m from the historical importance of rice cultivation. This required a community effort that reinforced the importance of group cooperation. One last important difference in the different negotiating styles is that of language. Americans always seem to want to do business in the English language no matter who they are dealing with. This is partly due to the fact of English being thought of as the international language of business. Although it is rare that Americans can fluently speak more than one language it is not unusual for Japanese person to speak more than one language. Do to the fact that Americans always want to deal in the English language, it can lead do some disadvantages for Americans. The first disadvantage is that which occurs when using a translator. A translator might be useful to the other party but they might know the language fine and be using the translator as an advantage. A translator gives them more time to think of a response, they can concentrate more on the other parties body language and then have the verbal replayed to them, and the translator might not be neutral. Having a bias translator could greatly put the Americans at a disadvantage. It would add yet one more person who is going to come up with ideas contrasting to yours. A second problem is that using English put the power of selective understanding in you opponents’ hands. This allows them use a “I don’t understand” or “that’s not what we agreed to” approach. They can always use a misunderstanding to try to get the deal in their favor. The third disadvantage is our tendency to compare speaking with power. We have a tendency to believe that whoever can speak the best is the smartest and most powerful. This is not always the case. Often it is the younger Japanese businessman who can speak English better than and older Japanese businessman. This will often lead the American to believe tha...
