Business Talk
Business talk can be done not only in the office but also at a restaurant or a café so
that people can do business as well as have a good meal. Ramshaw in Soars (1997: 40)
gives some tips about having business talk accompanied by a meal.
“The British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters
with a drink during the meal: Japanese prefer not to work while eating.
Lunch is a time to relax and get to know one another, and they rarely drink at
lunch time.
The Germans like to talk business before dinner; the French like to eat first
and talk afterward. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss
anything.”
From the illustration above, it can be inferred that different cultures have different
rules concerning business talk done during the mealtime. For the British business talk
can be done at lunch time and it is not trouble at all to discuss business matters while
they are eating and drinking. On the contrary, the Japanese do not like to talk business
matters while they have lunch. For the Japanese lunch is time to relax and get to know
one another. For the Germans business talk is done before dinner, while the Frenc h
prefer to be well fed and watered before they talk. People who want to have business
talk accompanied by a meal with one of those countries have to take account the rules
that prevail in those countries so that they can avoid a misunderstanding.
Parafrase Vol. 10 No. 01 Februari 2010
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