I am responsible for international affairs at my company. I don’t have any prior experience in this position and it was thrust on me fairly suddenly. I don’t mind and I look forward to this opportunity, but I am concerned that I may be coming off as rude.
One of our biggest vendors is a Japanese company. I have a single contact who speaks English, but he’s definitely a native Japanese speaker. When I talk to him I’ve adopted a different way of talking, and I’m not sure why. It’s slower, more pauses, and seems to match his cadence. Is this rude? Are there examples of how I should talk to a native Japanese speaker when we are both using English in a professional business setting?
Any help is appreciated.
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/11ncl4l/im_looking_for_advice_talking_to_japanese/
6 comments
Even if they speak English, their mindset might still be “Japanese”. So their main communication model is still high context. Meaning you don’t say things explicitly but let the other person read between the lines.
The classic example is someone saying “it will be difficult”. That’s a no. It’s not a “it’s difficult but we can do it”. It’s a “nope, not going to happen”.
Adjusting your communication style to the person you are dealing with is a good thing and necessary.
As tky_phoenix said,
They do have lot of double speak. So always make sure what you said is what you meant (vice versa).
This might not be possible given the context, but do you have any advice for getting a job like that?
Good for you for trying to get it right. I grew up in Japan. My advice is be formal rather than friendly. When in doubt, bow. Don’t be confrontational or pushy. If you offer to do something or hint that they might like to do something, make it happen. Be respectful. If a Japanese counterpart suggests you might consider a course of action, that’s a request. Also I will reinforce what someone else said: if your Japanese counterpart responds to a request or suggestion with anything but ‘yes’, it’s a ‘ no’. Drop it. There was a major diplomatic kerfuffle some time back when the US President suggested something to the Prime Minister of Japan and he responded, “Wakarimashita.” The President thought that was a ‘yes’. It was a ‘no’.
You should be fine, most Japanese that are fairly fluent in English will be more aware of cultural gaffes than you. But one thing I used to do is make sure on anything important I’d confirm by email. Written form can improve the chance to review any miscommunication.
Slowing down and somewhat matching their speaking style should be fine, but obviously within reason.
It is not rude to talk to someone in a way they understand – if you are conscious of it though then why not try speaking at a normal speed and see if they keep up?