Prefaced by my having been an engineer not a businessman, I spent about a
year over a three-year period in the late 1970's working with the design
engineering department of a manufacturing business (owned by my company) in
a smaller French city. I would disagree 180-degrees with reference to the
French language issue. I found my associates to be very appreciative of my
sincere attempts to speak French, modest as the results were; most serious
communication ended up being in English or translated. Communication was
greatly improved when we finally located a French-English 'technical'
dictionary. It was explained to me by my colleagues that the French
language is academically controlled and that the American habit of inventing
new words at will is contrary to the French approach. I found the French to
be formally polite, sometimes painfully so, with the exception of cab
drivers. I never visited Paris. Liberal use of please and thank you were
essential. I liked the French people and still exchange Christmas greeting
with some of my friends. Bottom line - sincerity counts.

The French authorities tend(ed) to be very protective of all things French.
Whenever I went through customs in Paris or Lyon they would confiscate my
programmable calculator (allegedly wishing to encourage domestic development
of comparable products). This necessitated a company representative to go
bail it out, which got tired quickly. We eventually discovered that if we
flew to Geneva, Switzerland and took the train into France, the customs
office there didn't want to be bothered about computing equipment even if we
declared it. That seemed to be the officially tolerated 'back door' for
commerce.

There are, of course, differences in social customs. Our French friends
were quite amused by our habit of constantly switching hands holding knives
and forks while dining (remember that the French are very much into
manners). In the airport mens restroom there may be a lady sitting at a
table facing the line of urinals who should be tipped upon exiting; her
purpose is to keep the rif-raf out. It can be tough on a bashful American
kidney. Americans were considered to be a bit Victorian regarding nudity.
Try not to leer at the bathers at beaches and swimming pools (they're as
likely English as French).

There was a lot of talk at the time of difficulties of doing business in
Europe, particularly eastern Europe, because money 'under the table' was a
common practice but foreign to American ethics. IIRC the US Government
found it necessary to pass laws prohibiting American firms from yielding to
competitive pressures to do it anyway. Again, I wasn't a businessman so
this is hearsay.

David Merrill


"spaco" wrote in message
.. .
snip...
Always learn some please and thank you words in the native tongue and
then use them. Except for the French, trying to use their language will
be appreciated.