The Indian Yes
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No PC stuff here ... it is back to the basics:
Communication - The conveyance of the speakers thoughts into words that impart the same thoughts to the listener when listening to the words spoken by the speaker.
RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."
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Thanks - that makes a big difference!
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A SQL query walks into a bar and sees two tables. He walks up to them and asks, "Can I join you?"
Ref.: http://tkyte.blogspot.com/2009/02/sql-joke.html -
Thanks for changing the image, Steve. I have quite a bit of "Native American" heritage myself. Calling our ancestors "Indians" is perpetuating the Columbus cover-up.
I have sort of a different take, but you'd expect that from me by now. I worked with a client representative who was of true Indian heritage. He was good to work with. His word was his word. He expected, no demanded, the same from us. I don't know if he learned it here, brought it from there, or pulled it out of his own heart. I could actually care less.
We held each others feet to the fire, came out with a superior product implementation, and a deep respect for the other dude.
I actually enjoy working with people from other cultures and backgrounds. Keeps me on my toes. I find that people as individuals bring so much more to the table than any sterotypical image I might have.
ATBCharles Kincaid
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I worked in Japan for 11 years (I am fluent in written and spoken Japanese, as well as German), and can attest that ANY two cultures coming together will result in misunderstandings. Similar to the India story, in Japan the word that is commonly translated as 'yes' in English (Hai in Japanese) actually quite often means to the Japanese something like "I have heard what you are saying". Talk about a seed giving birth to later problems!
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Hai
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Hah,
The logic in the article could be applied to any kind of people. There was a good Russia joke about Yes interpretation:
If a virgin says No it means Maybe, If she says Maybe it means Yes, If she says Yes, she is not a virgin
If a politician says Yes, it means Maybe, If he says Maybe, it means No, if he says No he is not a politician.
If a military person says Yes, it means Yes. If he says No, it means No, If he says Maybe, he is not a military person.
< you are free to continue....>
Regards,Yelena Varsha
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Reminds me of the old one a bout the Rubel.
"As long as they pretend to pay us, We'll pretend to work."
ATBCharles Kincaid
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You really should be more careful about what you choose to include in an editorial that is broadcast to thousands of people via email. Your editorial, including original image, is now being forwarded around our office by someone who didn't stop to think whether your image would offend anyone (I found it offensive, and immediately discrediting).
You've been doing this for years, and you still do this kind of stuff?
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Is it a cultural thing? I don't know. I think it's just a human relationship issue - take anyone from anywhere and a certain percentage will say yes and not mean it ... like my ex, for example
. I do admit that there are certain cultural differences in other areas (eg. taking shoes off when entering house, using or not using hands when eating food, keeping head covered or not), but taking responsibility for finishing a project after telling your customer "yes" is, in my opinion, a learned behavior.
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First, apologies for the image. It was written awhile ago and I didn't think of the image as offensive, but I apologize.
Second,
I do think it is a cultural thing because our expectations tend to be bound by our experiences inside our culture. The cues we get from tone, diction, etc. come from our view of culture. It can happen even within our countries, as different groups have a different view of the interactions and expectations.
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Hey, what's the go here?
Steve writes an article about a topic that is relevant both to the industry and to everyday people who need to talk to a help desk (and may not understand the person trying to help them due to a language barrier) and people want to complain about pictures and words that offend them.
Since when did a word physically hurt you? Do words cause you to seek therapy? What are you doing in IT if you can't handle differing concepts and thoughts and ways of doing & seeing things?
Jeez... I'm glad I've got a Dutch mate who keeps me WELL grounded by speaking what needs to be said in the most direct way (and possibly offensive way to those who choose to be thin-skinned about everything in the world!)
Ignore the damn picture and take on board the point that Steve is trying to make!
I know that some sniveller is going to take offence at my tone and I don't give a rat's arse. There's lots of things in the world that I don't like myself but I don't make it the business of the world to change to suit me. Just like the Indian Call Centres should be aware that if they are catering specifically to a US market, then good business sense will dictate that they adapt to the US way of thinking. If that means (stereotypically) talking in a slow drawl or enunciating loudly, then just do it or reliquish the business to someone who will.
If Indians are catering to an Indian market then they can use their local customs - but don't go outside your borders and expect the world to bend to your will. I'm a proud Aussie in my own country but when I'm in yours, I show you the respect that your country expects and deserves.
So Steve didn't make his point very well in what he was trying to convey - instead of feigning insult and being all precious about it - ask him what the hell he meant and carry on with the discussion as if the person being introduced to it was an adult with a modicum of objectivity in their conversational skills.
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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East Indian, American, or other, I'd really like to see 3rd party vendors adopt the strategy of doing things right. Not just software, either... call centers of all sorts should be included in that.
I've found that the culture of doing things right escapes many companies no matter what the cultural basis of its employees is. I've also found that in such situations, good individuals can make the real difference if one is to be had.
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally) -
I like short quotes to keep me on track:
"Just because someone else does it wrong is not a good reason for me not to do it right."
"There is no acceptable scale on which to measure the worth of a person."
ATBCharles Kincaid
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Thank you for changing the picture, Steve, because I placed one meaning on the visual and another on the words, so I had confusion.
I am responsible for my feelings. If I feel hurt, it is because I choose to feel hurt, anger, happiness, etc. No one else is responsible for my feelings.
Inter cultural relations are pretty much guaranteed to cause miscommunication as we have different contexts. What is important to me is to realise that any relationship has contextual differences and to embrace those differences and be aware of my process of navigating those interesting waters.
Aho [Navajo for "I hear your truth"]
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Michael,
Nicely put and you are welcome.
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