August 31, 2018　=========

☆  dress code  ドレスコード

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The dress code is the rules about what clothes you are allowed to where at a place. This is usually used for situations like hotels or posh restaurants. In Adelaide, the casino has a dress code of no sneakers or jeans. Places like the Ritz Hotel have a similar dress code.

In a cultural situation, the dress code isn’t really about whether you are dressed well enough to go into the restaurant or hotel, but instead whether you are dressed appropriately for the situation or the culture. A common example of a cultural dress code would be the dress code for Muslim women and the Hijab.Read more about Today’s Word: dress code[…]

August 30, 2018　=========

☆  personal space  パーソナルスペース

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Your personal space is the space around you, and when someone invades that personal space, it means that you feel uncomfortable because they are standing or learning in too close to you. Everyone has a different amount of personal space – for me, when I first arrived in Japan, my personal space area was quite large, and I felt uncomfortable if people were too close.

However, after many years of catching crowded Tokyo trains, my personal space grew smaller. This was not by choice – but if my personal space had remained bigger than most people’s personal space, then it would have been stressful and uncomfortableRead more about Today’s Word: personal space[…]

August 29, 2018　=========

☆  tourist  旅行者

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A tourist is a person who is visiting a place for pleasure or interest, in particular when they are on holiday. When I was living in Japan, I didn’t really feel like a tourist, because I was living and working in Tokyo… but because I don’t look Japanese, of course, people would think I was a tourist. I had some very funny experiences because of this!

I can remember one day in Shinjuku, I was waiting to cross at the traffic lights, and there were a few Japanese people standing there, too. One Japanese old man came up to me and spoke in Japanese, saying he wasRead more about Today’s Word: tourist[…]

August 28, 2018　=========

☆  immigrant  移民

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An immigrant is a person who has come to live in a country from another country. So, I am an immigrant, because I was born in England, and came to live in Australia. These days, there is a lot of news about illegal immigrants. An illegal immigrant is someone who lives and works in another country, even though they do not have the legal right to do so.

In Australia, it seems like a lot of people worry that illegal immigrants and even legal immigrants will take “all the jobs” but in fact, most immigrants are willing to do the jobs that Australians don’t want to do.Read more about Today’s Word: immigrant[…]

August 27, 2018　=========

☆  protocol  礼儀作法

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Protocol is a system of rules about the correct way to act in certain situations. Knowing the protocol for the situation you are in can really help avoid any misunderstandings, right? But what if you don’t know the protocol for the situation? For example, you’re working with foreigners or you’re living and working abroad, and you find yourself in a situation where there is a protocol you should follow, but you don’t know what that is.

For me, this happened when I had to attend a funeral in Japan, I had no idea what the protocol was. In fact, at that stage I had only ever beenRead more about Today’s Word: protocol[…]

August 26, 2018　=========

☆  native   生まれつきの

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There are a few ways to use “native” as an adjective. For example, Mr. Tanaka is a native of Japanese, meaning that he was born in Japan. You can also use this for a region, not just a country, for example, Josh is a native New Yorker.

Your native language, or native tongue, is the first language that you learned to speak when you were a baby. For example, you might say, “English is not my native tongue.” Whereas, of course, I would say that English IS my native tongue. If someone can speak a few languages, you could say, “She can speak not only her nativeRead more about Today’s Word: native[…]

August 25, 2018　=========

☆  stereotypical  ステレオタイプの

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Something that is a stereotypical idea of a type of person or thing, is a fixed idea that a lot of people have about that thing, that may not actually be true. So, a stereotypical idea about Japanese people is that everyone wears Kimonos every day. In the past, this may have been true, but of course it’s not true anymore, but the stereotypical idea still remains.

Stereotypical ideas don’t just have to be about cultures, but can also be about people. For example, when we talk about the differences between men and women, we often talk about ideas which are stereotypical – strength, intelligence, and otherRead more about Today’s Word: stereotypical[…]

August 24, 2018　=========

☆  negative ネガティブな

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If someone is negative or has a negative attitude, they only see the bad aspects of a situation, rather than the good ones. When I was working at an English school, my Japanese coworker told me to stop being so negative! I was really surprised, because I didn’t consider myself to be a negative person. After thinking about it, I realized it was actually a cultural difference.

