Same word. Different places? Different meanings.

To clarify:

It's not about asking people a definition for "quality". Nobody will answer that "quality" is "newness" or "perfect" or "status". It is about uncovering the hidden meaning of what is perceived as "a quality product or service".

Check the book "The Culture Code" to understand this more clearly.

In the book, the author writes that "seduction" in the US is actually perceived as "manipulation". That would not be the case in France or Italy. In the comments, Will said in Taiwan "trustworthy" meant rather "stupid and naive". While they know the actual meaning, the low-trust environment that Taiwanese deal with means that a trusting person must be naive at best.

Thanks Benjamin! Sorry I didn't communicate that well enough in the article about our conversation, so thank you for bringing it up here. — Derek

Thanks Derek :)
Your work on so many countries is amazing- it truly is a gift to the world. Glad to have contributed somehow ^^

The idea for quality I heard from both Korean friend Jean K. Min then the "Culture Code" book. It helped me formalize the experiences I had across the 8 countries I lived in.

I realized two things along the years:

- First, culture codes determine our thoughts, tastes and behaviors way more than we think.

Like in David Foster Wallace “This is Water” speech, we are on socio-cultural-economic auto-pilot most of the time. We are always a beautiful unique snowflake but our "original personality" somewhat lies in where we differ from our programming. And even then we might not see how much of it we inherit from our parents' qualities, flaws, ambitions and dreams (beyond the norm of our social class and nationality). I recently learned about Alejandro Jodorowksy "genealogical readings" (check his movies- the most recent one is "the dance of reality") and it rang true. The "I" is really elusive (or as Rimbaud wrote: "I" is another).

- Second, our assumptions - based on our personal "culture codes" - get in the way of communicating with others.

Surprisingly maybe, it absolutely applies to people within our own culture, and is particularly painful with friends and partners, as we do not except a different assumption behind a common word. With foreigners, especially when they don't speak English, we lower our assumptions of a common understanding and come with a more open mind. Paradoxically, we could understand each other better with less commonalities, as we assume less and probe more to clarify things.

As a result, my favorite question is “what do you mean?” :-)

Imagine context and meaning of the word Freedom.

Great post and collection of information books.

"Quality" has become shorthand for "high quality."
Read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for another perspective.

Wow! I keep up with your blog and articles, etc-- but clicking on the book links just now, I really just grasped the amazing scope of wood egg! I'm impressed. Thank you for following your heart and putting it to use, to share with the world. Inspiration.

Truly enlightening. Thank you.

Can't argue with that one. I've been living around for 6 years, I've learned to speak Cantonese fluently, but I still can't get used to the notions of "fun", "relationships" and "friendships" at least in Macau and Hong Kong, where I live. But this is to be expected. Values are heavily influenced by the pressure of the environment and the only way to get your own is to choose consciously, which by definition requires hard work. The smaller the place (or the smaller you "feel" the place is), the bigger the pressure, the less conscious there is, the more you go with the flow. When you travel or move to a country with the interest to see a different culture, yeah, it usually feels like starting from zero all over again.

This was a good, thought-provoking post!

As always, thought provoking...

Words, particularly words in text, are merely imperfect representations of thoughts. If someone invented a reliable way to transfer a complete concept in whole from one mind directly to another, I wonder if this kind of compleat communication would be embraced? I suspect it would be reviled unless there was a way for the originator to partition any private thoughts from the transfer.

Hi Derek,
Thanks for the interesting article.
I wonder what you might find if you study a culture that is very similar to the American, rather than dramatically different, as the Asian ones mentioned here, are.
As a Canadian, I wondered what one might discover in exploring the cultural subtleties and nuance, between our two countries.
Thanks again,
Bryson
There's a great book called “Watching the English” by Kate Fox (Amazon link) that brilliantly defines some subtle differences in every-day British culture as compared to North American or neighboring European countries. I loved it and highly recommend it. — Derek

Then throw in a heavy accent and the meaning becomes more complex

Each person's and culture's opinions and thoughts do matter

Dear Derek,
You are very funny. It took you this long to come to these conclusions? The daughter of two diplomats learned extremely early that each country has their own meanings for the same words, gestures, eye contact, behavior, etc. Yes, I will look forward to reading what you have to say about it. It is never boring, and always interesting to hear more on this subject!
Thanks,
Melanie Phippard

