(Track 35 หน้า 109 )
1). Hi, I'm Jane Smart. I work for an international company in Canada. My company often sends me to Asia on business. One important thing I had to learn is that in general Asians are not as informal as we Canadians.
(2). In North America and Great Britain, people have a first or given name such as Jane or John, and a last or family name such as Smart or Smith. In formal situations we use Mr. for men or Ms. for women, so I would be Ms. Smart. In Canada we use first names most of the time, but not many Asians do that in a business situation. So let me tell you about some of the things I have discovered.
(3). In China, the family name is always first, so if you meet Zhang Ping, Zhang is the family name and Ping is the given name. I didn't know this, and on my first visit to Beijing, I was surprised when somebody called me "Ms. Smart Jane" Today, the Chinese often use Western names when they do business with Westerners -they are easier to pronounce.
5). In Korea, the family name also comes before the given name. Koreans speak to their superiors with great respect. The president of a Company is addressed as Mr. President and not by his family name. Colleagues use son- seng-nim, which actually means "teacher," to address each other. So when I worked in Seoul, I became "Smart son-seng-nim." In Indonesia, you must address businesspeople with a title and family name. If a person does not have a professional title such as Doctor or Vice-President, you should use Bapak or Pak for Mr., and Ibu or Bu for Ms. Bapak actually means father and Ibu is mother.
(6). In Thailand, people like to use first names but often with the word Khun in front, so I became Khun Jane. For senior persons you use Taan in front of their first name. So I addressed the senior employees there as Taan Bundit or Taan Sumati.
(7). Finally, let me tell you about my visit to Kyoto. Japanese adults don't use first names except with family members. At the workplace, they are addressed by their family name and san. So they called me Smart San
8). Well, that's all I have to tell you today. I hope you will find my tips useful on your business travels.