Smooth Operator
- You are, no doubt, a smooth operator in all climes. See if you can
match the tasteless question with the country where it would be offensive.
-
A. Where do you live? | 1. Qatar |
B. How's your wife? | 2. France |
C. What did that cost? | 3. England |
- In Belgium, which has the most complex legislation regarding language
in Europe, your Flemish, French, and German skills may be exercised. True
or false: Flemish is a variety of Dutch.
- You are hosting a meeting in Wisconsin for Chinese executives.
Which is not a blunder?
- A. Holding the meeting in room 444
- B. Passing out green caps (perhaps from the Green Bay Packers!)
- C. Staying out late entertaining your guests
- D. Serving Wisconsin cheese at every meal
- True or false: Chileans think diamond-studded gold jewelry on men is
uncouth.
- True or false: It is a social gaffe to arrive on time for a dinner
party in Mexico City.
- Citizens of which country revel in "cutting down the tall poppy"
(their phrase for deflating pompous people)?
- A. Uruguay
- B. Jamaica
- C. Australia
- Suffering from a miserable cold, you travel to Japan. True or false:
It is appropriate to use a handkerchief as discreetly as possible during
your meetings.
- Which of the following behaviors are not mal éléve
(ill-mannered) in France?
- A. Going to the bathroom during a meeting
- B. Asking whom one voted for in the last election
- C. Feeding your dog from the chair next to you in a restaurant
- Translation blunders often occur even among English speakers. True or false:
The 1993 Warner Bros' film Free Willy left many Londoners helpless
with laughter.
- Your elegant business card, which contains a great deal of red, draws
peculiar looks from some international clients. This is because:
- A. Buddhists write one's name in red when they are dead.
- B. Some Mexicans find a name in red offensive.
- C. Red is the color of mourning in parts of Africa.
- D. All of the above
Bonus question. True or false: Most Latin Americans do business
with people they know, like, or are related to.
Answers
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