跨文化交际第六章_幽默,迷信及禁忌.ppt

* * 6.1 Humor in business 6.2 Superstitions understood 6.3 Superstitions held in some cultures 6.4 Taboos understood 6.1 Humor, superstition and taboos While humor is a universal human characteristic, what is perceived as humorous varies from culture to culture. In the United States, presentations are often started with a joke or cartoon related to the topic to be covered. 6.1 Humor in business In addition to the United States; most European countries use humor during business meetings. The British, especially, intertwine humor in business discussions. Germans, too, find humor out of place during business meetings. They take business seriously and do not appreciate joking remarks during negotiations. At the conclusion of negotiations, though, Germans enjoy relaxing and telling jokes in local bars or restaurants. Even in international jokes, however, people have their own nuances (细微差别) to make the jokes/anecdotes amusing to members of their own culture. In the United States, for example, sarcasm (讽刺) and kidding accompany humor; in Australia, humor is barbed (尖锐) and provocative (煽动). Some businesspersons with global experience recommend that jokes be avoided with people of diverse cultures; they maintain that American humor is hard to export and appreciate. Even through the intention of humor is to put your international colleagues at ease and create a more relaxed environment, the risk of offending someone of another culture or of telling a story that no one understands, is great. In short, we do not all laugh at the same things. 6.2 Superstitions Superstitions are beliefs that are inconsistent with the known laws of science or what a society considers to be true and rational. Examples of superstitions include a belief that special charms, omens, or rituals have supernatural powers. Superstitions which are treated rather casually. Few businessperson in the US consult astrologers or fortune tellers for advice on business matt