Great article! I found myself nodding and chuckling. My first husband was native Japanese (I'm Caucasian-American) and now I realize he must have been expecting a Japanese "quality" wife and he ended up with an American "quality" wife, which was never perfect enough. Obviously, that didn't end well. My new husband is quite pleased with my quality and the quality of our marriage: it works, it's well-built, and it's built to last. :-)

While our most serious problems would not have been solved with more cultural understanding (my Japanese friends used to say that I was more Japanese than them); most people fail to understand how many different ways there are to see the world. Differences in language and culture can create stumbling blocks to deeper understanding. If you can understand, accept, even embrace some of them... then you get to the point you see that we are more alike than we ever imagined. That's the revelation I would wish for more people on our planet--whether they be on a different continent, or a different part of town.

Thanks for the work you're doing your Wood Egg series. Good stuff! Or should I say: QUALITY!

~Su
LOL! Thanks for the idea of “quality” applied to marriage. ☺ — Derek

Nicely written advertorial... interesting, helpful, contextual to your product and a payoff at the end.

wow - just looked at some of the headings in the india book... made me think - when you first spoke of your ideas about this project - i was like - ha that will never work, too tenuous - how will you find the people - keep them, nurture this into fruition - then you just kept going... and here it is... made me think about a friend who just did a similar thing with an app... so thank you - you are performing entrepreneurism,not preaching it - i just reached enlightenment - what little seed am i holding - that i could do the same with?

So relevant to what I'm doing and exploring tonight. Btw- I can't be the only one that thinks a "Drunken Shopaholic Concierge" would (sadly) work very well in much of America? Service industry!

Great post, as always. Looking for Mexico, and/or Costa Rica, and/or Panama
If you want to help make them (or any other country), email me! — Derek

Thank you for sharing. Always interesting.It made me think of the word "God" and a song I wrote:
ONE WAY TO ALL WAYS
You give it a different name and you will fight to prove you are right
I believe it’s about the same, if the word is heard inside
You can call it Buddha and you can preach and pray to God
You can sign for Krishna, but don’t write the name in blood
‘Cause there’s always a way, but there’s no way you can win
Unless you’re losing your heart
FOR LOVE IS ONE WAY
ONE WAY TO ALL WAYS

Interesting thoughts, however each person is very different, as shown by our DNA. In addition we all have different education levels and we've worked in vastly differing fields and at different times of life. Different time periods give very different views of the same subject, for example views of outer space and the fast changes in technology . We see things differently from various parts of the same countries and expect these differences in peoples views. I think that the differences in people come from all these things, not just interpretation of a language. It's incredibly exciting and interesting just to discuss these different views with folks that we meet when we go across the country borders as well.
Island Frank

It would be fascinating to learn the meaning of time management in the different cultures you studied. Thanks Derek.
Good one! — Derek

Very good and true Derek! I mean true as in the sense..authentic, accurately fit.. :-) I know that the root of a word can be translated to the slang..and come to mean something completely different. Language itself is fasinating..my dad is a linguist and words can be pretty complicated. Words themselves are far more valuable then we give them credit for...me thinks...Thanks Derek! Good blog. Thought provoking. Have a great evening!!
Rachel

very inspiring, Derek! As with all your stuff, it is extremely thought-provoking. I always find myself on the borderline of art-commerce-philosophy when I delve a bit into your ideas. I know this is focused on asia, but I know that you had a life-changing experience in Iceland, pretty similar to my July 2007 gig. Wonder what QUALITY means to the Icelanders?
My guess would be “poetic” or “warm” ☺ — Derek

Hi Derek;

I think your point was that different cultures have different perspectives on a word, and perhaps define it differently.

It's probably a different direction from the point you were making in that the quality theme was a major part of Pirsig, R. "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance", so your post brought up memories of my last read of the book. I recommend it. I seem to get different perspectives every time I read it. I've used some of the examples in the text to even talk about the differences between thinking artistically, and thinking functionally.

