Knowing Japanese language is one thing and using it is another. The language you learnt may or may not be an appropriate language while you are doing business in Japan or even having a formal conversation with your colleague, boss or some stranger passing by the street. Japanese are extremely polite and their politeness is not visible only in their conversations but also in their actions. So it is obvious that their formal language also will be polite and sophisticated.
Now you may wonder if there is a different language other than Japanese that is used for formal conversations. The answer to that question is a “yes” and “no” both! The Japanese use business Japanese language in order to communicate with their colleagues and in other formal conversations. Business Japanese is not much different from the basic Japanese language but it is more polite than the basic one. If you are planning on visiting Japan for a business deal or to work in the country, you should definitely learn business Japanese. There are also some things you might want to keep in mind while you have a formal conversation:
- Use polite expressions – This is the most essential part of formal conversations with the Japanese. As we mentioned earlier, the Japanese are polite not just with words but in their actions as well. Business Japanese helps you learn some of these basic polite expressions. If you are perfect and your efforts to be polite are visible, it will further have a good impact your business deal as well!
- Always be ready to learn their culture – The best way to show that you are interested is by being eager and always ready to learn about their cultures. Unlike any other country in the world, Japan follows a different business culture and learning it will make you knowledgeable as well as give a very good impression to your Japanese colleagues.
- Be alert and listen – In world where everyone wants to say something, there are not many good listeners but the Japanese are always the ones who will listen to what you have to say. Therefore, it is important that along with learning and following business Japanese, you are also alert and a very good listener.
- Don’t be direct always – Japanese care about the people around them and therefore their actions and words never hurt anyone. Similarly, the Japanese will never deny anything to what you want or say and they will rather give an expression that will do the talking. It is important that you too make sure you don’t hurt someone’s sentiments by being straight forward.