Language and Cultural Tips in India

Doing business in a particular country requires an understanding of its culture and business practices. Business relationships can often result in misunderstandings due to differences in cultural perceptions. India is no exception, and many foreign companies that do not take the time to understand the cultural differences may fail in their initial efforts to conduct business.

(...cont'd from newsletter) For example, an Indian employee may agree to a deadline or a superior’s request despite the fact that it is unrealistic. In large part this is because of a well-established hierarchy in the workplace which commonly dictates that superiors are not to be questioned. Furthermore, among Indian employees it is understood that deadlines may not be met for various reasons including factors that are out of their control such as electrical outages or religious or family priorities that may take precedence over work. What in Western culture may be perceived as asserting oneself and getting the job done, in Indian culture may be taken as overaggressive behavior and is generally not accepted. Furthermore, developing a professional relationship prior to working with someone is an important cultural element in conducting business in India. Thus, familiarizing oneself with the local culture is the key to successfully conducting business.

India has the largest population of people who speak and/or understand English in the world, including both native and non-native speakers. One must keep in mind, however, that there are differences in the way English is spoken in India compared to other English-speaking countries. Because Indians have made English a part of their culture, they have adapted the rules of conventional usage. Although the written English used in official business documents is consistent, it is extremely wordy and excessively polite; spoken English among the Indian population varies. Many Indians are multilingual as there are several hundred Indian languages, each of which has its own grammatical structure. Depending on whom you ask the number of languages in India varies from fifteen, the number of official languages, to several hundred. There is presently no definitive count, and the problem is compounded by the myriad of dialects and mixed languages that exist. For example, many people in northern India speak a mix of Hindi and Urdu, called Hindustani. Highly educated Indians speak internationally accepted English, while less educated Indians tend to speak English using the grammatical rules of their own native language. This is particularly apparent in phrases such as “She is knowing it” or “He is having it” where Indians may commonly use the progressive in static verbs.

Moreover, there are common English words or phrases used only by Indians which may not be easily understood by other English-speakers. For example “eve teasing” is a phrase used to describe the harassment of women, “tops” are earrings, a “rubber” is an eraser, a “bearer” is a waiter, and “cent percent” is one hundred percent. Did you know that if an Indian asks you what is your “good name” they are simply asking for your name? With globalization more foreign businesses are developing an understanding of the linguistic and cultural differences among the greatly diverse Indian population. In addition, Indians are becoming more familiar with the distinctions among English speaking countries and are tailoring their own English to be better understood.