Meeting People from Germany 英文作业：接待德国人.doc

Meeting People from Germany I. Introduction: I am working in a car factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. My factory will receive a 6-person delegation which consists of three men and three women from Germany for one week. They come from one of the biggest car company of the world - Benz, and I will be their translator and arrange their stay. II. Preparation: A. First of all, I will send an E-mail to the manager of this delegation half month before their coming. In the E-mail, I will:1. First I will welcome them, and tell them what we have prepared for them in the hotel, such as air-conditioner, washing machine, and Internet. I will ask them which kind of room they like: single rooms, double rooms, or suites. The weather here in Guangzhou is also should be told to them.2. Second, I will ask them what else or something special they need us to prepare. For example, if somebody has an allergy reaction to pollen, woof, walnuts, peanuts, or seafood, I should prepare a room or a meal that without that thing. 3. Third, I will confirm some information about all guests: their religion beliefs, taboos, hobbies, and habits. 4. Moreover, he German thought process is extremely thorough, with each aspect of a project being examined in great detail. I will enclose a plan with the E-mail, and ask for their advice. The plan should meet their arrival and leaving time，and supply a need of a balance between work and leisure. If they think the plan is not arranged well, I can amend it in time, B. After I received the reply E-mail, I will improve some details of the preparation. 1. In Germany, more than 60% of the Germans are Christians, so they generally think that the number 13 means unlucky, so I cant arrange the 13th floor, room, or table for them.2. Friday also a day under Christian taboo, so I wont arrange any important meeting in Friday.3. Germans like cornflower, they regard it as national flower, so I may put some cornflowers in their room.4. I should prepare an English menu, which includes the name of some famous Chinese dishes and the basic material of the dishes, to help them order food. C. The first meeting will usually has a major impact on peoples impression，so I should prepare the first meeting in the airport carefully. 1. I should prepare some gifts. Germans generally prefer to give presents to each other when meeting; they think this shows politeness and friendship. When I choose the gifts, there are many things I should consider about:a. It is common to send flowers to the guests. When choose flowers, I must avoid rose, tulip, and any other white or yellow flowers; because roses mean fall in love with them, tulips mean cold heart, and white or yellow flowers mean death. In addition, the amount of flowers cant be plural, because it means misfortune.b. I should avoid choosing a sword, knife, and fork as gift to guests because it is a portent in Germany.c. The wrapping paper and ribbon of presents that I choose should not be color black, white, or brown.2. Punctuality is necessity in Germany. I should arrive on time at the first meeting in the airport and every appointment later. Being late, even if it is only by a few minutes, is very insulting to a German executive. 3. German men frequently great each other with the last name, so I should call them in this way when meeting them.4. Social etiquette should also be noticed. From the Internet I know that, shaking hands is a common etiquettein in Germany. Additionally, a handshake may be accompanied with a slight bow. Reciprocating the nod is a good way to make a good impression; as failure to respond with this nod or bow, especially a superior, may get me off to a bad start. I should also be sure to look directly into the persons eyes while shaking hands.III. After the guests arriving Guangzhou, they will start their one week visit and stay. I will not only be a good translator, but also try my best to be a good guide to let them know better about China. What I should consider about in their staying are as following:A. These Germans go to China for the first time, so they may expect to see something traditional. From the research I know that foreigners are generally interested in Chinese traditional custom, food, and art. I will not arrange them a meeting on the first day, because they must be tired after a 10-hour flight. I will take them to some traditional restaurant to try Guangdong traditional food - Cantonese, go to watch Guangdong opera and enjoy the acrobatic performance. Due to they just have 4-day work in the whole week, so there are something I should notice when arrange meal and relaxation for these guests:1. At first, before I take them out, I should prepare something in case of their lost and other emergency. I will give everyone of them an English map of Guangzhou city, the address of their hotel spelled in English and Chinese, my telephone number, and alarm telephone number. If they have interests, I will teach them some useful Chinese words like “Im lost”.2. They may not know how to use chopsticks, so I should prepare some knifes and forks while taking them to Chinese restaurant.3. Germans generally like to eat pork, heavy taste and greasy food. They are not used to share a table with strangers, hate anything artificial in their foodm and hate dirty kitchen. so those should be consider in choosing restaurant.4. Before watching the Guangdong opera, I should find some information to them to let them know the history about Guangdong opera. I will also translate the meaning of Guangdong opera to them. This is a very traditional part of Southeastern China, so I think they will be interested in the opera. 