Crossing Cultures Confidently
If you are a guest of a culturally Chinese host, say at the office, home, restaurant, imagine this sign next to the host. The host will invite you to have a seat, but sitting down before you are invited is a faux pas. Sometimes the host will indicate please sit, no formalities, but that is in itself an indication that formalities are suspended, you may now sit down.
Yvonne Wolf was born in Taiwan and educated in the U.S. and Europe. She has extensive experience living and working internationally (Denmark and Japan). She is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Danish, and has studied Japanese, Spanish, and Greek. Between work and personal travel, she has visited more than 20 countries and well-traveled within the U.S. and Canada. She has worked with organizations and business executives focusing on communication strategies working with Chinese and East Asian partners. Among her many skills is mediating across cultural misunderstandings.