When in Rome.ppt

When in Rome… Contents The Importance There is no denying that we should do as the Romans do when in Rome. This is an accumulated experience we inherit from our forefathers, and now it is still widely applied to our daily life. The old saying tells us vividly that wherever we are, we should do everything according to local customs. People from different places have different ways of acting, so it is important to try to do things the way people do who are from the place that you are visiting. In doing this, we can: 1) Broaden our horizons and enlarge our knowledge; 2) Show our respect for local cultures and the variety of world civilizations; 3) Avoid embarrassments in totally strange environment, hence lessening cultural shock; 4) Enable effective communications with foreigners; … … In China, people usually greet their friends by saying: “Have you had your meal ?” or “Where are you going?” But in west countries, such words can never be heard when greeting for it will cause misunderstandings. For example, if you ask a foreigner: “Where are you going?”, he may feel uncomfortable and think his privacy is violated. They just say “Hi” or “Hello” when meeting their friends. Differences in Social Ceremony Differences in Social Ceremony * LOGO There is a well-known proverb that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. The Importance Differences in Greeting Differences in Table Manners Differences in Social Ceremony The End When we Chinese meet someone for the first time, we usually ask his name, his age or the payment, however, westerners think it’s impolite to ask these questions because age and income are their privacy. Differences in Greetings Meeting someone for the first time Greeting Between Friends  In China, if we have a dinner, we would invite many people for it will be more lively. Also, we usually sit at a round table, which is related to the medium culture. On the part of guests, they usually arrive early and sometimes