Case 1The shipping agent is serving the customers in the way that is considered efficient in Venezuelan culture. To the Canadian, however, this is unfocused activity that is not nearly as efficient as it would be—particularly from her point of view–if the agent simply dealt exclusively with her scheduled appointment. In Canada, businesspeople typically write appointments and activities into the day’s agenda every day. They then work sequentially through the agenda until they have completed each task or the day is over. In other words, Canadians prefer to do one thing at a time, while the South Americans, including Venezuelans, tend to do a few things simultaneously.船舶代理人接待客户的这种方式在委内瑞拉的文化中被认为是有效的方式。
对于加拿大人来说,然而,这种不集中竭力的活动也不像它看来的那样有效,特别是依她来看，如果受托人专一的处理她原方案安排。
在加拿大,商人通常每天都会把约会和活动写到第二天的议事日程上，然后他们通过议程连续工作,直到他们完成每一项任务或一天结束了。
换句话说,加拿大人更喜欢做一件事,,南方的美国人,包括委内瑞拉人,往往同时做几件事。
Case 2As a Westerner, the American visiting professor does not quite understand the collective ownership of information in some other cultural environments. What makes her annoyed is a different attitude toward information about people. In the U.S, it is generally assumed that personal matters are private. Teachers go through elaborate procedures to assure that students do not have access to each other other’s grades. In business, it is the same. Evaluation is confidential. 作为一个西方人,美国客座教授不完全了解在其他一些人文环境中的这种信息共享。
是什么使她烦恼是对于私人的信息的一种不同的态度。
在美国，人们通常认为,个人事情是隐私的。
教师经过详细的规程以确保学生们不会知道其他人的成绩。
在商业中也是这样，评价是保密的。
Case 3As a matter of fact, the American woman was not being disrespectful. However, it is clear that her way of showing respect and welcome was different from the ancient tradition of keeping physical distance from superiors, which is still widely observed, especially when royalty is involved.Paul Keating, the Australian Prime Minister, may have intended to suggest by his gesture that Australia would no longer accept the Queen as head of state but just as one of their honored guests. Obviously, the British would not like it at all. Sometimes, such seemingly trivial things can influence relations between countries. That’s why protocol is taken seriously and people who are to hold diplomatic posts will be given detailed and careful instructions.事实上,这个美国女人并不失礼。
然而,非常明显，她表示尊重和欢送的方法不同于现在仍见到的传统——与上司保持的身体距离,即使是对于皇室成员。
基廷,澳大利亚总理,可能要通过他的手势来说明,澳大利亚不应再把女王看做是国家元首，而应像他们的嘉宾。
很明显,英国人并不喜欢这样。
有时候,这些琐事也能影响国与国之间的关系。
这就是为什么协议会被认真对待，而人在举办外交的信函会给予详细的指示。
Case 7When the Canadian young man said, “who took my peanut butter?〞what he really meant was “where is my peanut butter? I can’t find it.〞The Chinese doctor felt accused and upset because in Chinese culture, questions like this, especially expressed in the way the young Canadian did, often imply that someone is to blame. Chinese culture prohibits direct accusation unless a personhas been targeted for shame. However, true to her learned cultural behavior of never showing anger in public, the Chinese doctor didn’t say anything, though she was deeply distressed. Later, the physiotherapist was making a joke when she said the Chinese doctor had “three hands〞. She wasn't serious, of course, and expected the patient to be amused by her fanciful explanation for his pain: that the doctor on the other side of the room could have reached an imaginary third hand out to touch him. She didn’t know in Chinese a “three-hand person〞is slang for a thief.当加拿大的年轻人说:“谁拿了我的花生酱?〞他的真正意思是“我的花生酱在哪?我找不到它了。
“中国医生感到被指控而沮丧是因为在中国文化中,这样的问题,特别是年轻的这种表达方式加拿大了,经常暗示说有人应该负责。
中国文化不会直接的指责,除非一个人已经是准备蒙羞。
然而，由于他所知道的文化习惯——不能在众前发怒,中国医生什么也没说,尽管她深感苦恼。
之后,理疗师开玩笑时说中国医生是〞三只手〞。
她并没当真,当然,希望通过他独特的解释逗乐来减轻疼痛患者:医生在房间的另一侧可能已经通过一个虚构的第三手摸他。
她不知道在中国“three-hand人〞是俚语是个小偷。
Case 8In American culture, people’s personal goals take priority over their allegiance to groups like the family or the employer. The loyalty of individualists to a given group is very weak; they feel they belong to many groups and are apt to change their membership as it suits them, switching churches, for example, or leaving one employer for another. And they are not likely to be emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions.In Japanese society, the relationship between an employee and the firm is much more interdependent, somewhat similar to a child-mother relationship where the mother (firm) is obliged to take care of her children (employees) and children (employees) have to obey and follow the commands of their mother (firm).It is not surprising for an American to try to find another job before he or she leaves his or her present employer if he or she considers it necessary for him –or herself. However, this action was regarded by the Japanese firm as disloyal, undermining the trust between the two parties. In spite of this, the manager of the firm did not like the parting to be understood as Brent being fired, because the appearance of harmony and agreement with the group (the firm in this case) is important in Japanese society.在美国文化中,人们的个人目标优先与他们所效忠的团体比方家庭或雇主。
