Small Business Today Magazine NOV 2014 EXHIBIT NETWORK | Page 17
EDITORIALFEATURE
Differences & Similarities in the
Portuguese Speaking World
By Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine
P
ortuguese is one of the most important rising languages on Earth. It is spoken by more than 240 million people
spanning the Americas, Europe, Africa,
and Asia. Most believe that Portuguese is
a uniform language and culture. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Portugal’s
colonial expansion has yielded a widely diverse and rich Portuguese speaking culture
with many different aspects. If you wish to
conduct business in this area you must be
well versed in this diversity in order to avoid
cultural misunderstandings.
The mother country of the Portuguese
speaking world is, of course, Portugal. Due to
its position on the Atlantic Ocean, this country helped launch Europe’s seafaring age and
in so doing spread its language to the far corners of the globe. In South America, Brazil
was founded. In Africa, the countries of Angola and Mozambique were established. In
Asia, Portugal administered control over the
Chinese city and territory of Macau. In all of
these places, some form of Portuguese is still
spoken to this day. Nevertheless, the culture
of each country has become an amalgamation of Portuguese and native influences.
Consequently, their ways of communicating,
though somewhat similar, display significant
differences.
Communication style is somewhat varied
in the Portuguese speaking world. For example, it is not at all uncommon for a Portuguese or Brazilian person to interrupt their
counterpart when speaking.This is commonplace and even expected. However, this is
not the case in Angola. Angolans, much like
Americans, wait for their turn to speak. Otherwise, the interlocutor will be insulted. The
important point is to be prepared for changes in communication etiquette and adjust
accordingly.
Nonverbal communication also varies
among the various Portuguese speaking
countries. Eye contact differs from country
to country but it must be taken into consideration to avoid rudeness. In Portugal,
eye contact must be maintained. Not doing
so implies that you are not listening and is
considered disrespectful. Brazilians are also
known for employing direct eye contact
for the same reason, however in Angola it
is disrespectful to look an older person in
the eyes. Furthermore, do not be surprised if
an Angolan woman does not make eye contact. It is customary in her culture to avoid it.
Another major difference in Portuguese
speaking communication is physical interaction. In general, the Portuguese speaking
world is more interactive physically than its
English speaking counterpart but even this
varies depending on the country. In American culture, touching the other person while
speaking is not acceptable. In Portugal, it is
not uncommon for someone to touch you
on the arm while talking once the person
gets to know you. Brazilians will also do
this and probably sooner than their Portuguese counterpart since formality is more
relaxed in Brazil. In Mozambique, physical
interaction is so close it is even common for
men to walk hand in hand. This is an African
custom local to that country and a sign of
friendship. It has no bearing on sexual orientation. On a similar note, members of the
opposite sex should not make physical contact in Mozambique and Angola because it
is taken as a sign of interest. In Portugal and
Brazil, this is not the case as men and women can make slight physical contact without
any misunderstanding of intention.
Communication in the Portuguese speaking world can be both direct and indirect
depending on the country. For example,
in Portugal and Brazil, the reply of “yes”
or “no” means exactly what it says like in
American English. Nevertheless, in Angola
and Mozambique, “yes” sometimes actually
means “no.” This phenomenon is due to
the African custom of eschewing negativity. Quite simply, they do not wish to harm
the relationship so they avoid anything negative. This situation can be quite frustrating
for a Westerner but really all that is necessary is to observe the person’s body language for the correct meaning.
Despite the wide diversity of the Portuguese speaking community, it is important
to note that there is a great desire among
them for cultural unity. In 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
was formed. This organization promotes
cooperation, friendship, and mutual development among all countries that speak
Portuguese. Therefore, when doing business with one country, keep in mind that
the bonds to the other Portuguese speaking countries are very close.
With the growing success of the Portuguese speaking countries, especially in the
areas of oil and gas, businesspeople are going to have more and more contact with
them. Therefore, learning a few phrases
to show your appreciation for the culture,
hiring a professional interpreter, and understanding the differences and similarities
between cultures is the formula for building successful business relationships in any
part of the world.
As a graduate of the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship
at the University of Houston, Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova
Golovine, Founder, CEO, and President of MasterWord
Services, Inc., started her company with a vision of
seamlessly connecting people across any language, any
time, and any culture. Mila can be reached by email at
[email protected], by phone at 281-5890810, or visit her website at www.masterword.com.
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