Shaking Hands

In international business shaking hands is the usual greeting. But people shake hands in different ways. In France, hand-shakes are very quick, but in Brazil people take more time to shake hands. People do not shake hands as often in.

North America

When shaking hands in America, remember: Look at the person's eyes; Shake hands firmly (but not strongly); Shake hands for only 2 or 3 seconds.

Titles and Names

In English-speaking countries use Mr. plus the last name for men. There are-two titles for women, Ms/or Mrs. It's best to use Ms. if you aren't sure which title to use.

What name do you use with a title? In most Western countries, the order of names is first (given) name, then last (family) name, for example, Luisa de Sousa. Use the family name when you meet someone. For example, say Ms. Sousa to Luisa de Sousa.

Beating Culture Shock

You have a chance to live and work overseas, to get to know another culture from the inside. It's a wonderful opportunity, but don't be surprised if you experience at least some culture shock. "When you're put into a new culture, even simple things can throw you. You become like a child again, unable to handle everyday life on your own," says one expert on culture shock.

Taking a course in anthropology or intercultural studies is one effective way to reduce the effects of culture shock.

If you can, talk to an expatriate who has lived in the country for at least a few years. Someone who has been there can alert you to some of the things you'll need to learn.

Finally, prepare yourself by learning about culture shock itself. Someone living in a new culture typically goes through four stages of adjustment. Initial euphoria, or the honeymoon stage, is characterized by high expectations, a focus on similarities in the new culture, and a tendency to attach positive values to any differences that are noticed.

Culture shock, the second stage, begins very suddenly. The symptoms of culture shock include homesickness; feelings of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and inadequacy; and mild paranoia. Some people going through culture shock try to withdraw from the new culture, spending most of their free time reading novels about home, sleeping twelve hours a night, and associating only with others from their own country. Others eat and drink too much, feel irritable, and display hostility or even aggression.

A period of gradual adjustment is the third stage. Once you realize you're adjusting, life gets more hopeful. You've been watching what's been going around you, and you're starting to learn the patterns and underlying values of the culture. It feels more natural, and you feel comfortable. The fourth stage, full adjustment, takes several years, and not everyone achieves it. A lot depends on people's personalities – how rigid or how easygoing they are – and how serious they try to understand the new culture.

Unit 2. The Japanese Family

Work plays a very important role in Japan. A Japanese says “I belong to my company”, not “I work for my company”: Because work is so important, a child, especially a boy, must work very hard indeed. He begins to study seriously as soon as he starts going to school, because if he doesn’t pass all his exams he can’t go to a good school. If he doesn’t go to a good school he can’t go to a good university — and so he can’t get the good job that he needs! A Japanese mother usually helps her children so that they will pass their school exams. Because of this system Japanese children don’t have as much time to play as children in many other countries.

A lot of Japanese parents “arrange” marriages for their children. This is because they feel that marriage does not only affect the young couple, but that it affects the whole family. They believe that it is important that the young couple have the same interests and that they come from the same social background. Sometimes parents go to a “matchmaker”. A matchmaker’s job is to find two similar young people and arrange for them to meet. If they like each other, a marriage is arranged for them.