4 ms·
"This has positive & negative implications: communication in Israel, translated literally to English, would seem blunt and sometimes plain rude to Americans."
by TriinT 17y ago
"This has positive & negative implications: communication in Israel, translated literally to English, would seem blunt and sometimes plain rude to Americans."
That is quite interesting! Especially so when one takes into account that Americans i) tend to lack manners and ii) take pride in being direct.
- access_denied 17y agoMy people (the Germans) have this reputation for being impolite. I tend to think this is because we have the tendecy to be brutally direct when we want to be honest. We like to be honest, in that sense anyway, regarding matters of work. This comes off as rude to members of the civilized world (say, the British or Japanese). (I am writing this after +6 years of experience living in foreign countries.) Another observation: the heroism around doing ones work is strong in Germany, we have that in common with the Americans (in the West, don't ask certain Asians). Yes, certainly there are many French (for instance) fellows, who like theire work. But the Germans (and Americans) have that tendency to get "macho" about it.
- nir 17y agoThe first time I visited Germany as a Sales Engineer, the company's local German salesperson told me "Be direct. People here appreciate a straight, yes/no reply". I was relieved to hear this :) I suppose some might consider communication in German less direct due to issues like Sie vs Du separation. But since I wasn't speaking German it didn't really register with me.
- Ras_ 17y agoHeroism around doing ones work aka Protestant work ethic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic
- nir 17y agoYou know, I often hear the "we lack manners" statement from Americans, and I never get where it's coming from. I suppose it all depends on who you compare with, but in my own limited experience (I've worked and traveled in Australia and central Europe) Americans are generally the nicest people I've ever met, in terms of everyday kindness and courtesy.
- TriinT 17y agoLacking manners and being nice are different things. Yes, generally Americans are nice people. But when at the cafeteria I see people chewing with their mouths open, I often see guys cursing in the presence of women and children, and I see people violating basic rules of etiquette wherever I go.