my nervous tendency is to become more animated with my gestures.
Professionalism and the willingness to attempt to understand by the few individuals I met, did make me feel comfortable during my stay. The one certain aspect I find most genuine that bridges a communication gap is empathy. Seeing people for who they are and realizing the common goal of success whether, in business or personal lives, the differences become smaller.
Sincerely,
bdj