Polish your HR English. Część I - ebook

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Polish Your HR English. Angielski (nie tylko) dla HR-owca to książka, która z pewnością przyda się nie tylko osobom pracującym w dziale personalnym. Obecnie znajomość języków obcych jest powszechnie wymagana na rynku pracy. Świat daje nam dziś wiele możliwości, lecz byśmy mogli z nich w pełni skorzystać, znajomość języków obcych jest koniecznością. W globalnych korporacjach język angielski jest ważniejszy od języka lokalnego, dlatego wszyscy, którzy chcą go szlifować, powinni sięgnąć po książkę Polish Your HR English. Angielski (nie tylko) dla HR-owca.

Książka została podzielona na trzy części:

– Cross-cultural encounters – Spotkania międzykulturowe,

– Business dilemmas – Dylematy biznesowe

oraz

– The power of language – Potęga języka.

Pierwsza część „Cross-cultural encounters” koncentruje się na kwestiach komunikacji międzykulturowej w kontekście biznesowym. Znajdzie się w niej analiza natury i przyczyn nieporozumień ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem roli języka. To tematyka dla osób, które chcą lepiej zrozumieć kulturę korporacyjną i język wielonarodowych przedsiębiorstw.

Część druga „Business dilemmas” pokaże, jak istotne znaczenie mają kwestie etyczne i moralne w prowadzeniu przedsiębiorstw i zarządzaniu nimi. Znajdą się w niej również konkretne sytuacje, w których podjęcie właściwej pod względem etycznym decyzji, jest kluczowe dla przedsiębiorstwa.

Z kolei tematyka części trzeciej „The power of language” będzie dotyczyła języka jako narzędzia komunikacji. Czytelnik dowie się, w jaki sposób ustalony dawno temu system dźwięków i znaków pozwala na przekazywanie myśli, idei oraz uczuć.

Każda z części składa się z 12 lekcji. W każdej lekcji znajduje się ćwiczenie oraz pomocny słowniczek.CZĘŚĆ 1 CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS SPOTKANIA MIĘDZYKULTUROWE

W ramach części pierwszej zachęcamy do lektury serii artykułów, które koncentrują się na kwestiach komunikacji międzykulturowej w kontekście biznesowym. Będziemy analizować naturę i przyczyny nieporozumień ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem roli języka. Pokażemy, w jaki sposób język jest odzwierciedleniem naszej kultury i nierzadko nieświadomych postaw w życiu codziennym. Przyjrzymy się nieudanym fuzjom, nie do końca przemyślanym restrukturyzacjom i zmianom w kulturach korporacyjnych. Sprawdzimy, jak nasze działania i wypowiedzi są zaprogramowane przez język. Pokażemy, że ich zrozumienie może pozwolić uniknąć błędów większych niż językowe. Cross-cultural Encounters to tematyka dla osób, które chcą lepiej zrozumieć kulturę korporacyjną i język wielonarodowych przedsiębiorstw.LEKCJA 1 FIRST ENCOUNTER: CULTURE PRZYSTANEK PIERWSZY: KULTURA

Podczas pierwszej lekcji dowiemy się, że zarówno XIX-wieczny brytyjski ambasador, jak i europejski biznesmen z XXI w. są zaprogramowani kulturowo i językowo. Pomimo globalizacji, pewne skróty myślowe nadal są niezwykle karkołomne, zarówno dla języka, jak i kieszeni. Winna temu jest kultura, w której funkcjonujemy. Trochę o historii, trochę o biznesie i trochę o obieraniu cebuli… A wszystko z użyciem popularnych idiomów, które nie zawsze brzmią tak samo po polsku i po angielsku.

ONCE UPON A TIME…

To start with, could you please have a look at these two seemingly different texts to find out what they could have in common:

Somewhere in Central Europe, a highly successful automotive company decides to make hay while the sun shines and enters a new market in Western Europe. So far, the company has recorded major profits from the sales of one of its models called NOVA – a nice, sporty city car with dynamic design. However, it seems that the success won’t be replicated in Spain, where the company is expanding now. Everybody in the company is wondering why the model is not doing as well as in other parts of Europe. It takes some time until the Sales Department at the headquarters realizes that the name chosen for the car is extremely unfortunate. In Spanish it means „doesn’t go”, which sounds rather like a mockery than a catching product name. Pity that nobody had checked it earlier…

(a story based on facts)

