| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Greetings in my culture include: Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| | awilliams
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:42
Italian to English
+ ...
Business acquaintance: handshake - noooo kisses!
Good friend: hug and maybe 1 or 2 kisses
Neighbours, etc.: "Hi" or "Alright?" and no physical contact
Then there's the awkward situation where you're greeting a mix of good friends and people you've just met and you're not sure whether to go for the handshake, which could make you look stuffy, formal and cold, or go for a hug, which could make you look too familiar, especially if the other person goes limp/isn't expecting ... See more Business acquaintance: handshake - noooo kisses!
Good friend: hug and maybe 1 or 2 kisses
Neighbours, etc.: "Hi" or "Alright?" and no physical contact
Then there's the awkward situation where you're greeting a mix of good friends and people you've just met and you're not sure whether to go for the handshake, which could make you look stuffy, formal and cold, or go for a hug, which could make you look too familiar, especially if the other person goes limp/isn't expecting it! Ah, the joys, the joys!
Something I really can't stand is a limp handshake. Urgh. Sort it out!
[Edited at 2007-11-05 14:03] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
In a formal business situation, it would be a handshake.
However, if we're talking about colleagues you work with on a regular basis or good friends, it's one kiss on each cheek.
France is very complicated because the number of kisses actually depends on the town where you live. I don't think I could count the number of times I've bumped heads with someone because they were going for the other cheek or for more/less kisses than me....
And if you're greeting... See more In a formal business situation, it would be a handshake.
However, if we're talking about colleagues you work with on a regular basis or good friends, it's one kiss on each cheek.
France is very complicated because the number of kisses actually depends on the town where you live. I don't think I could count the number of times I've bumped heads with someone because they were going for the other cheek or for more/less kisses than me....
And if you're greeting a room full of family members, two kisses per person can take an awfully long time... ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Usually. Some men still have a habit of kissing lady's hands... brrrr... I hate that, especially since very little know how to do it properly.
Among closer friends it may be hugs and kisses. But generally it's shaking hands.
Anni
| | |
|
|
|
Rebecca Garber 
Local time: 08:42
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
Where's the space for "all of the above"?
Either that, or the type of greeting--business, family, friend, acquaintance--needs to be specified.
| | | | Denise DeVries
United States
Local time: 08:42
Spanish to English
+ ...
| and then there are the children and teens | Nov 5, 2007 |
[quote]Amy Williams wrote:
Business acquaintance: handshake - noooo kisses!
Good friend: hug and maybe 1 or 2 kisses
Neighbours, etc.: "Hi" or "Alright?" and no physical contact
Same here.
In addition to all the above nuances, my youngest daughter and her friends (8) hug everyone, and then there are the teenage boys who manage a nod at the most when greeted by an adult.
Oh, and men slap each other on the back!
| | | |
In India, the usual traditional way of greeting is Namaste
[img]http://re3.mm-a11.yimg.com/image/115680163[/img]
| | | | | ...a lot of confused signals | Nov 5, 2007 |
Brought up in the UK, and having lived in Spain for the last twenty odd years, you can imagine that I can get confused, and, like Kathryn, lots of bumped heads ensue. But within any community these days, the mixture of international mores will inevitably lead to moments of awkwardness. But one thing is I think true throughout the business world that we translators work in, a good firm handshake will always do the greeting job, and a limp one, as Amy observes, will NOT!
[Edited at 2007-11-... See more Brought up in the UK, and having lived in Spain for the last twenty odd years, you can imagine that I can get confused, and, like Kathryn, lots of bumped heads ensue. But within any community these days, the mixture of international mores will inevitably lead to moments of awkwardness. But one thing is I think true throughout the business world that we translators work in, a good firm handshake will always do the greeting job, and a limp one, as Amy observes, will NOT!
[Edited at 2007-11-05 17:39] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 14:42
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Hand shaking kamasutra | Nov 5, 2007 |
aceavila - Noni wrote:
a good firm handshake will always do the greeting job, and a limp one, as Amy observes, will NOT!
Has anyone else noticed though, that people in different cultures seem to shake hands differently? In a Spanish handshake, the out stretched hand seems to face downwards. An American shakes hands with the hand more facing straight forward. It took me awhile to be able to clasp hands here without it appearing that I was trying to thumb wrestle the other person
I still forget sometimes to change hand positions, which is rather embarrassing, like bumping heads when giving kisses.
| | | |
In Peru where I grew up the word isn't even 'beso' but 'besito' (little kiss). If you enter a room with 20 people in it, you have to greet every single one of them with a kiss on the cheek, even if you're meeting them for the first time or if you're meeting them for the 3rd time that day. In business situations, a handshake is the most appropriate thing.
| | | | | It varies ... | Nov 5, 2007 |
All of the above - depending on the situation !
| | | | Juan Jacob
Mexico
Local time: 06:42
French to Spanish
+ ...
In Mexico, between men.
And that's a huge hug... chest on chest, (never a kiss between men) and quite hard hand slaps on each other back! Very "macho". But I like it.
With women, discret kiss. (Macho too... beware husband or boy friend!)
In my "other" country, Belgium, FOUR kisses!
| | |
|
|
|
| Kisses for everyone! | Nov 5, 2007 |
In Peru women expect and give a kiss on the cheek to everyone they greet. Men kiss women on the cheek and shake hands with men. Doesn't matter if you know them or not.
| | | | | No physical contact | Nov 5, 2007 |
You simply bow ... with smile. Smiling is not mandatory, just to be on safe side.
Handshake is an option, or among more modernized people.
Hug .... none existent in business relations.
Kissing .... People would think you are crazy.
I am talking Japan!
| | | | | The same in Costa Rica | Nov 5, 2007 |
Cristina Heraud-van Tol wrote:
In Peru women expect and give a kiss on the cheek to everyone they greet. Men kiss women on the cheek and shake hands with men. Doesn't matter if you know them or not.
Many people do the same if they are about the same age. However, if we are meeting or greeting elder people, we tend not to kiss them, if they are not relatives or close friends. In some cases, we just say "hello", "hi", "glad to meet you", or something like that.
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Greetings in my culture include: | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
