Things To Know About Lao Culture English Language Essay

Things To Know About Lao close side linguistic talk Es supposeLaos has its own traditional greeting called Nob. Where palms ar rigid together as if in prayer and held in confront of the toilet t subject or cheek. The soulfulness who is amicablely inferior or younger should be the first to bow, but it is considered polite for the older/ neighborlyly superior mortal to respond quickly. There atomic number 18 many levels for showing go for to the soulfulness in greeting with Nob. The higher the custody atomic number 18 held and the lower the bow, the greater the degree of respect. During Nob, adept should smile and say hello together.Sa Bai Dee is a leger use as Hello. Its general signification is How are you and I am doing good or Im fine. It is common in Laos to ask, Have you eaten yet? after(prenominal) greeting. When somebody ask this question, he/she does non unremarkably purpose for the make out but to show care. This tells the importance, non unlike man y socialisations, of offering and pass judgment hospitality whenever possible.Nation PrideThe Lao are truly intellectualbeing Lao. However, they might non notice themselves. According to the Buddhistic Precept, Things are as they are and should be. The Laoacceptwho and w get into they are. And the Lao are tallin their long and well-established traditions. They like when internationaler shows interest in their agriculture. neer mentalityLaos is a deeply sensitive culture. They care for new(prenominal) citizenry feeling. Word expressions capture the essence of a culture. One should endlessly arse up this in mind before making a strong interpretation or victorious direct action. Lao has a lot of expressions involve the word Chai or heartTwo frequently used Lao expressions are Bo Penh Nyang and Tham Ma Dha. These cardinal words afford various meaning according to the context. However, all meanings derive from a Buddhist perspective of credence of the prevailing situati on.Bo Penh Nyang directly means No problem. It in like manner has other meanings as never mind or are you all right?. In some case, Bo Penh Nyang rear use for express as I yield and forget your action. this is normally used when mortal did something wrong.Tham Ma Dha is the word from Buddhist thinking, means everything goes on it bureau. In everyday life situation, it means average, the norm or proceeding as usual.Religious CultureSimilar to other countries in South-East Asia, Lao culture is influenced by Buddhist thinking. This translates to a very patient and accepting attitude. People want to move on to peace and prosperity rather than dwell on the past. Things are as they are and should be and change comes slowly.Body expectIn Laos, as in or so Buddhist cultures, charge is considered the most precious lot of the body as it is the center of the spirit. In the same way, the feet are the least consecrated part of the body. There are many manners and aspects that are relate d to body conduct. It is necessary to cerebrate this conduct whenever in Laos. fareIn big city and urban area, Lao beautify the recent cloths in the same way as the westward do. However, short and divine revelation clothes are generally not acceptable in Lao culture.Losing faceTo flake out face, or to cause another to dope off face, is serious. Losing face smoke make Lao plurality very sensitive. They are afraid(predicate) of being insulted. Any form of confrontation for winner and loser moldiness be head offed.Do and DontDo not offer a osculation in greetingThe Laos word for hello is Sa Bai Dee,usually said with a smile. book shaking in popular is not common. If you dont know how to greet in Laos tradition way, it is better to bow a little bit and say hello. Touching or showing affection in public allow embarrass Lao. Greeting with affection of people with same gender is not widely accepted.Do avoid showing affectionKissing and kissing and hand holding in public is impolite. Handholding in public should be avoided, even for foreigner couple. Men and woman should not touch or eat public affection. Please be discrete and show respect to Lao culture.Be clean and neat in appearance whenever possible.Lao people calculate clean and neatly practiceed visitors. Do dress modestly when entering temples, museums, official buildings and giving medication offices no shorts or sleeveless shirts, tank tops or beach resist. Appropriate dress and behavior when entering places are essential. Lao people are too sensitive with odor. People who gull strong body odor should wearing perfume however, strong perfume is not appreciated.Do ram your hat and dress off before you enter temple or Laoss internalLao people raise to keep their places clean. Taking hat and shoes off also are showing respect to the places. Lao appreciate and expect foreigner to do the same.Do not touch any whizz on the head.As head is the most sacred part of the Laos body, touching h ead is considered as very impolite behavior.Do remember that feet is lowDo not point your feet towards people or Buddha images. Using your feet for anything other than move or playing sport is generally considered rude. Sitting with legs crossed should be also avoided, otherwise, pointing feet at something or someone. When sitting in a temple, keep legs together and to the side in a mermaid position.Do gently condescend down when passing someone who is seatedIt is polite to gently crouches ones back down when passing someone who is seated. Never, ever step over someone in your path.Do not shout or raise your portionLao people speak softly and avoid confrontation. Speaking or shouting in loud voice may frighten them.Dont lose your temper in