试谈文化差异对商务英语翻译的影响

本科生毕业论文试谈文化差异对商务英语翻译的影响院系：人文与社会科学系InfluencesofCulturalDifferencesuponBusinessEnglishTranslationJune5,2009PAGEVAcknowledgementsItwasreallyalaborioustasktoaccomplishaB.Athesis.Manypeoplegavemesupportandhelpintheprocessofwritingthepaper.Uponthecompletionofthispaper,Iwouldliketogivemygratitudetoallthosewhohavegrantedmehelponthepaperandonmyfour-yearstudyinthisschool.First,I’dliketogivemygratitudetomydearteacher,supervisorMrLinZhiyuan,whogenerouslygavemehiskindlyhelpandinstructionsduringthewholeprocessofmypaper-writing.Ialsooweaspecialdebtofgratitudetotheotherteachersofmine,astheyhavegivenmevaluablesuggestionsonmychosenoftopicandessaystructureofthedissertation.Veryspecialthanksalsogotothosereferencebooksandwebsites.Theyhaveprovidedmewithvaluablematerialsandinformationandgivenmesomegoodsuggestions.ThenI’dliketogivemymanythankstomyclassmateswhohelpedmealotwithmyinformationcollectingandpaper-polishing.Mostimportantofall,Iwanttogivemythankstomymotheruniversityandalltheteachersinthecollege.摘要随着世界经济全球化趋势的发展，中西方国家之间的贸易往来日益频繁，商务活动所展现出的不仅是一种经济活动，而且还是一种文化上的交流。商务英语翻译作为不同语言的人们之间进行商业交流的交际过程和交际工具就显得尤为重要。自跨文化交流活动以来，翻译实践就与文化产生了不可分割的联系。文化加速了翻译的发展，而翻译又促进了文化的传播，文化与翻译的发展相得益彰。随着全球经济一体化时代的到来，地域不再局限人们的交流空间，跨文化交流愈加频繁。频繁的跨文化交流加速了文化碰撞的呈现，商务英语翻译中出现的文化因素也越来越多。这对于译者来说是个挑战，因为英语和汉语有诸多差异之处，所以很难把地道的英语译成能为大多数中国商务者所接受的汉语；同样，让普通的英语国家的商务者通过译文来理解地道的汉语也不容易。如何克服这些由文化差异所引起的翻译障碍是译者需要面对的一个大问题。本文将分析文化差异与商务英语翻译实践的关系以及文化差异对商务英语翻译造成的影响，通过举出充分的例子来分析文化差异对商务英语翻译造成的影响并提出如何克服由文化差异引起的翻译障碍的方法。本文目的是借助商务英语翻译使人们能更了解文化对语言的影响并有效地进行商务交流。关键字：商务英语；文化差异；翻译实践AbstractWiththedevelopmentoftheeconomicglobalization,businessactivitiesarebeingcarriedmoreandmorefrequentlybetweenChinaandotherEnglish-speakingcountries.BusinessEnglishTranslationisnotonlydisplayedineconomicactivities,butalsoakindofculturalexchange.Sincethemomentcross-culturalcommunicationexists,BusinessEnglishtranslationpracticehascloserelationshipwithculture.Culturespeedsupthedevelopmentoftranslation,whiletranslationhelpstospreadculture.Withtheageofglobalizationcoming,communicationacrosscultureshappensmoreandmorefrequently.Thisisachallengefortranslators,becausetherearemanydiscrepanciesbetweenEnglishcultureandChineseculture,itishardtotranslateidiomaticEnglishintoChinesethatcanbeacceptedbymostChinesetraders.Also,howtoletaverageEnglishtradersunderstandidiomaticChineseisnoteasy.Howtoovercomethebarrierscausedbycultureisabigproblemthattranslatorsneedtoface．ThisthesisistoanalyzetherelationshipbetweenculturaldifferencesandBusinessEnglishtranslationpracticeandtheinfluenceofculturaldifferencesonBusinessEnglishtranslation.BygivingplentyofexamplesthethesisanalyzestheinfluenceofculturaldifferencesonBusinessEnglishtranslationandtriestooffersomeapproachestoovercomethebarrierscausedbyculturaldifferencesinBusinessEnglishtranslationpractice,soastohelppeoplecommunicatemoreeffectively.Keywords:BusinessEnglish;Culturaldifference;translationpracticeTABLEOFCONTENTACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………...….…………….……..….=1\*ROMANI摘要……………………….…...…….……...…=2\*ROMANIIABSTRACT………….………..……..…..…...=3\*ROMANIIITABLEOFCONTENTS……………..…….……………..….=4\*ROMANIVINTRODUCTION…………………….…1PARTONESURVEYOFCULTURALDIFFERENCESANDBET21.1DEFINITIONOFCULTURALDIFFERENCES……21.2IMPORTANCEOFBUSINESSENGLISHTRANSLATION….……….21.3INTERACTIONOFCULTURALDIFFERENCESANDBET.………...3PARTTWOADETAILEDANALYSISOFTHEINFLUENCESOFCULTURALDIFFERENCES…………….…….42.1TRADEMARK…………..…..………………..…..…42.1.1AmbiguityofTrademark…………………….…2.1.2IneleganceofTrademark…52.1.3MisunderstandingofTrademark……………..……………...…52.2ADVERTISEMENTS………….…….……….…..…..…62.2.1DifferentCulturalValues………………..….……………….