Buckling Under...

Lots of work today - and more to come this weekend. But here's something to tide you over: an interesting article on managing international transactions by a Canadian lawyer. You have to register to view the article, but it doesn't take long.

He says this about language and cultural issues:

This is sometimes the biggest hurdle to overcome in an international transaction. During intense negotiations, one group may break into a foreign language, which leads the other party to suspect devious actions and bad faith. Cultural differences can often produce similar concerns: one side invites the other to join it for social activities during the negotiation process, whereas the other party prefers to remain alone. The problem is that by refusing the invitation, the party extending the invitation views the refusal as a supreme insult.