5. Guangzhou is a place that has a strong Southeatern China flavour. There are other relaxing activities can be arranged; such as go to the teahouse to enjoy Chinese tea, go to the local restauruant to try famous Guangdong porridge and Canton Soup, and go sightseeing to Baiyun Mountain and Yuexiu Park.B. Germans speak a different kind of English. Their different accent will have a impact in the communication between us. Germans accent is kind of thick, and they generally pronounce “w” to “v”, “th” to “s”, and “v” to “f”; so I must be careful while listening to them. I think they may not be used to my accent too, so I should try to use German dialect and slow down my speed while talking to them. C. Germany represents low-context culture. In this case, Germans express their opinions and feelings more directly in communication. Chinese culture belongs to high context, so I should overcome this difference and learn to be direct, outspoken, and straight.D. When talking about the stereotypes of Germans, what in my mind are the word “seriousness” and “preciseness”. Germans are indeed very serious and precise. They hardly ever late for work and date, and have plans for almost every movement. E. There are some prejudices between China and Germany. 1. In the World War II, German fascists committed inhuman atrocities with Japan. This history makes some Chinese have a prejudice towards Germans. 2. Some Germans also have a very strong prejudice against Chinese, because they know very little about China and have many misunderstandings about China. From the research I know that in German, media always report many bad sides of China, even give a false color to the news they report about China. For example, in 2008, to the issue of Tibet wants to secedes from China and become independent, many German media slanted the report and said China government armed suppression the people; they even said that the development of China makes threats to Germany. Thus, a survey in German showed that 63% of Germans have a negative impression to China, and Germany becomes the one in Europe that mostly dont like China. My German guests may also dont know much about China and even have a strong prejudice, so I should try to let them know a different side of China other than the one from German media.F. From the research, I know that nowadays German important value is given to friendships, relationships, family life, self-responsibility and having wide contact with other people. So, to have a better interaction with these guests, I should try my best to make friends with them. Germans dont like people who are indecisive; they like to make friends with people who have stable character. If I am outspoken and have an open manner, I can gain the respect of them.G. Similar to China, the power distance in Germany is high. The superiors and the subordinates have a clear dividing line. People enjoy status, prestige, wealth, and many rights and priviledges. Especially in Eastern Germany, the leaders have more power and develop a hierarchical pattern. In this case, I should know who is the boss of this delegation at first, and pay more attention to the boss.H. In Germany, the status of females is very equal to males. Females are as powerful and outstanding as males; women can do the same job with men. For example, German chancellor Angela Dorothea Merkel, who is called the Iron Lady of Germany, is one of the representatives of German strong females. Thus, I should treat them in order of seniority instead of sex.I. German culture is a strongly individualistic culture. They guard their private life and keep a larger personal space around them. So I should not be too close to them before I ensure that I have made close friend with them.J. I know from the Internet that in Germany, there is a high uncertainty avoidance Germans dont like to get in uncertainty, so they plan everything carefully and try to avoid the uncertainty. The German society also strongly relies on rules, laws and regulations. Germany wants to reduce its risks to the minimum and proceed with changes step by step. This is one of the reasons why I should plan everything well for their stay.K. There are some differences between the meanings of nonverbal communication. For instance, making a circular motion using the index finger while pointing to the side of ones head is a gesture means thinking in China, but it is a rude gesture in Germany. It indicates that someone is crazy or deranged. L. From the Internet and books, I know that to ensure success in the four-day meeting, there are things I should notice:1. In business situations, shake hands at both the beginning and the end of a meeting. This is a very important etiquette in business meeting, and the detial of handshake is mentioned in point III-C-3.2. Business dress in Germany is very conservative. As a woman, I should dress in dark suit and white blouse to show respect.3. Germans do not like surprises. Sudden changes in business transactions, even if they may improve the outcome, are unwelcome. Thus, I should consider the details very well before giving to them th