……...72.2.2DifferentThoughtPatterns…………………….…72.2.3DifferentAestheticStandards…………….…..….…92.3COMMERCIALACTIVITIES……………………..….92.3.1DifferenceinBusinessNegotiation……………..……..102.3.2DifferenceinBusinessNotion…………..……….…………….…..………….…..102.3.3DifferenceinBusinessEtiquette……………….…………….……11PARTTHREEPROPERSTRETAGIESTODEALWITHTHECULTURALDIFFERENCESINBET……………………133.1REQUIREMENTSFORTRANSLATORS133.2TREATINGCULTURALDIFFERENCESCORRECTLY…..…...…..133.3REINFORCINGCULTURALEXCHANGE………..14CONCLUSION……………………...……..………..…15WORKSCITED…….…….……….………16万方科技学院本科毕业论文PAGE16IntroductionInternationalcorporationandcommunicationaregainingincreasingdevelopmentsinceChinaenteredintoWorldTradeOrganization.BusinessEnglishasabridgelinkingChinaandforeigncountriesisplayingamorecrucialrole,andisgainingincreasingpopularity.BusinessEnglishTranslationinvolvestheconversionoftwodifferentcultures.Althoughcultureisverycomplicated,wecanroughlyclassifyitintothreecategoriesinscope:(a)materialculturewhichreferstothenaturalenvironment;(b)institutedculturewhichreferstosocialsystem,religioussystem,customsandnationalpsychologicaletc;(c)mentalculturewhichreferstopeople’smentalitiesandbehaviors,theirbeliefs,perceptions,conceptsofvalue,thoughtpatternsetc.Theculturaldifferenceshavegreatlyaffectedthevariousaspectsofbusinessactivities,anddeterminethesuccessorfailureofbusinessactivities.Unsuccessfulbusinesstranslationwillnotonlybringsignificanteconomiclosses,butwillalsoaffecttheimageoftheenterpriseandeventhecountry.FromhomeandabroadBusinessEnglishTranslationResearch,althoughthetranslatornotedtheimpactoftheculturaldifferencesfortranslationbetweenEastandWest,itisstillalackofsystematicattentiontoculturaldifferences,thereisalsoaunilateralcognition,Whichwillmakethereadersgetunnecessarymisunderstandings.Todoanexcellenttranslationwork,itisevenmoreimportanttograsptwoculturesthantomastertwolanguages,becausethewordwillmaterializeitsmeaningsonlyinaparticularculture.Therefore,itisextremelynecessarytounderstandtheculturaldifferenceinthebackgroundofglobalization.InordertomasterEnglishandsuccessfullycompletethetaskofBusinessEnglishtranslationfromEnglishintoChinese,successfulknowabouttheculturaldifferencesisessential.Therefore,inthispaper,theauthorattemptstodiscusstheproblemoftranslationofbusinessEnglishfromtheculturalperspectiveindetail.PartOneSurveyofCulturalDifferencesandBusinessEnglishTranslationNow,theeconomyisbecomingmoreandmoreglobalizedandthecultureisbecomingmoreandmoreintegrated.Peopleneedcommunicatebetweendifferentnationalcultures,geography,characteristicsofthetimes,while,duringtheprocessofexchangetranslationisveryimportant.Thetranslation’soriginistheexchangingofculture,while,communicationandculturalexchangesresultthetranslation.1.1DefinitionofCulturalDifferencesOvertheyears,differentscholarshavedifferentopinionstowardsthedefinitionofculturaldifferences,andithasbeendefinedinmanyways.However,mostofthesedefinitionsputemphasisondifferentaspectsofculturaldifferences．AccordingtothedefinitionputforthbyNida,culturaldifferencesrefertothedifferencesbetweenhistoricalheritage,socialcustomsandculturaltraditionbetweendifferentcountriesandreligions,whicharethereflectionofthehistorydeveloping.Fromtheaboveexplanation,wemayhaveanunderstandingaboutthecultureonthewhole.Culturaldifferencesisbroadanditinvolvesmanyaspects,soitisverydifficulttogiveanaccuratedefinition.Generallyspeaking,wecanconsiderthat,Culturaldifferencesreferstothedifferentculturalvalues,differentthoughtpattern,differentsocialnormsanddifferentcommunicationstylesamongdifferentpeoplefromdifferentcountriesandculturalbackgrounds.1.2ImportanceofBusinessEnglishTranslationInthebackgroundofeconomicglobalization,businessactivitieshavebecomingmoreandmorefrequently.Itissaidthattherearealmost1.6billionpeoplewhouseEnglishastheirfirstlanguageorsecondlanguageandmostofthemusebusinessEnglisheverydayintheworld.Therefore,thebusinessEnglishtranslationplaysanimportantroleintheprogressofcommunication.In2010,ShanghaiExpowillbeheldinShanghaiChina.Atthattime,manyenterprisesandeconomicorganizationwillcometoinvestinChina,thusChineseenterprisesmaygetlotsofopportunitiestogrowanddevelop.Therefore,whencommunicatingwithforeigninvestors,thebusinessEnglishisveryimportant..However,duringtheprogressofcommunication,someonewhoisnotfamiliarwithEnglishmaycounterlotsoftrouble.Onthiscondition,thebusinessEnglishtranslationisinbadlyneededforthem.1.3TheInteractionofCulturalDifferencesandBusinessEnglishTranslationWithChinesereformandopening-uppolicyarepushingforwardcontinuously,thebusinessactivitiesbetweenChinaandtheworldarebecomingintensiveandfrequent.Thus,businessEnglishtranslationismarkedwithstrongculturalconsciousness.SomeonebelievesthatanyonewhoiscompetentinEnglishisabletodealwiththetranslation.Thatisjustthewrongattituderesultinthefailureoftranslation.Forexample,“six”isanunpopularfigure,andpeopleregarditasanunluckynumberinwesternculture.However,inChina,peopleoftenusethenumber“6”asthetrademarkofcommoditieswhichtheythinkitcanbringgoodfortune,suchas“666”,“金六福”andsoon.Whentheseproductsareexportedtothewesterncountries,theywillreceiveacoldwelcome.Thereasonisthatsixisalsoasymbolofdevilinthewesternculture.TheaboveexampleshowshowimportantculturaldifferencesmeantobusinessEnglishtranslation.So,itiscriticaltopayspecialattentiontoculturaldifferencesforthetranslator.Thus,thefailureoftranslationwillbereducedandavoidedonacertaindegree.PartTwoADetailedAnalysisoftheinfluencesofCulturalDifferencesNowadays,anumberofproductshavebeenexportingtotheinternationalmarket.However,mostofthemfailtocapturethemarket.Thereasonforthatmainlyliesintheimpropermarketingstrategiesandadvertisingcampaigns.Inotherwords,theneglectorunawarenessofculturaldifferencescanresultinthefailure.2.1TrademarkTrademarkisthesignofproduct,whichplaysanimportantroleinsale.Itistheconcentrationofcommodities’distinctcharacteristics,thecoreofcommodities’culture,andthepowerfulweaponforanenterprisetoparticipateininternationalcompetitions.Itisnotonlyalogo,alsoalure,thefinalgoalofwhichistoattractcustomersandsellcommodities.Thewell-knowntrademarkoftenguaranteestheproducts’quality,whichisasymbolofthereasonablepriceandgoodservice.Trademarktranslationconformstotheconceptionofsemilogy.Trademarktranslationistheprocessfromdecodingtocodingandtheprocessofre-creatingandfurtherprocessing.Thatistosay,trademarktranslationisthetransplantationoftwokindsofcultures.Agoodtrademarktranslationmaybringanenterprisehugewealth,whereasabadonemayletanenterprisesuffergreatloss.Therefore,anenterprise’sfutureiscloselylinkedwithtrademarktranslation.Atthesametime,trademarktranslationcanwidenthelinguisticresearchfield,enrichtheconnotationoflinguistics,andacceleratethecombinationoflinguistictheoreticresearchanditspracticalapplication.2.1.1AWhenweexportproductstoforeigncountries,wealwaysoverlookthecultureshocks.Asaresult,theseneglectsmakethetrademarksunpopularandaffectthesalesofproducts.SpriteisthemeaningofwizardandgoblininEnglish.AttheeveofHalloween,childrenoftendressthemselvesupaswizardsormonsters,andaskforcandyfromhousetohouse.However,inChina,thewizardandthefairyissymbolofevil.Thatwillnotbeacceptabletoconsumersbytheliteraltranslation.Therefore,thetrademarkof“雪碧”canbeacceptedbyconsumerseasilyinChina,whichmakestheconsumershaveacoolfeeling.

