Doing Business in Europe

　　在欧洲经商

　　Nobody actually wants to cause offence but, as business becomes more international, it is increasingly easy to get it wrong.

　　从本意来说，谁都不愿意冒犯他人。可是，随着商务活动日益国际化，动辄便可能引起误解。

　　There may be a single European market but it does not mean that managers behave the same in Greece as they do in Denmark.

　　虽然可能存在统一的欧洲市场，但它并不意味着希腊和丹麦的经理们的行为方式就完全相同。

　　In many European countries handshaking is an automatic gesture.

　　在许多欧洲国家，握手是一种习惯性动作。

　　In France good manners require that on arriving at a business meeting a manager shakes hands with everyone present.

　　在法国，按照礼节，每逢出席商务会议，经理到达时必须同每一位与会者握手。

　　This can be a demanding task and, in a crowded room, may require gymnastic ability if the farthest hand is to be reached.

　　如果会议室里挤满了人，那么和最远处的人握手可能就得身怀绝技才行。

　　Handshaking is almost as popular in other countries including Germany, Belgium and Italy.

　　握手在其他国家也一样普遍，包括德国、比利时和意大利。

　　But Northern Europeans, such as the British and Scandinavians, are not quite so fond of physical demnonstrations of friendliness.

　　但是北欧人，例如英国人与挪威、瑞典、丹麦、冰岛等斯堪的纳维亚人却不太喜欢用身体动作来表示友好。

　　In Europe the most common challenge is not the content of the food, but the way you behave as you chat.

　　在欧洲，最常面临的挑战不在于食物内容，而在于交谈时的举止方式。

　　Some things are just not done.

　　有些方面属于禁忌范围。

　　In France it is not good manners to raise tricky questions of business over the main course.

　　在法国，切忌在吃主菜时提出刁钻诡诈的生意问题。

　　Business has its place: after the cheese course.

　　谈生意自有它的合适时机，即在奶酪上桌之后。

　　Unless you are prepared to eat in silence you have to talk about something—something, that is, other than the business deal which you are continually chewing over in your head.

　　用餐时，除非你打定主意一言不发，否则总得说点什么，但说话内容不得与生意有关，尽管你的脑海里正对此念念不忘。

　　Italians give similar importance to the whole process of business entertaining.

　　意大利人同样重视商务招待的整个过程。

　　In fact, in Italy the biggest fear, as course after course appears, is that you entirely forget you are there on business.

　　事事实上，在意大利，最让人感到害怕的是，随着一道道美食不断上桌，人们会完全忘了自己是去谈生意的。

　　If you have the energy, you can always do the polite thing when the meal finally ends, and offer to pay.

　　好不容易到用餐结束，假如你还有精力的话，应该礼貌地主动提出付账，

　　Then, after a lively discussion, you must remember the next polite thing to do—let your host pick up the bill.

　　一番热烈的你推我然改制后，切记应该让主人买单，这才符合礼貌。

　　In Germany, as you walk sadly back to your hotel room, you may wonder why your apparently friendly hosts have not invited you out for the evening.

　　在德国，人们可能会在回下榻宾馆的路上闷闷不乐，对看起来很友好的主人为何不邀请自己出去玩一玩，打法良宵而百思不得其解。

　　Don’t worry, it is probably nothing personal.

　　千万别多心，也许这根本不是什么个人原因。

　　Germans do not entertain business people with quite the same enthusiasm as some of their European counterparts.

　　德国人通常不会像他们的欧洲同行那样，热情款待商业伙伴。

　　The Germans are also notable for the amount of formality they bring to business.

　　德国人还有一个显著特点，即他们在商业活动中非常拘泥于礼节。

　　As an outsider, it is often difficult to know whether colleagues have been working together for 30 years or have just met in the lift.

　　作为局外人，很难看出人们之间是一期共事了30年得老同事还是刚在电梯里认识的新交。

　　If you are used to calling people by their first names, this can be a little strange.

　　假如你习惯于对他人直呼其名，在这里可能会觉得有点不自在。

　　To the Germans, titles are important.

　　对德国人而言，职衔非常重要。

　　Forgetting to call someone by his or her title might cause serious offence.

　　忘记称呼对方头衔很可能会引起极大地不满。

　　It is equally offensive to call them by a title they do not possess.

　　但若无中生有，给对方安上某个头衔，一样也会得罪人。

　　These cultural challenges exist side by side with the problems of doing business in a foreign language.

　　这些文化挑战与使用外语从事商业活动所出现的问题同时存在。

　　Language, of course, is full of difficulties—disaster may be only a syllable away.

　　毫无疑问，语言充满了障碍。一个音节之差，便可能导致生意惨败。

　　But the more you know of the culture of the country you are dealing with, the less likely you are to get into difficulties.

　　但对相关国家的文化了解得越多，就越能远离困境。

　　It is worth the effort.

　　这方面的功夫不会白费。

　　It might be rather hard to explain that the reason you lose the contract was not the product or the price, but the fact that you offended you hosts in a light-hearted comment over an aperitif.

　　失去合同不是因为产品或价格的原因，而是由于你对于开胃酒的轻率评价冒犯了主人，要解释清楚其中个由也许颇为困难。

　　Good manners are admired; they can also make or break the deal.

　　礼貌周全受人赞赏，同时也可使生意成功或失败。

　　PART ONE: INTERVIEW

　　(1) Have you ever been abroad?

　　你去过国外吗?

　　No, I’ve never been to other places in China, let alone abroad. But I hope I can have a chance to visit other countries in the future.

　　(2) Do you think business trips abroad necessary to a company?(Why?/Why not?)

　　你认为国外差旅对公司有必要吗?(为什么?)

　　Sure. They offer opportunities for international trade which expands the market for the company’s products.

　　(3) What kinds of skills are needed for business travelers abroad?

　　到国外出差时需具备什么样的技能?

　　For business travelers abroad, language skills and knowledge about local culture are needed which are essential for the success of the trip.

　　(4) Do you think language skills important for people travelling abroad on business?(Why?/Why not?)

　　你认为语言技巧对到国外进行商务旅行的人们重要吗?(为什么?)

　　Yes. If you have good language skills, you can easily communicate with your business partners abroad and better understand each other.

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