PROFESSIONAL WRITING Pop Quiz International Communication Quiz Professional

PROFESSIONAL WRITING Pop Quiz International Communication

Quiz Professional Writing 1. In the US, the Amish speak a dialect of A. Aramaic B. Dutch C. German 2. True or False: In Japan, most men and women speak different forms of Japanese.

Professional Writing Quiz 3. Several dialects are recognized as distinct languages in Spain. Match the language with the appropriate data: A. Basque 1. Spoken in Galicia B. Castilian 2. Not related to Spanish C. Galician 3. Spain’s official dialect 4. Muslims believe that God spoke Arabic, the official language of many countries, including Oman and Morocco. True or false: Spoken Arabic has no regional dialects.

Professional Writing Quiz 5. Which of the following is not one of Belgium’s three official languages? A. Flemish B. French C. German D. Luxembourgish 6. True or false: In 1966, the French government established a commission to combat Franglais, a mixture of French and English.

Professional Writing Quiz 7. True or false: It is a social gaffe to arrive on time for a dinner party in either Mexico City or anywhere in India. 8. You are holding a meeting in Wisconsin for Chinese executives. Which is NOT a blunder? A. B. C. D. Holding the meeting in room 444 Passing out green caps Staying out late entertaining your guests Serving Wisconsin cheese at every meal

Quiz Professional Writing 9. True or False: Translation blunders often occur even among English speakers. The 1993 Warner Brothers’ film Free Willy left many Brits helpless with laughter. 10. Spitting is actually against the law in which country? 11. True or false: Never keep your left hand in your pocket while shaking hands with your right in Germany. 12. You are the sole passenger on a bus in Bahrain. A man enters and chooses the seat next to you. True or false: He intends to start a conversation with you.

Professional Writing 13. Japan is a high context culture where small gestures convey great meaning. Which is an appropriate behavior in Japan? A. Covering your mouth when you laugh B. Winking to convey agreement C. Speaking in a loud, forceful voice.

Answers Professional Writing 1. 2. 3. In the US, the Amish speak a dialect of C. Pennsylvania Dutch = Deutsch True or False: In Japan, most men and women speak different forms of Japanese. True. Traditional Japanese women speak a very deferential form of the language. Several dialects are recognized as distinct languages in Spain. Match the language with the appropriate data: A. Basque = 2. Not related to Spanish B. Castilian = 3. Spain’s official dialect C. Galician = 1. Spoken in Galicia

Answers Professional Writing 4. 5. 6. Muslims believe that God spoke Arabic, the official language of many countries, including Oman and Morocco. True or false: Spoken Arabic has no regional dialects. False Which of the following is not one of Belgium’s three official languages? A. Flemish B. French C. German D. Luxembourgish True or false: In 1966, the French government established a commission to combat Franglais, a mixture of French and English. True. Le Haut-Comité pour la défence et l’expansion de la language Française

Professional Writing Answers 7. True or false: It is a social gaffe to arrive on time for a dinner party in either Mexico City or anywhere in India. True. In India, guests arrive 20 -30 minutes late; in Mexico, guests arrive an hour late. 8. You are holding a meeting in Wisconsin for Chinese executives. Which is NOT a blunder? A. B. C. D. Holding the meeting in room 444 Passing out green caps Staying out late entertaining your guests Serving Wisconsin cheese at every meal C. Four sounds like “end” in Chinese; a green hat = cuckold; many Chinese are lactose-intolerant

Professional Writing Answers 9. True or False: Translation blunders often occur even among English speakers. The 1993 Warner Brothers’ film Free Willy left many Brits helpless with laughter. True. Willy is a slang term for penis. 10. Spitting is actually against the law in which country? Singapore also prohibits chewing gum, jay-walking, and smoking in public places. 11. True or false: Never keep your left hand in your pocket while shaking hands with your right in Germany. True. Don’t even talk to someone with your hands in your pockets in Germany. 12. You are the sole passenger on a bus in Bahrain. A man enters and chooses the seat next to you. True or false: He intends to start a conversation with you. False. Complete strangers often sit close to each other in many parts of the Middle East.

Professional Writing Answers 13. Japan is a high context culture where small gestures convey great meaning. Which is an appropriate behavior in Japan? A. Covering your mouth when you laugh B. Winking to convey agreement C. Speaking in a loud, forceful voice. A. Displaying the inside of your mouth in Japan is considered rude.

Professional Writing High Context • High Context cultures (Latin America, Middle East, Japan) • Infer most information from context • Convey little information explicitly • Prefer indirectness, politeness, ambiguity • Consider oral agreements more binding than written ones • Rely heavily on nonverbal signs

Professional Writing Low Context • Low Context Cultures (UK, US, Northern Europe) • Rely little on context cultures • Spell out most information • Value directness: may see indirectness as dishonest or manipulative • Value written word more than oral statements

Professional Writing Personal Space • Personal space - distance one likes between self and others • Lots: North Americans - North Europeans Asians • Little: Arabs - Latin Americans – French - Italians • Some people more comfortable with touch than others

Professional Writing Business Time • North Americans measure it in 5’ blocks; some others in 15’ or 30’ blocks • Lead times vary: 2 weeks in some cultures; 3 or 4 days for others

Professional Writing Time and Culture • • • Monochronic culture People focus on clock Plan their time; avoid wasting it Polychronic culture People focus on relationships Disregard clocks and planners