Anothertranslationhappenstobepoliticallyinappropriate.

Whenintroducedtoforeigncountries,theChinesetrademarkofcanvasshoes“大鹏”isrenderedas“ROC”,whichisasortofgiantbirdinArabicfables.However,“ROC”happenstobetheabbreviationof“RepublicofChina”.Obviously,thetranslationstirsupinappropriatepoliticalassociations.

2.1.2IneleganceofTrademarkAsweallknow,thesamewordsindifferentbackgroundsmayhavedifferentmeanings.However,manytranslatorsusuallyoverlookthisproblemduringtheprocessoftranslationofthelogos.Forexample：TranslationbyusingChinesephoneticletterscoincideswithEnglishwordswithderogatorysense.Thetypicalexampleis“马戏扑克”.Theversion

“MaxiPuke”remindstheEnglishconsumersofsomethingrevoltingandunpleasant,for"maxi"meansbiginEnglishand“puke”indicatesvomitedfoodordrink.

Asweallknow,“雄鸡”isatrademarknameforaclockinChina,thistrademarkisnotonlyindicatesthefunctionoftheclockbutalsofitsforChineseculture.Moreover,cocksaremascotsinancientChina,andtheyarealwaysusedonceremonialoccasions.Butforthewesterners,theword“cock”containsobscenemeaning,anditisusuallyavoidedinformalEnglish.IftheproducersinChinause“cock”asthetrademarkname,theimageoftheproductmaybedamaged.Whenexportingtothewesternmarket,theoriginalEnglishtrademarknameforthe“雄鸡”was“GoldenCock”，butchangedinto“GoldenRooster”latterly.Thistrademarknameismoresuitableandattractiveforthewesterners.So,weshouldpaymoreattentiontothetranslationoftheelegantnameoftrademarksonconditionthatweunderstandtheculturaldifferences.2.1.3MisunderstandingofTrademarkItisnotenoughforadvertisingtranslatorsonlytoknowtheliteralmeaningofanad,foritmaybeendowedwithextendedmeaningandculturalimplication.Fullycompetentadvertisingtranslatorsaresupposedtohaveagoodcommandofreligions,traditions,ethnicattitudes,thespiritofcommunity,andpurchasinghabitsofthetargetcountries.Otherwise,thetranslatedadsmightgoagainsttheoriginalintentionoftheproducers.Inthewesternculture,peacockisconsideredasanunluckyanimal.Itisoftenusedtodescribeapersonwhoiswalkingonair.So,inwesterncountries,ifweusethewordpeacockasthetrademark,themisunderstandingmayoccur.so,the“孔雀”TVsetdoesnotusethetrademark“Peacock”but“Uranus”,whichisanameofastar.Onthecontrary,peacockisanauspiciousanimalfortheChinese,becausepeoplebelieveitisagoodsignthatpeacockspreadsitstail.ThereforemanyChinesecommoditiesliketousethetrademarkname“孔雀”,forexampleoneChinesewatchtrademark“孔雀”.TheShanghai-producedpentrademarkas“白翎”couldreceivewelcomeinEnglish-speakingcountries,forthetrademarkistranslatedas“WhiteFeather”.Unfortunately,“whitefeather”isasymbolormarkofcowardiceinEnglish.Itderivestheconnotationfromthebeliefthatwhitefeatherinagamecock’stailisasignofapoorfighter.TheEnglishidiom,“showthewhitefeather”,means“sneakawayatacriticaljuncture”.Therefore,“whitefeather”isusedtorepresentcaitiffs.Thetranslationnullifiesthestrengthsofthecompanyontheinternationalmarketandbecomesadisadvantagethatfailstoservetheinterestsoftheproducersorthoseofthedistributors.

