NY Yankees, Manchester United, Guinness & IKEA: Some Thoughts on Multi-Cultural Aspects of Business

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NY Yankees, Manchester United, Guinness & IKEA: Some Thoughts on Multi-Cultural Aspects of Business

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I grew up in the United States thinking that despite the many differences apparent in the world, everybody thought the way that I did. I loved baseball, the New York Yankees in particular. Despite being well-read as a youngster, I was certain that deep behind the Iron Curtain, in the foothills and peaks of the Himalayas and in places as far-flung as Micronesia and Sierra Leone, while I was enjoying a hot dog and Coke at Yankee Stadium, millions of others in those far away locales had the game tuned in on their TVs.

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I grew up hating soccer, or "football" as it’s known in the rest of the world. Others around the globe surely felt as I did. Right? Little did I know that billions upon billions of other people think baseball to be an incredibly boring game, while watching Manchester United and other teams kick the ball around is practically a religion for 95% of the globe.

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Huh. Guess my "worldview" was a bit off.

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An Immigrant to a Foreign Country:

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Since immigrating from the US to Israel some thirteen years ago, I have found my worldviews challenged again and again. This tiny country is home to a convergence of the three major world religions as well as immigrants literally from around the globe (latest estimates are from 147 countries!). Since beginning my business here, I have completed work in English for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, as well as for immigrants from, among others, Russia, Ethiopia, Denmark, India, South Africa, Morocco, Canada, France, the UK, Australia, Bosnia, Bulgaria and Belgium.

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On many occasions initially, I have begun projects based upon my own systems, my background of English and based upon my own assumptions of how the work should read, be written and sound. In many cases, I have been rightfully corrected. "Yoni, this is not how English resumes are structured in Israel." "Yoni, this is not how an Ethiopian, Belgian or person from France would structure this sentence in English." "Yoni, it’s a ‘lorry’ not a ‘truck’ and a ‘lift,’ not an ‘elevator.’" And "Yoni, I’ll have to give you some lessons on the war in Bosnia before you’ll be able to begin the project." Along the way I have been granted valuable cultural lessons and have been provided with valuable knowledge which I needed to complete the work correctly.

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It all went a long way in showing me how faulty and lacking my "worldview" truly was!

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"You Don’t Learn Cultural Aspects of Business by:"

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My affinity for a pint of Guinness Beer does not mean I know about the customs and traditions of Ireland.

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Taking my wife on her monthly pilgrimage to IKEA does not give me insight into Scandinavian culture.

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Watching Crocodile Dundee on Cable will give me about as much insight into the average Australian as watching The Sopranos while eating pizza will give me into the average Italian.

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Learning About Business Multiculturalism:

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My immersion in Middle-East business has taught me many things. A few are: most inter-gender business deals are begun and ended without a handshake; it’s considered immodest most of the time and sometimes even offensive. Putting an "immodest" photo in a blog article (even a picture of the beach which contains a woman in a swimsuit) can be reason enough for one of my faithful blog readers never to visit again. Prices in the Middle-East are rarely written in stone: visit any souk or marketplace and you’ll see how bargaining is an ingrained part of the culture. Time in the Middle-East is not always as exact as it is in other parts of the world; a business meeting called for ten-o’clock might begin at ten, ten-thirty or eleven…the best advice is to be on-time, though you might end up having to wait for the other party.

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So my words of wisdom?  Well, to be 100% honest, I’m not an expert in multi-cultural aspects of business. Not by a longshot! But what I have learned (with some help from my friends at IL Forums) and what I can impart to you is the following:

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1) Keep in mind that the Web is by default a multi-cultural venue. Focusing your writing such as blogs, articles and marketing exclusively on one geographic area and culture can be quite limiting in a business context.

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2) Realize that as immigration to Western countries increases, most countries are becoming more and more multi-cultural and multi-ethnic.

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3) Ask questions and request clarification when working for somebody from another culture. Even if someone from another culture speaks your language, be aware that there are nuances in speech, dialect and, oftentimes, meaning. What you hear is oftentimes not what is being said.

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4) Do a little bit of reading when doing business with people, companies or organizations who/which represent a different culture.

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5) Make yourself aware of cultural, religious and ethnic sensitivities. Often gestures, body-language, expressions and behaviors that are status-quo in one culture can be considered rude or offensive in others.

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6) See how your advertising and marketing will be affected by multiculturalism. Explore how you can tailor marketing to people from other cultures.

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7) Catch an hour of world news each and every day either on TV, in a newspaper or online. Knowing what’s happening will keep you more in-the-know.

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8) Check out some of the myriad of multicultural blogs which can easily be found online. Among my favorites are: Stanford University’s Cross-Cultural Blog: http://ccr.stanford.edu/blog/  and the Ethnic Events Multi Cultural Marketing Portal Blog: http://www.ethnicevents.com/multicultural-blog/

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Image Credits: All images in this article courtesy of all-free-download.com

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Hello. My name is Yonatan Maisel. I am a professional writer, published author and business-blogger.

I will not be available for the next month or two. I will, however, faithfully continue with my business-blog postings. Hope you enjoy them and, as always, thanks for visiting!

If you are seeking a skilled writer for your writing needs, might I suggest that you visit Job Shuk’s homepage and click on "Writing and Translation." Among the professionals whose profiles you will see, I’m certain you will find the perfect person to fulfill your needs!.