Working in Multicultural Teams(Part2)
These days, working with people from different cultures is quite common. You might be meeting with colleagues in another country or on another continent. Business practices vary all over the world. Some cultures are more formal than others. Some have distinct customs regarding greetings, gender roles, and food. So it’s helpful to know as much as possible about other business cultures before you meet your team
Ming:Good morning. It's good to
see you all. My name is Cao Ming and I'm looking forward to working with
everyone. We've got a lot on the agenda today, so let'sjump right in.First...
Carla:“jump right in?”
Ming:Oops... I mean, let's get the
meeting started right away. So we'llkick
off…I mean “start” - by brainstorming some ideas on...
Carla:Sorry, Dr. Cao, but would you
mind if we took a few minutes to introduce ourselves before we “jump right
in”?
Ming:Oh, yes,by all means.And feel free to call me by my surname
name, Cao. Or my first name, Ming. You candrop
the “doctor.”So...let's go ahead with introductions.
Carla:Well, I'm Carla Silva and I've
been with the company for over 15 years, investigating potential new uses
of...
Ming:...so let's talk a bit about the
testing schedule.Time is shortand...
Felipe:Oh! You're all here
already!
Ming:Er...yes... Can I help you?
Felipe:I'm Dr. Felipe Santos. I'm the
Director of Research here in Curitiba. And you must be Dr. Cao.
Ming:Yes. Well, actually, my name is
pronounced “T-ao.”
Felipe:Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't
realize that. The spelling...
Ming:No problem at all - that's a
commonslip.Please have a seat. We're
discussing the testing schedule. Carla, what were your thoughts on that?
Carla:I suggest extending the testing
period until February because...
Felipe:Carla, Dr. Cao is the boss
here. I'm sure he has the schedule all arranged.
Ming:Actually, no. I'm new to this
project, so I welcome any ideas. I'm interested in everyone's input. Carla,
please continue.
Carla:I was just saying, if we extend
the testing until February, we'll stand a better chance of meeting the
production deadline...
Vocaburary Note
by all means・・・ Yes,off course
Time is short ・・・ There isn't much time
slip・・・ Minor mistake, especially in
speech