I was talking about things like the humid weather and crowded trains – I didn’t feel like I was complaining, but it seemed negative to my Japanese coworker because he was very stoic. He was very good at “gaman” HaRead more about Today’s Word: negative[…]

August 23, 2018　=========

☆  pleasant   心地よい

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Something that is pleasant is nice or enjoyable. I don’t use this word that often, but when I do, it’s usually in this way:

“What a pleasant surprise!” This is common to say when you have bumped into someone, or had a phone call from someone, and it’s just nice to see that person or see them.

or

“That was a pleasant evening.” Or a pleasant lunch or day or any other situation. Use this when you want to express that you had a nice time, an enjoyable time. You could even use it as a Facebook or Twitter post: “I had such a pleasant evening, having dinner withRead more about Today’s Word: pleasant[…]

August 22, 2018　=========

☆  common  共通の

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When you talk about a common opinion, or common knowledge, or a common feeling, you mean that the opinion, knowledge, or feeling is shared by the people you are talking about. So, for example, when talking about culture and cultural gaps, it might be common knowledge that most Japanese people celebrate the New Year rather than Christmas. However, it might not be common knowledge that there is an Obon season in Japan, to honor the spirits of your ancestors.  

Having common knowledge, and customs and culture in common with others can make bridging the cultural gap much easier. Do you think there are some cultures thatRead more about Today’s Word: common[…]

August 21, 2018　=========

☆  rude   失礼な

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Someone who is rude acts in an impolite way towards others, or says impolite things to or about them. Today’s word is the opposite of yesterday’s word. Hopefully you don’t ever meet rude people, but if you did, you could say something like this to them:

“Please don’t be so rude.”
“Stop being so rude!”
“I don’t know why you have to be rude.”

In Japan, you probably don’t meet that many rude people, right? People are generally polite and courteous to each other. In Australia, that’s also true, but sometimes you will come across rude people. If I do, I usually just say, “That was a bit rude!” andRead more about Today’s Word: rude[…]

August 20, 2018　=========

☆  polite  礼儀正しい

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Someone who is polite has good manners and behaves in a way that is socially correct and not rude to other people. I think being polite is probably one of the hardest things to do when there are different cultures involved. Unless you know what that culture thinks is polite and not polite, it is easy to make a mistake.

It is possible to learn the culture, so that you don’t make a mistake, but the language can be much harder. Do you agree? As I mentioned earlier in the month, the Japanese Keigo language can make it much harder to be polite in some situations. IfRead more about Today’s Word: polite[…]

August 19, 2018　=========

☆  ethnicity  民族性

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Your ethnicity is the state of belonging to a particular ethnic group. In Japan, most of the population is of Japanese ethnicity. However, in Australia, it’s really hard to know. Sometimes you can offend people quite easily too! I did this – by accident – last week!

We went to a birthday party for my son’s friend, and I had never met the mother before. She was Asian, so I asked her what her nationality was. Naturally, she said, “Well, I’m Australian.” Oops! I should have asked her what her ethnicity was. Then she would have said Korean. In fact, she was adopted from Korea when sheRead more about Today’s Word: ethnicity[…]

August 18, 2018　=========

☆  understanding  理解

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If you show understanding to someone, it means that you show that you realize how they feel, or why they did something. And that you are not hostile toward them. For example, you might say to someone, “Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

In fact, this could be something I might say to you as my reader if you have sent me an email recently! I have been a bit busy the past few weeks, so I just haven’t had a chance to reply to the emails you’ve sent me.

In fact, at the end of July, my mother died suddenly. And so there has been aRead more about Today’s Word: understanding[…]

August 17, 2018　=========

☆  culture  文化

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One of the things I love about Japan is the culture. My background is very diverse, so I don’t really feel like I have my own culture. I was born in Wales, while the rest of my family is from England. Then we moved to Australia when I was young, so I had a mix of British and Australian culture.

My best friend throughout school was a half-French, half-English girl from Canada! Then at the end of elementary school, my family went to the USA for my dad’s work. So, another new culture to add! Then Japan when I was a high school student for a homestay.

SoRead more about Today’s Word: culture[…]

August 16, 2018　=========

☆  custom  習慣

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A custom is a way of behaving that is usual or traditional to a particular society or culture. I think the different customs that each culture has leads to an interesting and diverse world, but it can also be the source of frustration and misunderstanding.

