GREETINGS:

South Korea, Mexico and Brazil

SOUTH KOREA
HELLO IN KOREAN IS “ANNYEONGHASEYO”
안녕하세요
( ) AND IS FOLLOWED BY A BOW:
With someone our age or a friend we can only
do a slight nod while maintaining eye contact.
If the other person is older, the inclination has
to be more noticeable and looking away.
If the other person is someone much older or
of a higher social rank, the inclination still has
to be higher. Eye contact must be avoided.
If we greet a child, we can say hello in a more
informal way, “annyeong” ( 안녕 ), waving our
hand and smiling.
MEXICO
Between men, hand in hand. If the relationship
is more cordial, include a hug, and if they are
childhood friends, with gestures or words of
complicity.
Between women, kiss on the cheek. If the
relationship is more cordial, a hug is included.
Between a man and a woman, by hand if it is
formal, if they know each other, it includes a
kiss on the cheek. If they are family or
childhood friends, also a hug.
As a general rule when entering or arriving at
a place, we say good morning, good
afternoon, good night to say hello, even if it is
your parents' house, and we proceed to shake
hands, kiss, hug each person.
 BRAZIL
The usual greeting is a handshake, while
maintaining eye contact with the person being
greeted. If the knowledge of both people is
previous and there is a certain degree of friendship
or trust, the greeting may be a hug. In the case of
women, the formal greeting consists of shaking
hands and in case of closeness or familiarity, a kiss
on the cheek.
Men, among them, tend to give each other more
affectionate greetings such as hugs and pats on
the back.
Women, among them, usually greet each other by
kissing. Traditionally, two kisses are usually given if
they are married and three if they are single.
 EXCHANGING
BUSINESS CARDS:
South Korea, Mexico and Brazil
SOUTH KOREA
It is best to stand up when exchanging translated Korean
business cards.
The exchange of Korean business cards is very important and
a means by which Koreans learn about the name, position
and status of the other person.
Businesspersons should always have their bilingual Korean
business cards at the ready and should treat the exchange of
Korean translated business cards with respect.
Exchange Korean business cards one-by-one, individual-to-
individual, and use both hands where practical.
NEVER distribute (or toss) your Korean business card in a
manner similar to dealing playing cards.
NEVER place a stack of your Korean business cards on the
table and offer others to take a card from the stack.
On receiving a person’s business card, accept it with both
hands and then study carefully what is written on it.
Translated Korean business cards will typically have Korean
on one side and English on the reverse, so carefully examine
each side where applicable.
Do read and acknowledge the full name and title of the other
person.
In Korea, the surname is given first followed by a one or two
syllable given name.
MEXICO
Business cards are still used in Mexico. They’re
a memorable way to leave contact information
with prospective clients, and a surefire way to
reach both young people with social media
presence, and the older generation who may
not use social media.
People exchange business cards either at the
end of the meeting or during introductions. It’s
best to feel things out, as some meetings favor
the former, and others the latter. You may also
print the card entirely in Spanish, or you can
print one side of the card in Spanish, the other
in English. If you take this approach, present
your card with the Spanish side facing them. On
each card, list your educational and business
qualifications, your cell phone number, and
email address.
 BRAZIL
Business cards are exchanged during introductions
with everyone at a meeting.
It is advisable, although not required, to have the
other side of your business card translated into
Portuguese.
Present your business card with the Portuguese
side facing the recipient.
Do not appear impatient if you are kept waiting.
Brazilians see time as something outside their
control and the demands of relationships takes
precedence over adhering to a strict schedule.
Meetings are generally rather informal.
 GETTING
ACQUAINTED:
South Korea, Mexico and Brazil
SOUTH KOREA
For Koreans, it is considered to be polite to wait for the
eldest person at the table to begin eating before everyone
else starts.
Likewise, one does not excuse him or her self from the table
before the eldest person finishes.
It is a bad breach of etiquette to pour your own drink.
Punctuality is appreciated and business meetings should
start and finish on time.
The senior-most individuals are always introduced first,
followed by younger and lower ranked participants.
Questions of a personal nature may be asked, particularly
concerning age, marital status, education, etc. These
questions are not thought to be impolite, but rather to help
the Koreans to recognize the appropriate social level and
speech forms (degree of formality) that they should use
when speaking.
Since a consensus is important, there will usually be rather
lengthy discussions before decisions are made. As a result,
business negotiations will usually take much longer when
compared to Western business cultures, so patience will be
necessary.
MEXICO
In Mexican business culture, interpersonal skills such
as fitting in, cultivating relationships, and, above all,
winning the favor of others, are sometimes
considered more important than professional
competence or experience. Because a close
relationship is established based on those skills, one
can return to Mexico many times to further
strengthen those ties. This culture offers you a warm,
friendly atmosphere with a slower pace.
Mexicans prefer to do business only with people they
know. Thus, the road to getting to know a person in
this country is long and can be arduous, but this
entrepreneur is perceptive, and will extend a hand to
you. Demonstrating honesty, sincerity and integrity
are crucial to building relationships.
Most Mexican families are extremely traditional, with
the father as the visible head, the one who represents
the authority figure and who makes the family
decisions. Many Mexican companies are family-
owned.
 BRAZIL
Brazilians need to know who they are doing business
with before they can work effectively.
Brazilians prefer face-to-face meetings to written
communication as it allows them to know the person
with whom they are doing business.
The individual they deal with is more important than
the company.
Since this is a group culture, it is important that you do
not do anything to embarrass a Brazilian.
Criticizing an individual causes that person to lose face
with the others in the meeting.
The person making the criticism also loses face, as they
have disobeyed the unwritten rule.
Communication is often informal and does not rely on
strict rules of protocol. Anyone who feels they have
something to say will generally add their opinion.
It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is
speaking.
Face-to-face, oral communication is preferred over
written communication. At the same time, when it
comes to business agreements, Brazilians insist on
drawing up detailed legal contracts.