The English elchi (ambassador) had reached Tehran a few days before we arrived there, and his reception was as brilliant as it was possible. (…) Then all the proper attentions of hospitality were shown.(…) All these attentions, one might suppose, would be more than sufficient to make infidels contented with their lot; but, on the contrary, when the subject of etiquette came to be discussed, interminable difficulties seemed to arise. (…) First, on the subject of sitting. On the day of his audience of the Shah, he would not sit on the ground, but insisted upon having a chair; then the chair was to be placed so far, and no farther, from the throne. In the second place, of shoes, he insisted upon keeping on his shoes, and not walking barefooted upon the pavement; and he would not even put on our red cloth stockings. And then, on the article of dress, a most violent dispute arose. (…) He said, that he would appear before the Shah of Persia in the very same dress he wore when before his own sovereign.

(THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA OF ISPAHAN BY JAMES MORIER, 1780–1849)

Incomparable as the two stories may seem, they have one thing in common. In both cases the nature of the problem stems from cultural misunderstanding or, in other words, cultural miscommunication. What leads to communication gridlock is the fact that we tend to take other people and their behavior for granted. This means that we impose our beliefs, values, behavioral patterns on other people and their respective beliefs and values which do not necessarily have to be the same and actually very rarely are when we consider multinational organizations and societies.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF CULTURE

All communication is cultural. It draws on the ways we have learnt to speak and act. It draws on our culture. But what is culture? It can mean various things. There is culture understood as civilization and is used to refer to education, literature and fine arts. And in a much broader sense, there is culture which describes patterns of thinking, feeling and acting, which includes as mundane things as eating, greeting, showing or not showing your feelings, keeping a certain physical distance or maintaining body hygiene.

Culture is learnt, not inherited. It derives from our environment and not from our genes. According to Hofstede, it is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. What is more, it should not be confused with human nature on the one hand and human personality on the other. Human nature is inherited and is universal for all human beings. It constitutes a sort of an operating system which defines basic physical and psychological abilities, like being able to feel fear, desire for love or the ability to observe and interpret environment. However, the way we express emotions is conditioned by our culture. Hence, it means that the same human ability to express, for example, joy can manifest itself in various ways, depending on the culture and its code. It is crucial to know the code to decipher the superficial representation of a type of emotion which is known to the whole human race. Finally, at the top there is personality, which is a collection of person-specific features both inherited and acquired through environment and our personal experiences. To sum up, at the bottom of the pyramid there is human nature, universal and inherited, on the second level there is culture, acquired and group-specific and at the top there is personality, both learnt and inherited, which is person-specific. It means that only culture does not depend on our genes and is totally conditioned by the environment.

PEELING ONION

In order to understand the concept of culture let’s think about an onion. Each culture is specific and manifests its unique features in several ways or layers – through symbols, heroes, rituals and values.

SYMBOLS build the outer layer of the onion because they are the most visible. They include e.g. language, fashion, haircut or status symbols. What country does Coca-Cola trademark make you think about? I am pretty sure it is the USA. The next layer corresponds to HEROES – alive or dead, real or imaginary characters, whose traits are highly prized and valued in a given culture. Heroes constitute role models: Batman in the USA, Asterix in France, etc. Heroes are more stable than symbols but still they are time and fashion-bound, which means they may come and go.

Having removed the second layer, we get to RITUALS. These are collective activities which, despite their superfluous character, are thought to play an essential role in a society. Rituals can include various activities like ways of greeting, good manners, social and religious norms.

And finally, we reach the core of culture – VALUES. Values are preferences expressed by people living in a given culture which help them to make choices and take decisions. Values are acquired mostly subconsciously at a very early age and it is difficult to change them when a person is adult. Generally, it is not possible to see somebody’s values. They can only be inferred from behaviour and accompanying circumstances. So, don’t judge a book by its cover!

To sum it up, the layers help us visualize how complex the concept of culture is and hence, how difficult it is to change culture.

WHEN IN ROME…

…do as the Romans do. Better said than done. It seems than it is not enough to learn a language and cultural norms to be able to live in a foreign country. When a foreigner comes to a new country, they can only see the outer layers of the onion, i.e. the visible aspects of the culture: its symbols, heroes and rituals. These can be, to a major extent, understood and learnt. Yet, at a first glance it is not possible to understand the underlying values, which constitute the core of the culture. Hence, most foreigners go through a difficult and painful phase until they reach a moment of comfortable existence in a foreign country.

