Cross-cultural communication

American expressions that the Japanese have difficulty with

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, North America by Rochelle Kopp

When Japanese are asked “Can you do it?”, unless they are 100% certain that they can, they would not answer “Yes we can.”… Americans, on the other hand, sometimes say...

When Japanese say “We must confirm”—what does this mean?

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Japanese business keywords by Patricia Pringle

Your Japanese colleagues probably have a pretty good command of English, but they may not be aware of the nuances a seemingly simple sentence such as “We must confirm” may...

Non-verbal communication in Japanese business

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

Western communication style relies heavily on words. In contrast, Japanese communication relies less on verbal manipulation, and more heavily on non-verbals. Japanese are able to rely more on...

Low-tech can sometimes be best when presenting to Japanese

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Presentation skills by Rochelle Kopp

Japanese can be turned off by slick presentations…handwritten things more clearly show the effort of the person who was making it, and thus have more power to pull on the...

Overcome kishotenketsu to improve your communication with Americans

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

For Americans who are used to a more straightforward style, kishotenketsu can be very confusing…It can be hard to follow what Japanese have to say as they go on and...

doing business in Mexico for Japanese firms

Working effectively with Mexicans – What Japanese companies need to know

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Latin America by Rochelle Kopp

Japanese companies often fail to appreciate the unique aspects of Mexican culture. The result, many Japanese firms experience high turnover and other problems in their Mexican operations. These can be...

Providing data effective for persuading Japanese

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Working with Japanese by Rochelle Kopp

When wanting to convince someone Japanese to do something in accordance with American customs or commonly-accepted practices, I find that it’s useful to assume that they are not necessarily familiar...

Stay away from irony with the Japanese

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Working with Japanese by Patricia Pringle

The Japanese excel at indirect communication, they do it though extreme tact and understatement, rather than irony. When they listen to Americans, the Japanese tend to believe our words and...

“Hear one understand ten” sums up Japanese communication style

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Japanese business keywords by Rochelle Kopp

This style difference between Americans and Japanese often causes Americans to have difficulty determining what Japanese want to say…The Japanese assume that there is shared background information that put both...

stating your opinion clearly in a meeting

Stating your opinion clearly — Cross-Cultural Meetings part 23

Articles, Cross-cultural communication, Meetings by Rochelle Kopp

Often Japanese sit quietly in the meeting and do not offer their opinions...

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Cross-cultural communication

American expressions that the Japanese have difficulty with

When Japanese say “We must confirm”—what does this mean?

Non-verbal communication in Japanese business

Low-tech can sometimes be best when presenting to Japanese

Overcome kishotenketsu to improve your communication with Americans

Working effectively with Mexicans – What Japanese companies need to know

Providing data effective for persuading Japanese

Stay away from irony with the Japanese

“Hear one understand ten” sums up Japanese communication style

Stating your opinion clearly — Cross-Cultural Meetings part 23

What can we help you achieve?

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Cross-cultural communication

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