public.Speaking loudly and angrily is oftentimes counterproductive. It also consider as uneducated or uncivilized person. People who lose their temper in public might be looked down on from other people.Do ask for the permission first before y ou submit a photo of someoneIt is better to ask for permission, particularly in villages outside the cities where the people may have superstitions against being photographed.Do not Bathing nude or Semi-nude in public.A lot of travelers can in the river and waterfall nude or wear bikini. Lao people do not appreciate that behavior as it is contrast to their culture and religious.Do show respect to the temple, monk and religious related things. outlander should show respect and dress neatly while in temples and when taking photos around the temple areas. There are many other sacred items and sites in Laos. do not touch these items or enter places without permission.Do avoid involving with banned stuffThe use of drugs is illegal in Laos. The government is serious about this. The illegal sale of wildlife and wildlife products should be avoided. Buying old stager Buddha, sacred items and other old artifacts are prohibited. They are not allowed to be constituten out of Laos. You migh t have problem when leaving Laos sex tourism is illegal in LaoSex tourism is illegal in Lao and child-sex tourism is a serious crime. Moreover The Lao government prohibits any sexual contact or transactionhips between Lao nationals and foreigners, unless married under Lao law penalties may involve intelligent fines or imprisonmentIt is importance to remember how to show respect. When in Laos, try and do as the Laos. Do and remember about body conduct, dress, and public affection and religious manner.Business ValueLaos entrepreneurial behavior is culturally influenced by values, beliefs, and disbeliefs. Religion, the caste system, and the family system affected the emergence of entrepreneurship. As Lao is a devoutly Buddhist country, it is measurable to respect the national morality when conducting line of work in Lao.Business ValueBusiness culture in Laos is dramatically different from westerners crinkle culture. The expressions of each of the value emphases listed in the nex t Table.1 for one culture can be found.Table.1 Business value vehemence comparison between Lao and Westerners.Source Laoletter (2008). Lao Business Culture blog.RelationshipBusinesses are often based on personal relations developed within social circles. In Lao culture, work and social affairs are woven together in a unseamed pattern. Since the emphasis placed on personal relationships is high, having a reliable and connected local agent or representative is crucial to the success of a foreign venture.Lao are wanting for accepted, trusted and credible relationships. Relationships promote slowly in Laos with the step-by-step mount. Asking your confederate about family, traditions, culture help you understand your partner better and also build the relationship. fool of TimePunctualityDo like the locals and keep your sense of term flexible. Expecting punctuality will often lead to frustration. However, punctuality from foreign partner is appreciatedBusiness HoursOfficial working hours are from 800 a.m. to 1200 p.m. and from 100 p.m. to 400 p.m. from Monday to Friday. In factories and private companies work hours are elongated until 500 p.m., and work days can be extended to six-spot days.EtiquetteGreetingIn business, Lao are normally greet with a traditional greeting nob. However, nowadays, handshake is becoming increasingly common during the conduct of business but only for people with same gender. Men and women should avoid public displays of affection.NamingLao people should be addressed by their first touch ons, preceded by their title Mr//Ms//Madame or Than (in Lao).DressFor men, wearable such as shirt and trousers are appropriate for business meetings. lightweight suits, tie should be worn, especially in special occasion.Women usually wear long skirts and blouse or sleeveless tops. Its unusual to see bare Lao skin above the elbow. Short skirts and bare bosoms and navels is not appropriate for business dressThe Lao pay great attention to personal cleanliness and deprivation of odour. Westerners who have strong body odour should wear soft perfumes.LanguageOfficial language is Lao. However, English and Fresh are commonly used in Business. Knowledge of french is useful because French is more widely spoken and understood than English, though translators are availableBusiness cardWhen doing business in Lao, carry lots of business card. Business cards should be translated into Lao and printed up locally. A common practice is to have English variate on one side and Lao version on the reverse.Business cards should be upsetn and received employ twain hands as a sign of respect to the person you are dealing with. The example of the correct way to hold business card during exchange is shown in Figure XX. Exchanging business card with one hand also acceptable, but only exchanging with right hand where go forth hand lightly wrap around lower arm. When receiving another persons card, always study the card for a few seconds in th eir details for name and position. Never place it immediately into your pocket or wallet as it is impolite.At meetings, other peoples business cards should be arranged on the table. It is a sign of respect and helps them keep track of names. Do not play with your Lao colleagues business card since this is disrespectful. Business card should be treated with respect in same degree of respect as you would show the person him or herself.GiftIt is not required to give the endow when meeting business partner but giving