Language also has to be understood in the historic context． Nokia launched an advertising campaign in Germ any for the interchangeable covers for its portable phones using a theme“Jedem das Seine”(meaning“to each his own”)．But the campaign was withdrawn after the American Jewish Congress pointed out that the same slogan was found on the entry portal to Buchenwald，a Nazi— era concentration camp.

Managers also must analyze and become familiar with the hidden language of foreign cultures．This unspoken language gives us a host of nonverbal cues．The raising of eyebrows，for example, is a sign of recognition in most cultures，while a smile is a sign of joy．Many nonverbal cues，however，are culturally bound．A failure to understand the nonverbal cues of another culture can lead to a failure of communication．

International body language should be included in the nonverbal language of international business． For example，an American manager may，after successful completion of negotiations，impulsively give a finger—and—thumb OK sign．In southern France，the manager would have indicated that the sale was worthless and in Japan that a little bribe had been requested；the gesture would be grossly insulting to Brazilians． Similarly，while most Americans and Europeans use the thumb—up gesture to indicate that“it's all right,” but in Greece the gesture is obscene．

As surely as each culture has its spoken language，each has its own language of time；to function effectively in different countries，it is essential to acquaint oneself with the local language of time． For Americans，the use of appointment— schedule time reveals how people feel about each other，how significant their business is，and where they rank in the status system．But in many parts of the world，time is flexible and not seen as a limited commodity；people come late to appointments or may not come at al1.In Hong Kong，for example，it is futile to set exact meeting times， because getting from one place to another may take minutes or hours depending on the traffic situation．Showing indignation or impatience at such behavior would astonish an Arab，Latin American，or Asian．Understanding national and cultural differences in the concept of time is critical for international business．

In some countries， establishing appropriate personal relation is essential to conducting business． The feeling is that one should know one’s business partner on a personal level before transactions can occur．Therefore，rushing straight to business will not be rewarded，because deals are made on the basis of not only the best product or price but also the person deemed most trustworthy．This is why our Chinese“Guangxi” is now being seriously studied in many western countries．

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