One custom that has recently been highlighted in Australia relates to the differences in religion between “Aussies” and immigrants who have a different religion. Some immigrants are arguing that Christmas and Easter should not be celebrated in schools.

Even marketers are being told to change it seems. For example, people are suggesting the artificial “Christmas Tree” you can buy from the department storesRead more about Today’s Word: custom[…]

August 15, 2018　=========

☆  education  教養

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This week’s useful phrase is, “Education is (the) key to better relations I think.” I really agree with this. Most people are generally scared or nervous around things that are different to them – and so education about that thing makes us less scared. That’s why we say, “knowledge is power” because if you know why something is different to you, it is no longer so different, right?

Do you think the education in Japan needs to change in order to teach kids more about other cultures? That way, when they enter the global workforce or travel to other countries they will have more understanding about otherRead more about Today’s Word: education[…]

August 14, 2018　=========

☆  behavior  振る舞い

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Your behavior is the way you behave. When you behave in a typical and repeated way, this is your behavior. So, at school or at home, kids might get rewarded for “good behavior.” If you’re working with people from other cultures, then sometimes their behavior might seem a little strange or unusual to you, because it is not the sort of behavior you are used to.

How would you react if someone’s culturally different behavior made you feel upset or annoyed, or even afraid? If you worked with them, would you try to talk them about how their behavior made you feel, and about how it isRead more about Today’s Word: behavior[…]

August 13, 2018　=========

☆  values  価値観

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The values of a person or of a group of people are the moral principles and beliefs that they think are important. Bridging the cultural gap is definitely easier if you share the same or similar values with the other person. Do you agree?

Most people probably think that English speaking countries share similar values with each other. I think it is also commonly thought that Asian countries share many common values. Do you agree? Do you think Japanese culture shares many – or any – values with other Asian countries?

Bye,

Chris

August 12, 2018　=========

☆  valid  妥当な

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A valid argument, comment, or idea is based on sensible reasoning and thinking.

I just said, “That’s a valid point” aloud to myself, and my son immediately said, “What is?” Ha ha! Given that we weren’t talking about anything, that is a good response to that sentence, which is the useful phrase for this week.

Because I was talking to myself, my son probably thought I was reading or listening to something that I agreed with, and that’s why I said, “That’s a valid point.” which then made him want to know, “What is?” (In other words, what is the valid point that you are talking about?)

This isRead more about Today’s Word: valid[…]

August 11, 2018　=========

☆  constructive   建設的な

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Something that is constructive is useful and helpful, rather than negative and unhelpful. We often talk about constructive discussions, comments or approaches. So, when we’re talking about bridging a cultural gap, a constructive discussion is much more useful than just giving advice on what a person must or should do. Here are some example sentences:

I trying to do something constructive at work, to help with the new employee from Thailand.
Our meeting was friendly and constructive. It really helped a lot, I think.
I talked to my boss about playing a more constructive role in our foreign branch office.

Can you make a sentence using constructive?

Bye,

Chris

August 10, 2018   　=========

☆  appropriate  適切な

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Something that is appropriate is suitable or acceptable for the situation. One thing I found really hard about the Japanese language is Keigo, and the honorific language. I studied them, they were soooo hard to remember! In the end, I just used regular Japanese, even though I knew it was more appropriate to use Keigo. Of course, because I was not Japanese, it was usually not a problem, no one minded that I wasn’t using the appropriate language.

How about English? It’s rare that there is a word that is not appropriate to use, and we don’t really have a system of language where you mustRead more about Today’s Word: appropriate[…]

August 9, 2018   =========

☆  self-conscious   自意識の強い

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Someone who is self-conscious is easily embarrassed and nervous because they feel like everyone is looking at them, and perhaps judging them. This week’s useful phrase is, “I feel so self-conscious when I travel abroad.” What do you think about this?

For me, it depends on where I am traveling. Because I am Anglo-Saxon, it’s pretty easy to travel without looking different from the people around me. However, traveling in Asia, I felt self-conscious, not so much in Japan, because I was confident about my ability to communicate in the Japanese language, but in other countries where I didn’t understand the language and I looked different,Read more about Today’s Word: self-conscious[…]

August 8, 2018      =========

☆  unexpected  思いもよらない

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If something is unexpected it surprises you because you did not think it was likely to happen. In terms of cultural differences, interestingly, even where the language is the same, there can be some unexpected differences. For example, you might not expect there to be many differences between American, British and Australian culture, because the English language is the most common language for these three places. However, when I traveled in each of these places I have found some unexpected differences.

