Page 33 - Speaking_Expert_Business_Economy

Point 로마에 가면 로마법을 따르랬다고 기업의 경우도 마찬가지네요. 현지의 관습
7 Business 서 언어와 관습의 차이점을 살펴 볼까요?

UNIT Multi-national 을 얼마나 구체적으로 이해하는지에 따라 제품의 성공이 판가름 난대요. 다음의 예에

글로벌 기업 활동의 황금률, 현지화 (Localization)
Part 1 Part 2
Topic Discussion General Discussion
Culture and Marketing
Read & Discuss 1. Why did Coca Cola have to change their 1. What do you think is the most

When promoting a product around the world, it benefits companies
to understand local customs in detail. Knowing what appeals to potential name in Chinese? successful foreign company in Korea?
Why do you think so?
customers, as well as a knowledge of the “do’s and don’ts” of each market, can help
a product to be successful.
When it comes to the name of the product, the most important thing to consider is
the local language. It may seem obvious, but companies often make mistakes. For 2. What number is considered to be 2. What do Korean companies need to do

example, Coca Cola tried to write their name in Chinese as (Kekou-ke-la) . However, they unlucky in the USA or in the UK? How to succeed overseas?
soon found out this meant “Bite The Wax Tadpole.” Of course, this sounded so silly about in Japan?
that the company had to take down all the posters! The name was later changed into
more appropriate Chinese characters (可口可樂) meaning, “The more you drink, the more
fun you’ll have.”
There are other things to think about, too. Different traditions mean that even simple
things like colors or numbers can affect the success of a product. For example, in 3. What concepts do Muslims have 3. What is the most impressive culture

some cultures there are unlucky colors, such as black in Japan or white in China. about relationships between men and you’ve heard about?
Some cultures think that certain numbers are unlucky. Many hotels in the USA or women?
the UK do not have a room 13 or a 13th floor. Japanese airlines do not have the seat
numbers 4 or 9. It would be very unwise to use these unlucky colors or numbers in
your product or advertising.
Finally, different cultures have different concepts of relationships between men and
women. It may make certain pictures unsuitable for some cultures. For example, 4. According to the passage, what is 4. What cultural mistakes do you think

though it is common to see pictures of couples kissing each other on posters in the the most important thing in global foreign companies should avoid in
USA, such images would make Muslims in the Middle East very embarrassed. businesses? Korea?
Despite a product being the same, the success of its business depends on how
appropriately and effectively it appeals to people in different countries. Knowing such
things is the golden rule of doing global business. So when preparing to do business
in a foreign country, you should investigate the language and customs there. An
American president once said that the money you earn depends on the knowledge
you learn in life.

36 Speaking EX Business & Economy 37

speaking EX_001_BE.indd 36-37 9/27/08 7:07:27 PM