Monday, April 27, 2009

Does Yes Really Mean Yes? Trying To Interpret Cultural Behaviour

Hi Everyone, Simone Costa Eriksson of InterculturalPlus sent us a link to her new article on Brazil's Gringoes.com that might interest you: The Brazilian way of saying ‘No‘.

"As a Brazilian working for the international community, I am very often asked ‘why can Brazilians not be trusted?‘. In general, when attempting to interpret any cultural behavior, the first and most advisable approach would be to avoid generalization, but what if it happens too often, especially, through the eyes of foreigners? In that case, the safest explanation must be based on well-known intercultural theories: the concepts of contextualization and communication style as well as the cultural meaning of trust..."

A good article if you are an interculturalist always needing new material.

A good, quick read for expats who struggle with the collectivist-culture-influenced response "yes... which really means no".

Thanks Simone.

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