At the very beginning each foreigner experiences a period of euphoria. It is also referred to as honeymoon time. We come to a new place as if we were tourists and are overwhelmed by its unique character and exotic, social environment. Everything is interesting and exciting, at least for the first three or four weeks.

Then there is a phase of culture shock. Once the euphoria has evaporated, a foreigner starts to live a normal live in a new environment and that is where difficulties appear. Although one can communicate in a foreign language and has some cultural knowledge, they get the impression that they are always getting the wrong end of the stick and talking at cross purposes with the locals. It is culture shock. Every foreigner has to go through this phase to understand that the values and norms of the new culture are different from their home culture.

With culture shock behind, a foreigner can start the adaptation process. They acquire local values and social norms. They slowly learn to think in a new culture. This takes time, depending on the person and the new country. Ultimately, it should lead to the state of balance, when one feels at home or even better. And when the person comes back to their home country, they experience another culture shock…

THREE GOLDEN RULES

I hope you have seen that there is more to CULTURE than meets the eye. A foreign language, although indispensable to survive, is only a tool of the mental software – the culture.

Before we embark on the next episode of our cross-cultural encounters, please do bear in mind the three golden rules of a cross-cultural communicator:

– Don’t take anything for granted!

– Read between the lines.

– Be open – minded

See you soon.

GLOSSARY:

behavioural patterns – wzorce zachowań

better said than done – łatwiej powiedzieć, niż zrobić

decipher – rozszyfrować

don’t judge a book by its cover – nie sądź po pozorach

evaporate – ulotnić się, wyparować

feel at home – czuć się jak w domu

fine arts – sztuki piękne

get the wrong end of the stick – źle kogoś zrozumieć

good manners – dobre maniery

gridlock – zator, impas

impose – nakładać

incomparable – nieporównywalny

layer – warstwa

make hay while the sun shines – kuć żelazo póki gorące

mockery – drwina, kpina

mundane – przyziemny, zwyczajny

read between the lines – czytać między wierszami

role model – wzór do naśladowania

stem from – brać się z, pochodzić od

superfluous – zbędny, zbyteczny

talk at cross purposes – mówić o różnych rzeczach, nie zdając sobie z tego sprawy

to take sth for granted – brać coś za pewnik

unfortunate – niefortunne

When in Rome (do as the Romans do) – Jeśli wszedłeś między wrony, musisz krakać jak i one.

EXERCISE:

MATCH THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS WITH THE CORRECT IDIOM:

a. feel at home

b. take for granted

c. make hay (while the sun shines)

d. When in Rome (do as the Romans do)

e. don’t judge a book by its cover

f. talking at cross purposes

g. got the wrong end of the stick

h. read between the lines

1. Anne _________________________________. I said how nice he was and she thought I wanted to go out with him.

2. There’s a sale at K-mart this week. I think I’ll _____________________ and buy myself something at cut price!

3. We will do whatever we can to make you ______________. Enjoy your stay here.

4. Jill: Everyone in my new office dresses so casually. Should I dress that way, too? Jane: By all means. ______________________________.

5. Don’t believe everything she says so literally. Learn to ___________.

6. I think we’re ________________________ here. You mean the old building, but I was talking about the new one.

7. We _____________so many things in this country – like having hot water whenever we need it. But it’s not like this everywhere.

8. She doesn’t look very bright, but ____________________.In fact, she is really good at what she’s doing.

Key: 1.g 2.c 3.a 4.d 5.h 6.f 7.b 8.eLEKCJA 2 SECOND ENCOUNTER: TIME FOR BUSINESS DRUGI PRZYSTANEK: CZAS NA BIZNES

W drugiej lekcji Cross-cultural encounters spróbujemy zmierzyć się z pojęciem czasu. Przyjrzymy się, jak czas, pomimo swojej obiektywnej natury, jest postrzegany i interpretowany w różnych kulturach. Spróbujemy zrozumieć, dlaczego punktualność może oznaczać wiele rzeczy, w zależności od szerokości geograficznej, i dlaczego w niektórych krajach lepiej jest dogrywać interesy po oficjalnych godzinach pracy. Przy okazji poznamy angielskie słowo „czas” w wielu bardziej i mniej znanych konfiguracjach. Czas na lekturę!