2.2AdvertisementsFollowingtheeconomicenhancing,theeconomybecomesglobalandeverynation’sproducts,cometotheworldmarket．Therefore,theadvertisementplaysadecisiverole.Advertisementiscloselyrelatedtotheculture.Thepurposeofanadvertisementistopersuadetargetcustomerstobuytheadvertisedproductsorservices.Thus,itisamostimportanttasktobeawareofthedifferencesbetweenChinesecultureandwesternculture.Somedefectsandevenunsuccessfuladvertisementsaremadebecauseofthepoorqualityoftranslation.Thispaperproceedsfromproblemsinadvertisingtranslationthatthetranslatorsdonothaveagoodcommandofthenation-specificcultureandistooadhesivetotheadvertisement’ssuperficialmeaningwhiletherearealotofculturalfactorshiddeninthepresentadvertisingtranslation.Infact,advertisementtranslationrequiresmorethanjustrenderingsentencesintoanotherlanguage.Translatorshavetoconverttheideasandthoughtsbehindthesentencesintothetargetlanguagebyapplyingtheknowledgeofthetargetculture.Culturaldifferencesgreatlyaffecttheadvertisementsandthesaleofproducts,becausepeoplehavedifferentculturalvalues,thoughtpatternsandaestheticstandardwhichinfluencepeople’sjudgmentbetweenEastandWest.2.2.1DifferentCulturalValuesCulturevaluescanbeclassifiedintomanycategories,butwewouldliketodiscussaboutcollectivismandindividualism,becausetheyarethemainfactorswhichcandeterminethesuccessornotintheinterculturalbusinesscommunication.Letustakealookatthedifferencesbetweencollectivismandindividualism.Chinesecultureputsemphasisonthevaluesofcollectivism,sotheadvertisementsofChineseproductsalsoputemphasisonfamilyandaffection.Taketheadvertisementof“孔府家酒”forexample,thistrademarknameremindspeopleoffamilyandaffection.Therefore,itfitsforChinesepeople’svaluesandeasilygetssuccessduringthepromotionoftheproduct.Onthecontrary,westernersfocusonthemselvesanddevelopthevalueofindividualism,somostoftheadvertisementsinwesterncountriesarealwaysindividual-centered.Forexample,theadvertisementof“justdoit（想做就做）”whichispromotedbyNikeCompany,isatypicaldemonstrationofsuchspirit.ThusAmericansshowthecouragetochallengeandemphasizepersonalizedexperience.2.2.2DifferentThoughtPatternsThoughtpatterns,whichcanbedefinedaswaysofthinking,playanimportantroleininterculturalbusinesscommunication.Peopleindifferentcultureshavedifferentthoughtpatterns,becauseeveryculturehasitsuniquedevelopmenthistory,thoughtpatternsandwouldalsobedifferentfromoneanother.Onthecontrary,westernliteratureandarthavebeendevelopingunderthetheoryofimitatingthereality.TheEnglishlanguagereflectsthistheoryandprovestobeobjective,factualandrational.Ithastightsentencestructure,meticulousstreamofthought,andlogicalrelationshipbetweenlinguisticunits,concisewordingandstraightforwarddescription.Allinall,brevityisthesoulofwit,orinotherwords,aproperwordinaproperplaceisgoodEnglish.AbusingoffloridlanguageisforbiddeningoodEnglish,foritisconsideredillogicalandmayharmtheoriginalmeaningorcommunication.

