This Week's CULTURE QUIZ: GREETINGS!
Match the greeting with the culture! How Many Can You Get Right?
We’ve been thinking about cultural faux pas this week, and one of the easiest ways to accidentally commit a cultural faux pas occurs right when you first meet your colleagues abroad. Greetings differ culture by culture, so here are TEN CultureQuiz questions about cross-cultural greetings guaranteed to trip up the unsuspecting visitor. How many can get you right?
You’re standing on the street corner of this busy city and spot your local colleague on the opposite corner. You raise your hand to wave, but, as she sees you, she walks away. Oops! Bad greeting behavior in…
a. Sierra Leone.
b. Belize.
c. Australia.
d. Greece.
You ask a question of your colleague, and he nods his head up and down. “OK, glad we’re agreed”, you say. He says, “Sorry, I don’t agree”, and keeps nodding his head up and down. Confusion in…
a. Albania.
b. Lebanon.
c. Chile.
d. Namibia.
You sit down at your meeting and casually cross your legs, revealing the sole of your shoe. Suddenly, your colleagues do not appear pleased. You most likely are meeting in…
a. Kuwait.
b. Sri Lanka.
c. South Africa.
d. Panama.
Your colleague leans over toward your cheek, and offers three “air kisses”, on alternating cheeks, as a greeting. You are most likely meeting in…
a. Norway.
b. Scotland.
c. The Netherlands.
d. Bulgaria.
You walk into a bar with your local colleague at the end of the day after a long meeting, and you raise your first and second fingers with your hand facing the bartender in the “V for Victory” sign to indicate that you want two beers, but your bartender seems very disturbed by your behavior and ignores you. You must be in…
England.
Honduras.
Switzerland.
Colombia.
You extend your hand and eagerly shake hands with your colleague, who returns your enthusiasm with a less than firm handshake. You are disappointed in what appears to be his lack of eagerness to meet. You must be in…
a. Paraguay.
b. Brazil.
c. Algeria.
d. Vietnam.
You are so pleased to finally meet your colleague with whom you’ve been emailing for many months that you eagerly embrace them after being introduced. But he seems very uncomfortable with this close encounter. You are likely in…
a. China.
b. Iran.
c. Zimbabwe.
d. Mexico.
Your colleague greets you by holding their hands together in “prayer” position, and lowering their eyes and head. You are most likely in…
a. Malta.
b. India.
c. Togo.
d. Fiji.
You pass your colleague on the street and say, “Good Morning”. He replies, “All right”, and you wonder what he means. You must be in…
a. Venezuela.
b. Barbados.
c. Bermuda.
d. The Gambia.
You sit down with your colleague for a celebratory meal after a successful business negotiation, and when the food comes out, you pass the platter to him with your left hand, as he is seated to your left. He seems displeased, and continues to pass the platter to the rest of the table, without taking any of the food. You are likely in…
a. Indonesia.
b. Lithuania.
c. Mongolia.
d. Cuba.
How many did you get right? Checkout the correct answers, and the reasons why, right here below!
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