SIX HOURS LATE = BEING ON TIME IN GHANA

I was invited to attend a women’s conference in Ghana, West Africa. Before I set off, I brushed up on all things African – from greetings, to dress, to food, and language. I even prepared myself, or so I thought, for understanding the African concept of time (…) The driver that was arranged for me was an hour late the first day. After conveying the message of how I need to be at the conference the next day on time, he assured me he understood. The next day, as promised, he came early, technically, and was only 45 minutes late. Some progress had been made. But when I tried to arrange a trip to the Cape Coast Castle, one of the longest surviving slave export points in Ghana, the wheels fell off again. After trying twice to get to the castle (once, he was a no show, and the next time he arrived 4 hours late!), I was able to secure another driver. I understood now that being 2–3 hours late was customary and was even considered punctual. Realizing that I had my American blinders on with everything I read, didn’t allow me to fathom that lateness could extend to up to 6 hours. Thinking in American terms, I understood „late” to be at most an hour. Factoring in the lateness and knowing that the castle closed around 4pm, was an hour away, and I wanted to be there by noon, I was able to convey that I needed to be at the castle by 10am. I was told the driver would be there at 8am. I had time to rest, get breakfast and be ready by 10am. Success! The new driver came 2 hours „late”/on time and I managed to get to the castle by noon.

(Monica Moffit, Business News, July 2012)

The story above illustrates how the perception of time varies across cultures. In this article, we are going to see how the idea of time, lateness and punctuality is deeply rooted in one’s culture. The concept of time may be a universal one, however the perception is subjective and depends on a range of factors. Hence, it is not that unlikely that different attitudes to punctuality, arriving at meetings and sticking to deadlines can lead to misunderstandings or a personal affront. Last but not least, we will take a closer look at how these differences are reflected in a language when dealing with or talking about time. So take your time and read this article carefully!

RELATIVITY OF TIME

The notion of time seems to be universally shared and understood. After all, aren’t 90 seconds the same in Berlin and in Beijing? 90 seconds are 90 seconds everywhere, but the attitudes to these 90 seconds can vary immensely across cultures.

Time is also heavily related to space. Spacial representations of time are ubiquitous around the world. People use clocks, sundials, hourglasses, calendars and graphs to represent and measure time. This relation is also visible in language. You can postpone a meeting, or move it forward. A student can be bored by a long seminar and may need to take a short break. Or when you are so tired that you can hardly tell the time, it means that you must be working round the clock.

In the European and American way of thinking, time starts in the past, continues in the present and stretches further into the future. In contrast, the African perception of time exists basically in two stages: deep past and present. Technically speaking, these two notions of time are not compatible. On a practical note, how should one talk about future intentions and plans?

USING TIME: MONOCHRONIC V. POLYCHRONIC CULTURES

Depending on the way we treat time in our culture, we use it in different ways. To illustrate two totally different ways of using time, let me give you an example of an American and a Mexican businessman. Almost instinctively, we know that Mexican and American businessmen are more than likely to have problems when they start to do business together. And it is not because one is a bad businessman and the other a good one but because their cultural roots, including their attitudes towards time, are different.

There are cultures that tend to view time as a commodity. In such cultures people know they should not waste or lose time because time is money. Such an attitude is typical of the USA and Nordic European countries. Because time is valuable, it should be used in the most effective way. You should do one thing at a time and move systematically from one topic to another. People like to focus on one issue at a time and are concerned with completing tasks and meeting objectives. In such cultures, very frequently referred to as MONOCHRONIC cultures, punctuality is highly valued. Showing up late for a meeting is interpreted as a lack of respect for other attendees. During a meeting, one should stick to the agenda and avoid going off at a tangent. Similarly, deadlines are stuck to and obeyed in monochronic cultures.

In POLYCHRONIC cultures, on the other hand, time is viewed as something that cannot be controlled and is rather flexible. This attitude is typical of southern European and Latin American countries as well as the Middle East. Here, things are planned, not that much on the basis of an agenda but rather on events. Sticking to a plan or agenda is not the ultimate aim. Building a relationship, networking or problem solving is perceived as equally or even more important a goal than the agenda itself. In practice, timetables and deadlines are superseded by the focus on individual needs and strengthening interpersonal bonds.