One main unexpected difference for me, was the sense of humor differences. English and Australian people tend to have a sarcastic sense of humor, whereasRead more about Today’s Word: unexpected[…]

August 7, 2018 =========

☆  uniform  変わらない

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Something that is uniform, doesn’t change or vary, and is all the same. This doesn’t mean something like a school uniform, but I think you can see why it has the meaning of not changing, right? A school uniform or sports uniform is the same for everyone, right? This is the same – there is no change or variation.

So, for a business that wants to expand into other cultures, they would need to have a uniform system throughout the business, so that they could avoid silly mistakes. If the rules and systems are uniform throughout each branch, then cultural misunderstandings can be avoided, because everyoneRead more about Today’s Word: uniform[…]

August 6, 2018　=========

☆  mutual  お互いの

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A situation, feeling or action that is mutual is one that is experienced or felt or done by both of the people involved. One common phrase you’ll here with this word is, “The feeling is mutual.” You can use this when someone says something to you – either positive or negative – that you agree with. For example:

A: I love working with you!
B: The feeling is mutual. (Meaning, you also love working with A.)

A: I can’t stand Mr. X.
B: I think the feeling is mutual! (Meaning, Mr. X probably doesn’t like A either, but since B is talking, we cannot be 100% sure of Mr. X’sRead more about Today’s Word: mutual[…]

August 5, 2018　=========

☆  collaborate  協力する

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When you collaborate with someone on something, you work together on the project. Other words you could use are work together, cooperate, join forces and team up. Learning to collaborate creatively with people from other cultures is a vital skill these days in Australia. There are so many people immigrating to Australia, that it is very likely that you will working with more than one person with a different cultural background.

Collaborating with people from other cultures can enhance creativity, because it’s easy to combine ideas that have not been connected in the past. Of course, its hard to collaborate when there are misunderstandings, so it’s importantRead more about Today’s Word: collaborate[…]

August 4, 2018　=========

☆  confront  向かい合う

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There are a few different ways to use confront. Firstly, if you are confronted with a problem, task, or difficulty, you have to deal with it. E.g. Our company was confronted with many problems when we tried to expand into Asia.

Next, if you confront a difficult situation or issue, you accept that the issue exists and try to deal with it. E.g. We must learn how to confront the issue of an aging population.

If you are confronted with something that is threatening, or difficult to deal with, it is there in front of you. (Passive verb) E.g. I sat in front of the computer and wasRead more about Today’s Word: confront[…]

August 3, 2018            =========

☆  handle  対処する

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If you can handle a situation or problem, it means that you have the ability and skills to deal with it successfully. In other words, you can cope with it. For example, “I don’t think I can handle the job.” Or “He cannot handle the pressure.” And, “You need to learn to handle your feelings.”

So, when it comes to a cultural gap, how could you use the word handle? “The boss chose Ms. Suzuki for the position, because she knew she could handle the differences in culture between everyone involved.” Or, “I was offered a position in our Chinese branch, but I said no becauseRead more about Today’s Word: handle[…]

August 2, 2018      =========

☆  bridge  架け橋となる

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Something that bridges the gap between two people or things, reduces or gets rid of that gap. For example, the useful phrase this week is, “We need skills to help us bridge the cultural gap.” Do you know what kinds of skills you could use to bridge a cultural gap between you and someone you know or work with?

One idea is to learn the “cultural grammar.” This means the basic greetings for social interactions. So, if you are traveling to France or China, knowing how to say things such as “hello” or “thank you” in French or Chinese will help you bridge the gap. IfRead more about Today’s Word: bridge[…]

August 1, 2018　    =========

☆  hinder  邪魔する

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This month we are looking at Cultural Gap as a topic. A quick search on Google shows that “A cultural gap is any systemic difference between two cultures which hinders mutual understanding or relations.” This is a perfect example of how to use today’s word! If something hinders you, it makes it more difficult for you to do something or to make progress.

According to Google, the differences that might hinder mutual understanding are things like the values, behavior, education, and customs of the respective cultures. Do you agree with this? Is there anything else you would add? What kinds of things do you think mightRead more about Today’s Word: hinder[…]