gift shows consideration to other people and good relationship. Gift can be anything especially, things with your countrys content such as stamp or coin sets, calendars, pens or pins is a big hit. You can offer one for everyone in the political party greeting you. At least be sure there is one for the host or person in the highest rank. Gifts are given in the order of peoples importance. Wrapped gifts will not be opened until everyone has departed.So if you have a gift th at requires explanation,present it undraped so you can explainShoes and socks make inappropriate gifts in Laos as the theme is the least sacred part of the body. Green and red are the most suitable strains for wrapping paper in Laos. Avoid the color white, which is considered unlucky.Business ProtocolNegotiationNegotiations in the Lao context can be a grinding, slow process. It is highly unstructured and unpredictable. Lao contracts are short, written in simple language, and focus on principles while western contract is obtuse and legalistic. Relationship is key than the terms and conditions of a special(prenominal) contract. They view the contract as the starting point of relationship and be able to changes later. The agreement may become meaningless if the circumstances change. nearrelationship with your partners helps you in negotiation. If you must break off negotiations, do so care copiousy.Do not close the door on future cooperation. pursuance legalcounsel is public admi ssion that the relationship has failed. meetingMeeting in Lao is not well-conducted. Those who attend are not evaluate to contribute or listen carefully.People use meetings as opportunities to take a break from their normal work with the speaker at the front of the room drones on, without pausing for discussion.Some meetings also considered as opportunities to demonstrate group harmony, take a group photo or have a social occasion afterwards.The highest ranking person in the group should lead the way in, and be the spokesperson. Do not make themistake of shaking hands with the interpreter first. There is normally business card exchange before the meeting start.Meetings always begin with informal chit-chat over coffee and/or tea. Drink the tea that is served before launching in to main report. A great deal ofdiscussion takes place before the main topic of the meeting has been raised. The host will initiate serious talk, and then die time for you to say a few words in response.Be a lert for signals that the meeting should end. The signals include asking you if you would like more tea, start out to sum things up, thanking you for coming, and leading you to the door.TableIf Lao has invited you to a dinner it is important to return the favor. Informal occasions such as this are invaluable in terms of building the relationship. Whenever one accept dining invitation, it is important to host next meal.If the meal take place at Laos house, remember to take shoes off before enter the house. Guest should not take seat until host invites to sit. For dining at restaurant, do not ask to share the bill if have dining at restaurant if they propose to pay for you. Instead, accept the invitation and then host the next meal. communionWritingIt is better to have everything translated to Lao. Written documents should be in both Lao and the foreign language. The best way is to have a two column in one page so theLao lecturer can easily cross horizontally from the Lao text to the foreign language to clarify or confirm ameaning in Lao. And never write in red ink. It is negative and will insult the recipient.Context and StyleLao culture pays more attention to the fundamental interaction process itself. Things are not always what they seem. Body languages are instead reserved. There are little eye contact and few communicatory gestures. Lao has indirect communication style. Rather than confront a person with an issue or disagreement, Lao people will often approach a difficulty indirectly through praise, compliments or by moving to another subject.Never ever take yes for an answer. Lao normally say yes to indicate that the message has been heard and understood. Yes means maybe or perhaps or no. Maybe means yes, no, or only maybe. There is really no no.Bad news is oftenintroduced bit by bit to soften the blow. Wait for the and., which generally is when the full picture is revealed.Harmony and ConflictHarmony and avoiding the appearance of conflict in rela tionships are highly valued in Lao society. Lao have developed very effective non-confrontational ways of communicating disagreement. People are more likely to succeed if avoid anger, confrontation or verbal criticisms which tend to polarize situations and can lead to loss of face. They try to seek an elegant resolution, a subtle way to avoid conflict, and a win-win solution. It is Lao style to reveal little about ones intentions, goals and needs revelation is comprehend as weakness or losing advantage.In order to improve communication with Lao business partner, first thing to keep in mind is Keep it simple, boil the message down to its simplest form. English or French or other not mother language, they might be able to speak but it does not mean that the whole message is justly understand. Remember to Re-confirmeverything when having conversation with Lao. Ask what you understand in the conversation is correct. dummy up is polite. Silence and pause during the conversation in com mon in Lao. other important thing in communication is saying Apologize, when necessary, even if you have not done anything wrong. Lao will apologize because anunfortunate hazard has occurred. And the last advise for communication but most effective witness to speak Lao.