ThusChineseandEnglishadvertisementsarequitedifferent,especiallywhendescribingsceneryintouristadvertisements.Itisalanguageforpoetstogiveexpressiontospecialfeelingsinsteadofdefiningorjudging.Evenwhendescribingsceneries,Englishdisplaysabeautyofform,straightforward,explicit,objective,unlikethecasual,subjectiveChinese.Forexample,thefollowingadvertisementwrittenbyanativespeakerofEnglishisconciseandplain,andthroughsimileandcombinationofconcretescenes,itprovidesenoughspaceforimagination.However,fromthepointofviewofChinese,itmaybetooplain.Forexample:

Tinyislandsarestrungaroundtheedgeofthepeninsulalikeapearlnecklace.Hunksofcoralreef,coconutpalmsandfinewhitesand.

Ifwetranslateitwordbyword,itwillnotmeetChinesereaders’expectation.Soabundantmodifierssuchas“礁红”，“成片”，and“如银”，andfour-characterphraseslike“玲珑小巧”，and“如诗如画”areemployedtomakethetranslatedversionreadbeautiful.

“座座岛屿玲珑小巧，紧密相连，像一串珍珠缀成的项链，环绕着半岛边缘。

岛上珊瑚礁红，椰树成片，沙滩如银，景色如诗如画”。

TheboldcharactersaddcharmtothescenicspotandcontributetothewholerhymingstructurebutmeannothingtoEnglishreadersbecausetheyarerepetitiveandwordy.ThesameistruethatinC-Etranslation,thosesuperfluousmodifiersshouldbeomitted,adaptedorimplicitbetweenlinessoastomakethetargetversionconformtothewesterners’aestheticstandards.

Thereissuchanadvertisement“欢迎来到天涯海角”,andthetranslatoroncetranslateditinto“Welcometotheendofworld”.Asaresult,HainanIslandhadbecome“theendsoftheearth(世界末日或大难临头)”.Suchimpropertranslationmadeitbecomeaterribleplace,whodarestotravelthere?So,whenwemakeanadvertisement,itisimportanttoconsidertheculturefactors.Thatcausesthedifferenceofthinkinghabitsandprocesses,whichisthebestreflectionofthedifferentculturebackground.Inordertoavoidthesemistakescausedbythedifferentthoughtpatterns,itisnecessaryforustobefamiliarwiththedifferentthinkinghabitsofpeopleindifferentculturebackgrounds.2.2.3DifferentAestheticStandardsAsameansofbusinessactivities,advertisementitselfisanimportantsocialculture.Theaestheticstandardsplayanimportantroleduringtheprogressoftranslation.So,weshouldrespecttheaestheticlevelofpopularculture.“藕粉”isakindofpopularfoodintheWestLakeofHangZhou.However,whenbeingpublicizedtothemarket,itistranslatedinto“LotusRootStarch”.Asweknow,starchhasthemeaningof“淀粉”,butpeopleinwesterncountriesareunwillingtobuythisfood,thatisbecausestarchalwaysmakespeoplegetfatwheneatingtoomuch.Latterly,the“starch”ischangedto“powder”or“pudding”.Asaresult,thesaleofproductincreasesgreatlyintheforeignmarkets.TheJapanesecompanyofToshibaonceusesanadvertisement:

“东芝(Toshiba),东芝(Toshiba),大家的东芝”.Thisisaadvertisinglyric.Thefirst“东芝”istranslatedintothesound“Toshiba”.Henceyoungpeoplejokinglyreaditas“偷去吧，偷去吧，大家的东西”Inthisway,there’snosolemnityatall.

