Как встретить иностранного гостя: особенности культур

 Самое главное – это произвести первое впечатление, поэтому человек, встречающий иностранного гостя должен быть приветливым. Нужно как следует подготовиться: узнать о традициях иностранца, о табу и жестах в его культуре.

Конечно, прежде всего, быть самим собой, объективным, приятно улыбаться, искренне приветствовать гостя, относиться  к нему уважительно. Также можно разбавить приветствие шуткой, выучить пару слов на родном языке иностранца, чтобы оживить беседу. 

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How to deal with visitors from foreign countries?

Even in foreign cultures, a first impression is a lasting one. It's important when meeting someone from a foreign culture to greet them properly, since greetings are highly socialized rituals that carry lots of unspoken meaning. The person who greets clients presents an image of the company. Being greeted warmly by an attentive staff member makes a client feel valued and can lead her to cultivate a longer relationship with the company. Follow these steps to greet a foreign person warmly, without causing offense.

1. Know a little about the foreign person's culture.
The important things to know are taboos and gestures that might be considered an insult in the culture. So find out what's socially forbidden in the person's culture so you don't get off to a bad start. For example, in the USA, greetings are casual – a handshake, a smile and a ‘hello’. The British often simply say ‘hello’ and shake hands when they meet for the first time; a peck on the cheek is common in an informal situation. In Japan, the common greeting is to bow. In Russia, the typical greeting is a very firm handshake, maintaining direct eye contact. When men shake hands with women, the handshake is less industrial.

2. Be reasonable about the greeting.
That is to say, there is no reason to speak louder, smile exaggeratedly. Greet them genuinely in a way that you would greet a stranger from your own culture.

3. Pepper your greeting with the person's language.
Finding one simple word from the foreigner's own language to add to your greeting is a nice way to make the greeting fun and to show the foreign person that you are trying to accommodate them.

4. Be personal but conservative.
It's important when greeting a foreigner to treat that person as an individual and not just a delegate from a culture or country. Use the person's name formally, adding "Mr." or "Ms." before their last name (unless they tell you otherwise), and speak respectfully but in a friendly manner.

Learn some useful phrases from the text