In the book, that investigation into the meaning of 'quality' drove the guy insane.

I discovered long ago that cultures shape perception. This results in nuances of language that often do not translate well, if at all. Studying German gave me insights into a world view rather different from that of the USA. It's good to remind people of this. Kudos.

That last paragraph has me down to a T. Touché.

Great thought provoking read.
I'm thinking most people are so disengaged they don't know what quality is or recognize it when they see it.

nice article article....very true!

Your Wood Egg book series appears to be a nice line of books. Very organized.

I like that words and phrases may have one or more meanings. It adds other dimensions to life.

Hi Derek
Thank you. It was a eye-opener ... really. More than the word it appears that is the essence of the word that means to a culture and how it changes. Creating a truly multicultural successful product across different cultures without losing the core meaning might have a different challenge to it.

Its been a great food for thought for starting my day!

Thank you

Ok, now I'm looking at wooden eggs differently. Before I only viewed these through American eyes.

Another example is my friend from Germany, Lord Litter, he sent me an email and he hyphenated a pair of words that I had never seen that way before. (with the underscore) Time-irregularities. From my experience of German sentences there are lots of words which are compounded several time and they think of the combinations sometimes differently than we do. The combinations are pregnant with alternate meanings and nuance.

The Chinese concept of quality as described above has I think a subconscious link to reputation and I think that builds confidence. That's why people have confidence in certain brand names. Reputation was also linked to the country of manufacture but over the years there has been quite a reversal of quality in this respect. For example in the 1950's if a product did not have "made in Great Britain stamped on it, it was not considered a quality product. In that period Chinese and Indian products were considered inferior, but look today how the tables have turned.

Useful wisdom in any pluralistic society.

Very interesting read but a comment about lack of online shopping options in SG: There're probably not many centralized shopping platforms in Singapore, but blog shops are HUGE there. Just ask any teenage girls and it's likely that they've purchased something from a blog shop. That, and also sprees (organized group purchases to get shipping discounts).
! Good example. Thank you! — Derek

Very interesting. As an idea for your books, it would be very useful to have a mini dictionary with the most common words we use and their cultural meaning in each country.

In Mexico, a quality product is one made with good materials. That means it not only "works", it also lasts. Nonetheless, currently the word has been over used and people double check so called quality products.

Derek, you are a genius! I have lived in Vietnam and fell in love with the place. Gave some thought to staying and setting up a business there but concluded it was too hard. Had I had access to your info at the time, I might have had more confidence. Timing is everything...

Here's another word for you: "Jazz".

Wishing you the best year in Singapore!

Well, that's quite something, and the whole thing makes perfect sense!

I was born in Tehran and I lived there until I was a teenager. In Iran we didn't/don't have McDonalds (Iran, after the revolution in 1978, banned any American or Western company from franchising in Iran). So, when you asked someone who lived in Iran "what do you think of McDonalds", they would say "it's like a dream" ... McDonalds was like the most classy thing that we could never have!

Then we moved to Istanbul and lived there for a few years. If you asked a Turkish person "what do you think of McDonalds", they would tell you "McDonalds is for rich people"!

Then we moved to Canada about 12 years ago. If you ask me what I think of McDonalds, I would say "low class cheap garbage food"! (which actually tastes yummy sometimes!)

Thanks Derek,
for new article,
Best Regards
Jan

well thanks for the info, we wouldn't have known :)

wonderful ! you made me day - with quality in worldwide meaning ::))

So, it seems brand new, perfect products (zero defects), that give status and work well and are built to last, ought to do well in all the countries to start with; marketing in each case adapted for the country involved. Then, later, do well elsewhere in the second hand market, i.e., where newness (can't get away from losing this), perfection (bolstered if well built and long lasting, but everything takes a knock here and there) and status aspects, might dictate the flow of where the second hand goods might go for resale, and still attract an optimum value. Perhaps, going 'elsewhere' via a live auction market in the hub of Singapore, where groups of friends can partake in the commerce and socialize at the auction. Love reading about all this, in any case.

Sadly, I feel that these national differences are fading away as American culture invades the planet. The world is getting much more homogenized.