2.3CommercialActivitiesToday,businessactivitiesarecommonintheinternationalmarket.Inordertoestablishbusinessrelationshipwiththeoverseacustomers,thetranslatorshouldhaveabetterunderstandingofthebusinessnotion,businessetiquetteandbusinessnegotiation.Thecommercialactivitiesunderdifferentculturalconditionscometoculturalnegotiations.Withtheeconomicglobalizationandthefrequentbusinesscontacts,culturaldifferencesseemtobeveryimportant;otherwisetheycouldcauseunnecessarymisunderstanding,evenaffecttheresultofthecommercialactivities.Thismeansitisveryimportanttoknowthedifferentcultureindifferentcountriesandthewaystoavoidthecultureconflictsintheinternationalcommercialactivities2.3.1DifferencesinBusinessNegotiationPeopleindifferentculturehavedifferentunderstandingtowardthenegotiations.Whenwenegotiatewithpeoplefromdifferentcountriesorregions,wemusttakeculturalfactorsintoconsideration.Thus,thebusinesscanachievesuccessonthepremisethatyouareconsciousofthedifferencesbetweendifferentcultures.AccordingtotheChinesepeople’spersonality,theywouldliketonegotiatewithprinciplesfirstlyandthenthedetailedthings.Ontheopposite,westernersprefertonegotiatewithdetailedthings,andavoidnegotiatingwithprinciples.Thisdifferencealwaysmakesthetwopartiescomeintotrouble.Chinesepeopleoftenseekcommonpointsbutreservedifferenceandthendealwiththedifferenceindetailed.Undertheseconditions,Chinesepeoplealwaysgaininitiativeandachievesuccessesinthenegotiations.2.3.2DifferencesinBusinessNotionTherearedifferencesofcommunicationhabitsbetweeneasternersandwesterners.Inwesterncountries,itisanimpolitebehaviortoaskaperson’sage.Peopledislikesomeonetoasktheirages,especiallyforwomen.Besides,thefriendlygreetingmaybeconsideredasmaliciousinfringement.ButthereisnosuchtabooinChina.Thisliesinpeople’spsychologicalcharacteristicsinthedifferentculturalenvironment.Suchthemattercannotbeignoredduringthebusinessactivities.Forexample,anewlygraduatecollegestudentgoeswithaclientwhoisabove60-year-oldtobookaroominthehotel,beforeleaving,thestudentsays,“Youmustbeverytired,Sir,youhadbetterhaveagoodrestsinceyouareold”.Thenthecustomerbecomesveryangry,saying“No,Iamnotold,andIamnottiredatall”.So,theyoungpersonbecomesconfusedandembarrassed.Aswesternculturesattachgreatimportancetoprivacy,theyhavemanytaboosintheirdailylife,suchastheageofaladyorincomeofagentleman.So,whenchattingwithsomeforeigners,weshouldavoidthesetaboos.2.3.3DifferencesinBusinessEtiquetteEtiquettereferstothewaysofcommunicationwhicharegraduallyformedanddevelopedbythedailylife.However,businessetiquettehasitsownuniqueformsofexpression.Differencesamongdifferentcultureswilldefinitelyresultinmisunderstandingofetiquetteincommercialactivities.Soasatranslator,youshouldpromotethesensitivityofculturedifference.Forexample,whenyoumeettheforeigninvestorsattheairport,ifyousay,“Youmusthavehadatoughjourney,pleaseletmehelpyouwiththeluggage(您一路辛苦了，请让我来帮你拿行李)”.Hewillbesurprisedatwhatyousaid,andthenhemaysay,“No,No,myjourneyisokayandIcanmanagemyluggage”.Thereasonisthatyouignoretheculturedifferences.Thecorrectexpressionis“Howaboutyourjourney?Howareyoudoing,Sir?Ashortrestwoulddoyousomegood,wouldnotit?”.AnAmericanhostorhostess,whencomplimentedonhisofhercooking,islikelytorespond,“Oh,Iamsogladyoulikeit.Icookeditespeciallyforyou.”Incontrast,theChinesehostandhostesswillinsteadapologizeprofuselyforgivingyounothingevenslightlyedibleandfornotshowingyouenoughhonorfornotprovidingenoughdishes.AnotherexampleofChineseindirectlanguageisevidentintheirpracticeofpolitelyrefusinganofferthreetimesbeforetheyaccept.IthasalsoleftmanyChinesehungryatanAmericantable.AnAmericanhostesscommentedonthissitu