By: Fathy Shetiah
www.7clingo.com
eth·no·cen·trism: n. The belief in the
superiority of one’s own ethnic group.
Furthermore: Thinking that all other groups are measured in
comparison with one’s own.
-language, behaviors, customs, religion
Truth: When conducting business abroad, it is not all about
you!
Population: 1,336,718,015 (July 2011 est.)
Government: Communist Party of China
People: PRC recognizes 55 ethnic minorities, Han is the
majority
Religion: Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam
Language: Various dialects, Mandarin official standard
language
Social Norms
-Greetings
-Respect
-Society Structure
-Collectivism
-Communication Style
-Asking Q’s
-“Face”
- Passivity
Business
-Negotiations-patience!
-Presentations
-Gift giving
-Meetings
-Miscellaneous
Population: upwards of 1 billion
Government: Federal Republic
People: Indo-Aryan largest ethnic group, Dravidian
Religion: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh
Language: Hindi is the main official language, English Is the
language of business; 21 other official languages
Social Norms
-Greetings
-Time
-Communication style
-Asking Q’s
Business
-Negotiations
-Gift-giving
-Management
-Meetings
-Miscellaneous
-Society Structure
-Hierarchal
Population: 245 million (July 2011 est.)
Government: Republic
People: More than 300 ethnic groups; Javanese composing the
largest segment
Religion: Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu
Language: National language: Bahasa Indonesia
Social Norms
-Greetings
-Time
-Communication style
-Society structure
-Hierarchal
-Social harmony
Business
-Negotiations
-Gift Giving
-Management
-Meetings
-Miscellaneous
-Collectivism
-Gender roles
To start…
-During its 1994 launch
campaign, the telecom
company Orange
changed its ads in
Northern Ireland. "The
future's bright … the
future's Orange." In the
North, the term Orange
suggests the Orange
Order. The implied
message that the
future is bright, the
future is Protestant,
loyalist... didn't sit well
with the Catholic Irish
population. ~2006
Translations gone array
Pepsi Co:
India- Pepsi was sued in an Indian city
court in a public interest litigation for
glorifying child labor in a television ad. In
the ad, the Indian cricket team is in a
celebratory huddle when a young boy
serves them Pepsi. ~2004
China- “Come Alive with Pepsi”= “Bring
your ancestors back from the dead.”
Google Fails:
-There are blogs dedicated
entirely to the translation faux-pas
Example: Lady Gaga->Britney Spears
Trustworthy?
When translated into Chinese, the
Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan
"finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat
your fingers off".  now a success in
China
Country
Time
important?
Greeting
Decision
Making
Gift-giving
Language
Communication
Economic
Status
China
Yes, very
handshake
Varies
Take caution
Many
variants of
Chinese
Indirect, but
lively
Developed
India
Relaxed,
but be ontime
Handshake
/ Namaste
directional
Acceptable, under
proper
circumstances
Hindi – most
common,
English
widely
spoken
Indirect
Growing/
Emerging
market
Indonesia
Relaxed,
but be ontime
Handshake
(soft grip)
or slight
bow
directional
Acceptable, under
proper
circumstances
Bahasa
Indonesia,
various
other
dialects
Indirect,
diplomatic,
subdued
Untapped
market/
Emerging
United
States
Yes, time
has a sense
of urgency
Firm
handshake
Varies
Acceptable
English
among other
languages
Direct eye
contact
Developed
Thank
You!
-globaledge.msu.edu
-http://www.culturecrossing.net/index.php
-engrishfunny.failblog.org
www.7clingo.com