職場英語：了解西方職場文化 輕鬆與老外打交道

（澳洲生活網訊）最近英國脫歐的消息刷遍了我們的各種屏幕，你是否也在密切關注著西方國家的發展動態？在西方文化中，很多職場細節是不能不學的，這對於工作的溝通和交流有著至關重要的作用。EF英孚教育職業發展部導師Annie精心總結了3種強而有力的方法，幫助你了解更多西方職場中的文化，讓你輕鬆在職場中與外國人打交道。

1）Because of different living habits, and the influence of culture, there are differences between how the Chinese and Westerners express their ideas. Westerners are thought to express themselves directly, by saying what they really think. Also, foreigners are expected to be more open minded by accepting and respecting different ideas. On the other side, because of long-held Confucian influences, Chinese people are thought to be more conservative, and express themselves in an indirect manner. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to express yourself in an international organization.

由於受到不同文化和不同生活習慣的影響，中西方的表達方式也存在著差異。西方人通常表達比較直接，願意主動表達出自己內心真正的想法，也勇於接受和尊重他人不同的意見；而因長期儒教思想的熏陶，中國人普遍都比較保守，在表達自己的時候會比較含蓄。因此，在跨國公司中勇於表達自己的真實想法是職場需要學習的最重要一課。

The boss of a law firm recently came to Sisi and asked her to lead a team to deal with a difficult case. Even though Sisi wanted to challenge herself, she said with some reservation: 『This case is very difficult and I am afraid that I cannot handle it.』 Her boss thought that she was not ready, and assigned the case to another person. In result, Sisi missed this opportunity.

範例：某律師事務所老闆找到員工Sisi，決定讓Sisi帶頭處理最近一個比較棘手的案子。儘管Sisi心裡很願意接受挑戰，她還是有所保留地回答：這件案子確實有難度，我擔心自己的能力不夠…老闆卻認為Sisi還沒有準備好而把工作委派給了另外一個同事，Sisi因此而錯過了機會。

2）The 『western handshake』 is generally used in an international business setting. Even though different countries have different ways to greet each other, the handshake is one of the most universal greetings in business. Some business professionals think handshakes can determine your confidence and professionalism, judged by how firm your grip is. If your handshake is too weak, others might misjudge you as being nervous or unprofessional. When you do business with Westerners, (not including Americans), make sure that you shake hands with everyone in the room lest some will feel excluded.

國際商務場合一般都採用西方的握手禮儀，不同國家見面打招呼的方式不同，握手也是一門值得研究的學問。職場精英都很重視握手，因為好的握手，讓人感受到你的自信、穩重與專業性。如果握得太松會顯得你緊張、不自信；跟美國以外的國家做生意時，要確保與每個你所問候的人握手，並問候屋子裡的每個人。不這樣做，就會被視為你排斥那些你漏掉與之握手的人。

A French translator named David always shakes his clients』 hands to show respect. However, some women found his behaviour offensive because he chose not to shake their hands. David thinks that he is being polite, by allowing women to choose to shake hands with him first. However, by doing this, women in his presence felt excluded/not as appreciated as the men. After David was able to understand this situation, he was able to change his behavior. David now shakes hands with everyone regardless of gender.

範例：法語翻譯官David每次與男性客戶見面時都會主動握手，然而某些女性客戶卻感覺這樣的行為冒犯了她們。儘管David認為職場女性享有握手的主動權，應該等女士主動伸手之後再握，但一些女性卻覺得自己受到了區別對待。了解以後，David更加關注西方職場禮儀，這使他今後在不同的場合中有更得體的表現。

3）Showing team spirit in the workplace can help foster a more professional environment. Some foreign companies have group interviews in order to focus on this quality in select candidates. The interviewer will watch the candidates』 performance to evaluate their ability to work as a team. In foreign companies, many projects need to be finished across different departments and regions. Because of this specific working environment, the interviewer will focus on a candidate』s ability too cooperate with co-workers, analytical skills, and problem solving skills. Specific projects you have worked on in the past, and reference letters are sometimes required as well.

團隊精神和團隊合作意識能夠體現出職場人的素養。眾所周知，外企面試中大多會有無領導小組討論環節，主考官在旁邊觀察應聘者共同完成某一項目的表現，評估應聘者的團隊合作能力。因為外企很多工作是需要跨部門、跨區域來完成的，所以面試官會注重你的團隊合作能力，分析能力，解決問題的能力，尤其你曾經在企業合作完成過的重要項目，同事朋友對你的評價等。

Sherry attended a group interview for a well-known company. At the end of the interview, a group discussion was held to encourage candidates to solve a problem as a group. Even though Sherry had a lot of experience that she could add to the discussion, she failed the interview. She wasn』t hired because she displayed a lack of respect for others opinions, and did not have 『team spirit.』

範例：Sherry在參加某知名遊戲公司集體面試時，最後一個環節便是無領導小組討論，應聘者需要以小組的形式解決某一難題。儘管Sherry經驗豐富，也在小組討論中展現出她的優勢，卻因為沒有傾聽小組其他人的意見，以及缺乏團隊合作精神而最終面試失敗。