Earlier this week, a good friend of mine who works in sales for a company that designs and manufactures furniture and fixtures for hotels called me up with a question regarding introductions in Japanese - especially from a business perspective. It turns out that my friend had a meeting with the leadership of a Japanese hotel company and he was looking for some pointers on business etiquette. Clearly, he wanted to make a very good first impression and he turned to me for help.
My first thought was basic business card etiquette. I explained to my friend that he should be very careful with both his own business cards and any card he was presented by his Japanese counterpart. I told him to have business cards on hand (and don't get them all bent out of shape in a wallet or pocket!) and to present his card with both hands and do a slight bow. I then explained that he should receive his Japanese counterpart's card the same way and take some time to look it over - basically to show respect for the card. Don't use the normal North American approach to business cards - not good!
I then told my friend that he should use the following basic introduction:
Hajimemashite. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
はじめまして。どぞよろしくおねがいします。
[Friend's name] to moshimasu.
「友達の名前」ともします。
Luckily, I had learned this a long time ago by studying the Japanese From Zero Book 1. Here is a video of George Trombley explaining Japanese introductions much better than I can.
A day later I heard back from my friend and he indicated that he did try this approach to introducing himself. He said his pronunciation wasn't that great but the Japanese people that we was working with were quite appreciative that he made the effort.
I was glad to be of some help. It was nice to know that by learning Japanese I am developing some useful skills that can be applied in real life - whether business or personal. It is experiences like this that push me to learn more Japanese - especially when the going gets tough and I feel like quitting. Learning another language is definitely worth the struggle.
My first thought was basic business card etiquette. I explained to my friend that he should be very careful with both his own business cards and any card he was presented by his Japanese counterpart. I told him to have business cards on hand (and don't get them all bent out of shape in a wallet or pocket!) and to present his card with both hands and do a slight bow. I then explained that he should receive his Japanese counterpart's card the same way and take some time to look it over - basically to show respect for the card. Don't use the normal North American approach to business cards - not good!
I then told my friend that he should use the following basic introduction:
Hajimemashite. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
はじめまして。どぞよろしくおねがいします。
[Friend's name] to moshimasu.
「友達の名前」ともします。
Luckily, I had learned this a long time ago by studying the Japanese From Zero Book 1. Here is a video of George Trombley explaining Japanese introductions much better than I can.
A day later I heard back from my friend and he indicated that he did try this approach to introducing himself. He said his pronunciation wasn't that great but the Japanese people that we was working with were quite appreciative that he made the effort.
I was glad to be of some help. It was nice to know that by learning Japanese I am developing some useful skills that can be applied in real life - whether business or personal. It is experiences like this that push me to learn more Japanese - especially when the going gets tough and I feel like quitting. Learning another language is definitely worth the struggle.
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