(Charles and Lisa are Australian and they are both regular business travelers. They are talking about different customs and habits in different countries they’ve been to.)

场景：办公室（风景图）    人物：Lisa、Charles

Lisa: Charles, nice to see you again! I haven’t seen you for some time. Where have you been?

Charles: I went to America. I was there for about a year.

Lisa: Oh, really, I stayed in America for a few months the year before last. What do you think of the American culture?

Charles: American culture is really quite task-driven and they place great value on individual achievement and thinking. In business communication and negotiation they are often less formal than in most countries.

Lisa: Yeah, there is a so called “cowboy culture” where individuals are obsessed with time and deadlines. I think the Americans are notoriously blunt and prefer to speak their minds. When they disagree, they just speak out—which often causes embarrassment for people from cultures where such bluntness is not appreciated.

Charles: Yeah, you know, as for the British culture though, I think that it’s a mixture of relationship-driven and task-driven cultures. In Britain, business is done through the “old-boy’s network”.

Lisa: You know, I worked both in Spain and in England and I think the Spanish people are much more relaxed about time, and maybe things are changing, but my impression is that they tend to say things at a slower pace than in England. That would be a difference. Another differences to do with the atmosphere in Spain—there is a lot of smoke in the office and the Spanish are much louder. When I moved from the Spanish office back to the British office, I found most of the offices are non-smoking, and I also have to keep my voice down!

Charles: Yeah, what do you think of the Japanese culture?

Lisa: I think they are very group-orientated. I worked on a project with a Japanese company, and I feel that they are quite shy, reserved and really respectful of status and position. And they try to avoid criticism of the counter party.

Charles: Yeah, you know, I think the Chinese are just like the Japanese, they are quiet, reserved, never lose their temper.

Lisa: It seems that the Buddhist philosophy plays an important role in their business dealings and in their way of life.

Charles: It’s true. The Japanese and Chinese cultures are collectivist by nature.

Lisa: Yeah, no wonder that Eastern and Western people often encounter cultural differences sometimes.

Charles: Yeah, I think it’s very important that people accept and get used to the diversified cultural customs and habits.