Business communication culture in Amazonas / Brazil - with Gleska de Andrade

From which place (village, city, region) and which country are you?

From Manaus, Amazonas-Brazil 

What is your current job title or position? 

Business English teacher

How many years of work experience do you have in your own country?

Over 20 years.

What language(s) are foreign business people expected to know when doing business with and in your country?

Brazilian Portuguese (and its variations)

What languages do business people in your country typically know?

Portuguese, English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, French and Japanese.

What are foreign languages people in your country typically struggle with?

English.

How difficult is it for foreigners to understand the regional accents of Portuguese?

Very difficult.

How do locals react when foreign business people try to speak in the local language(s)/accent?

They normally react to it trying to understand as much as possible.

What would be considered an acceptable gift to bring if a foreign business contact visits your country?

Souvenirs from their country of origin such as a keychain or miniatures from sightseeing places.

Have you observed instances of inacceptable gifts brought by foreigners that are considered awkward in your country? What gifts should be avoided?

Only food. There are some laws in Brazil that restrict bringing in some food that is not well packed and without date. There are some procedures. 

What nationalities have it especially easy to do business in and with people from your country? Why?

Americans, Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. It happens because of the facilities and the benefits our government offers to the foreigners doing business here.

What are typical mistakes foreigner business people make in and with people from your country?

They do not understand how valuable it is to invest in education in foreign languages.

Name one aspect of politeness/etiquette that you consider specific for your country?

Handshakes. Women do shake hands here, too 😊. Kisses will depend on which state of Brazil you are in. In Manaus 3x, in São Paulo 1x and in Rio de Janeiro 2x … 😊

What is an acceptable timeframe in your country within which you are expected to answer to an e-mail?

It will depend on the company.

How is criticism expressed at the workplace? Is it typical that people acknowledge their mistakes publicly? Is it OK to contradict your superior, privately and publicly? 

No, normally the feedback is private. There are special rules for that in Brazil.

What happens if you are late on a business meeting? Is it acceptable and if, yes, what are typical, accepted limits?

It is not good to be late, but the limit is 5 or 10 minutes. 

In university textbooks, I read that in Brazil people will react positively when you come late, because that shows you are high status person. Is this reality?

Not really. It is cultural and I can not say it is good. I am very punctual, and I really believe that the meetings I attend are on time, when I am the chair. At least in Manaus.

What other advice would you give a foreigner when communicating in and with people from your country?

Be nice and honest all the time. Most Brazilians know when people are faking emotions.

How are Brazilians from Amazonas different from the “typical” Brazilians?

We are more hospitable than others ….lol…just joking…Brazilians are very hospitable in general. 😊 People ask us a lot of questions about the jungle. We like to explain that, but from time to time, some people are a bit rude to us.

How can readers find out more about you? (Please share all links you want: Linkedin, Youtube, etc.). Please tell our readers, how you could help them when doing business in and with your country.

Gleska is a unusual name here. I think there are only two in Brazil 😊. I could help you introducing business people in events, forum or in companies through my business network. You can find me on LinkedIn as Gleska de Andrade, https://www.linkedin.com/in/gleska/.

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This interview will be part of my next book “The Global Map of International Business Communication”. For more information about previous books, as well as for listening to my weekly podcast “B2B sales in foreign languages”, go to my website: www.thegomethod.org .

If you want to be featured in this interview series, please contact me on LinkedIn or via e-mail.