Going back to the American and Mexican businessmen, it is clear that major discrepancies are bound to appear. The Mexican prefers to spend time, seeing it as an opportunity, while the American views time as a precious commodity, which should not be wasted. Naturally, this will lead to major differences in the way the two men do business. The American will expect things to be done systematically, one at a time, while the Mexican businessman will engage in many activities simultaneously. When talking to his American partner, the Mexican businessman will be calling his son to pick us his car from the garage or answering a phone call from his wife. It will not necessarily be a sign of impoliteness when he invites questions from his secretary, popping in every now and then to find out something, which seems totally trivial and uninteresting to the American guest. Without adequate insight, both men could feel offended by what seems to them an inappropriate business attitude. In fact, it is merely a difference between the MONOCHRONIC and POLYCHRONIC culture.

HOW LATE SHOULD A PUNCTUAL PERSON BE?

The differences in perception of time, translate into tangible discrepancies in everyday activities. Take, for example, the idea of scheduling meetings and punctuality.

In the USA, business meetings are scheduled in the morning when people are supposed to be fresh and the most resourceful. In polychronic cultures, like Spain, people tend to schedule meetings later in the day. Their working day starts later because they take time to be with their families in the morning. Additionally, they take longer lunch breaks, which may stretch up to 2–3 hours. This relaxed attitude to time, which usually manifests itself after a weekend, has a special term that has been coined to refer to high absenteeism on a Monday – St. Monday, which is likely to become a national holiday.

At times, in polychronic cultures business time and personal time overlap. In countries like Japan, real business takes place over dinner and drinks, hours after the working day finishes. Not realizing this and turning down such an offer from a Japanese partner could result in losing a real opportunity to strengthen business bonds and do business.

As for social occasions, the notion of punctuality is also far from universal. For a dinner invitation at 8 pm, representatives of monochronic cultures (e.g. Germans, Americans, the Dutch) arrive at 8 pm sharp or by 8.15pm at the latest. Such punctuality would embarrass an Italian or a Latin American, who might still be running around in their underwear. According to the polychronic culture and its etiquette, one should not be more than thirty minutes late, leaving ample time for the host to get ready for unpunctual guests. It is worth taking this into consideration, especially when hosting guests of different cultural origins.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The fact that different cultures perceive time in different ways does not make one culture better than the other. It simply makes it different.

When doing business overseas, one should try to keep a clear understanding of time and differences of time perception across cultures and use it to one’s own advantage.

When doing business in a foreign country with different time orientation than you own cultures, try to start to measure time with the local clock. It should save your time and spare possible mistakes.

Good luck!

GLOSSARY:

ample time – wystarczająco dużo czasu

at 8 pm sharp – punkt ósma

at times – czasami

attendee – uczestnik spotkania

commodity – towar

convey – przekazać, zakomunikować

discrepancy – rozbieżność

go off at a tangent – odbiec od tematu

hourglass – klepsydra

merely – zaledwie

overlap – nakładać się na siebie

postpone a meeting – przełożyć spotkanie

rooted – zakorzeniony

schedule a meeting – planować spotkanie

simultaneously – jednocześnie

stick to deadlines – trzymać się/przestrzegać terminów

sundial – zegar słoneczny

supersede – zastępować, wyprzeć

tangible – namacalny

take a break – zrobić sobie przerwę

take your time – nie spiesz się

tell the time – powiedzieć, która jest godzina

time is money – czas to pieniądz

ubiquitous – wszechobecny

vary – różnić się

waste time – trwonić czas

EXERCISE

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER:

1. I’ve been working for 3 hours now and I feel extremely tired. I desperately need to _________ a break.

a. bring

b. take

c. took

d. brought

2. _______________. We don’t need to hurry. There’s plenty of time left before the train leaves.

a. Take a time.

b. Leave a time

c. Leave your time

d. Take your time

3. Let’s stay with the topic and not go_______ a tangent.

a. of at

b. of by

c. off at

d. off by

4. I suggest we meet at 9 am. But 9 am _____. Try not to be late.

a. sharply

b. sharp

c. hard

d. hardly

5. Could you please wait until I’ve finished my presentation. You’ll have ______ time for questions later. I will answer all the questions then.

a. few

b. little

c. ample

d. sample

6. Germans are famous for ___________ to deadlines.

a. keeping

b. sticking

c. getting

d. obeying

7. Although Anne is only 5, she can already _____ the time.

a. tell

b. say

c. speak

d. read

8. Because of the rain the match had to be _______ until next week.

a. moved

b. scheduled

c. postponed

d. shifted

1. b 2. d 3. c 4. b 5. c 6. b 7. a 8. c