faux pas

My department at work has employees all over the world. One of these offices in East Asia works at the same time as our office and interacts with my office quite a bit. One person in particular from this office regularly contacts me requesting technical assistance for specific issues. If I have time, I do what I can.

Last week this person asked me about an issue that I happened to have worked on quite a bit, so I explained in what I am sure was a confusing level of detail what caused the issue and how it should be addressed. I am used to people not completely following my line of thinking, so I asked what I thought was an innocuous clarification question, "Do you understand what I am saying?" I got no response for a while and finally the person asked if I would put what I just said into an email. I obliged and went on with life.

That night I went to my "Managing in a Global Environment" class where the lecture was on East Asia. In most nations in this region, I learned, it is considered rude to ask a question that forces someone to say they can't do something or don't know something. To answer, "No," is to acknowledge the inability or lack of will to satisfy someone else's requirements. Rather than ask direct questions that could force a negative response, one should ask indirect questions to get that information.

It's not bad enough that I can't interact properly in my own culture. I have to mess with people in other cultures as well. I wonder what else I say to people from other countries that means something I never intended. Give me time, and I'm sure I'll find a way to offend everyone.