Now read the comments on the questionnaire

TALKING ABOUT ETHNIC GROUPS

Definition

Instead of using the term " race ", today it is more com­mon to speak of "ethnic groups". An ethnic group might be defined as a group of people with common racial, national, cultural, religious or linguistic charac­teristics - or a combination thereof.

A sensitive topic

Talking about different ethnic backgrounds can be problematic. Should the subject come up, don't be too direct. Instead of questions such as "Are you Chinese?", you might ask:

§ Have you always lived in Birmingham?

§ Where's your family from originally?

The words "foreign" and "foreigner" are best avoided. Instead, you might say, for example:

§ He doesn't sound as if he's grown up around here.

§ He's not from this part of the world.

Geographical origin

Some terms to describe a person's ethnic background are used differently in Britain and North America. In the US, the word "Asian", for example, usually refers to East or South-East Asians, e.g. Koreans or Vietnamese:

§ Korean-Americans make up a large part of the Asian-American community.

In Britain, the term "Asian" usually refers to people from the Indian subcontinent:

§ In Leicester, about 30 per cent of the popu­lation is Asian, mainly with an Indian back­ground.

The term "Oriental" is now considered offen­sive when referring to people. Instead, you might say:

§ She's of Chinese descent.

§ His parents are from the Middle East.

North Americans often use hyphenated terms such as "Indo-Canadian" or "Pakistani-American":

§ Ralph Nader was the first Arab-American to run for president.

Note that "Arab" refers to people, while the language is called "Arabic".

"Latino" is an American English word for people from Latin America, while the term "Hispanic" refers to Spanish-speakers in general:

• Mexican immigrants form the largest group of US Latinos.

Race

Along with changing attitudes to other cultures and ethnic groups, feelings about what is politically correct language are constantly undergoing change as well. A North American of African descent, for example, is no longer described as a Negro or as coloured (US: col­ored) — both terms have been out for the last 40 or 50 years — but as black/Black, African-American or African-Canadian. Note that you refer to a black per­son as "black", not "a black". In spoken language, the plural "black people" is preferred to "blacks":

§ The magazine is aimed at the African-Canadian market.

§ Black people make up 50 per cent of our customers.

Black British people usually have an Afro-Caribbean or African background. Occasionally, British Asians may also refer to themselves as "black":

§ Southall Black Sisters is an organization of Asian and Caribbean women in Britain.

"European-American" is the politically correct term for white people in the US. "Caucasian", often used in TV crime series, is rarely heard in everyday conversation.

The indigenous people of North America, sometimes re­ferred to as Indians, are usually called "Native Ameri­cans" in the US and "First Nations" or " aboriginals " in Canada. The latter term includes the Inuit.

SMALL TALK

Now read the comments on the questionnaire

a Business people from Latin and Arab countries tend to have a more flexible, 'polychrome' attitude to time than their 'monochrome' North American and North European counterparts, for whom time really is money. Their 'high-context' culture also places greater emphasis on personal relationships than 'low-context' Northerners do. The message? Try not to be too busy for Brazilians or Italians and don't mess up Americans' tight schedules.

b A good sense of humour is an admired quality in many cultures - notably British, American and most Latin countries - though the type of humour may vary from wordplay to sharp sarcasm to innuendo and even the surreal. In other cultures, however -particularly Germanic ones - humour is not usually considered appropriate in a business context. The message? You don't have to be a comedian with the British, but always smile at their attempts at humour. With Germans or Swiss, leave the jokes for the bar after the meeting.

с The amount of socialising you do prior to and during a negotiation will depend both on your own and the opposing team's negotiating styles and where the negotiation is being held. In Japan, for example, the negotiation process is long and relationship-building plays an important part. The same is true of the Middle East. In the USA things move faster and their negotiating style tends to be both more informal and adversarial. In Germany there may be little time for small talk. The message? Follow your opponents' lead, but do all you can to create rapport.

d Mixing with colleagues out of work-hours is an integral part of business in America where many companies are run like sports teams with the boss as both captain and coach. Elsewhere, there may be a strong dividing line between work and home. The message? In social situations simply be yourself. Neither do anything that offends you nor that you think may offend your hosts.

e Different people have different ideas about where is an appropriate place to do business. For some, talking about golf all morning at the office, and business all afternoon on the golf course is quite normal. Others do more business in bars than boardrooms. But these days people are more culturally aware and don't usually expect foreigners to observe their own business customs. The message? A polite refusal to go to a Finnish sauna or a Spanish bullfight will not usually offend.

Where would you put Russia on this diagram?

How long does it take Russians to have small talk?

What are the most appropriate topics for small talk in Russia?

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