水曜日, 3月 18 2020
I would like to apologize for using the word “shim” as a pronoun for our guy/girl character Gemini.
I thought I made up the word as a cross between “she” and “him” but it turns out to be a derogatory term.
I was reminded that as English is my first language that I had no excuse and should have known about the term. Please accept my apologies - I will make sure to do Googling before I post something in the future.
On the same note I thought I’d let you know about something that does not really come up even when you Google - to save you some embarrassment and social beating like the one I got - I’m used to it though ;-) How to hand over business cards in Japan. Have a look at the photo. Notice that the person on the right is holding the Mirai business card higher than the person on the left.
At first glance this looks completely innocent and the person on the right may not have any intention but what they are saying by holding the card higher than the person on the left is that they feel they are more senior and that they make the decisions.
When I hand over business cards, no matter who it is, I always make sure my card is held lower than the other party as a form of respect. A meeting with a prospective Japanese business partner can go south from the moment you hand over the card so be careful out there ;-) The name cards in the photo are held wrong too - they should face the other party.
Also, many foreigners learning Japanese put the suffix “-san” on the end of their own name. “-san” is an honorific that should only be used for another party or person - introducing yourself with “-san” on the end like “Konnichiwa, Mandalorian-san desu” can also contribute to meetings going south. #japan
Are there any cultural aspects of your community that you would like to share with others?