Excellent article, Derek!
What about the word "Yes"?
Some say our equivalent for it in Hungary (Yes = Igen) is in fact short for "F#@k you, I'll do it my way". Can't say it is not true.

Hi

Love this short intro into why you started Wood Egg and congratulations on the series. The covers look great and the content will be invaluable to those doing business in Asia.

What will you think of next? LOL

Cheers, Kiersten

Brilliant.

Hi Derek,
The exchange between you and Benjamin is fascinating. If you extrapolate the potential for MISunderstanding beyond fun, music, romance, and friends, then you can say that the concept of accurate interpretation is the very foundation of understanding, tolerance, and connection between cultures. And in light of the fact that globalization is still merely a toddler, your Wood Egg series will be a critical bridge in our ability to optimize business (and thus personal) relationships among nations (and thus people). The covers alone are beautifully emblematic of the countries they represent, and Japan's is a piece of art. All the best with the series!

In Canada, to table a topic for discussion means to discuss the matter immediately.
In the US, to table a topic means to discuss it at a later time.
Iinteresting! — Derek

Cross cultural communication is always challenging. World Learning, formerly the Experiment in International Living, has been teaching Americans how to live and work in other cultures since the 1930s. I did an MA course there, and "how not to offend people in other cultures" was a core element of the training. Even more important than understanding the words, however, is understanding gestures. We learned to be observant, to watch others in, for instance, introductions and greetings. Forty years ago, before computers and before McDonald's et. al. spread worldwide, the American handshake was not the accepted ritual for meeting someone in virtually every city in the world. There are many, many subtle (and mostly unwares) ways you can alienate people in other countries. I've lived in England for the past ten+ years, and I can't even count the times I've been embarrassed, even by, even ashamed of, the way Americans behave, especially in London-- absolutely no concept of appropriate behavior in public, and even less awareness of linguistic differences that are confusing at the least, and incident-causing in some instances.

Once again, thanks for this short yet pregnant article. One work. Many meaning. This brings the art of really listening to another level as we refine and enhance the other art, the art of encounter with siblings from all over the planet. Thanks Derek.
I'm very attracted to the short and pregnant. ☺ — Derek

You're such an inspiration. I admire your creativity and perseverance. I would like to know what music is popular in each of these countries. I understand jazz is very popular. You mentioned it is very big in Japan.

There is also in Japan something called wabi or shibumi, an aesthetic not of perfection but of the use of flawed, broken and incomplete things to engender a sense of cosmic lonliness. I had a friend who went to Japan years ago to work on creating a San Rio theme park; once she wrapped her mind round what she described as dueling aesthetics —much of which meant NOT making things perfect— she got on very well with her clients. As a musician/composer, D. T. Suzuki's essay on wabi/shibumi was formative as was R. H. Blythe's book Zen in English Literature. I wonder what the Japanese would think of my version of wabi? Perfect or flawed?

Hi Derek,

Great article, great points!

Best Regards,
Ziv.

Hello Derek!
Very interesting article. It reminded me of a great website my friend told me about: http://www.7billionothers.org/
The guys organized a huge project going around the world asking people what different words meant to them. My favorite is this: http://www.7billionothers.org/thematic_voices/love
I hope you enjoy! Cheers,
Thaís

Congratulations on your new book series Derek, you are an inspiration. Thoughts of what you have done, and remembering when you just started CDBaby, often fuel my confidence with my royalty free music business : )

Greetings Derek,

As always you have a quality and creative mind.

Harmonically yours, Ahmad

First,I have to agree with Dr. Mani.
Second, It's great to know these resources are available. Thank you! And lastly, my thoughts- Music is universal, enjoy the link:
Fortune Cookie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w11XsuvAV9g

LOVE this, reminds me to have an open mind about things. It also reminds me of one of your vids, where you discuss the idea that "what you THINK is true, the opposite is also". A few times I've found myself telling this story, I chuckle just thinking about it :)

Cultural differences are so important to recognise and honor. This is true even in the same country. I did a training for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts about encouraging minority participation and the culture gap between the African American community and the upper class white volunteer group was astonishing. I have some wonderful antecdotes of the misunderstandings. Thanks Derek for this series..

In Canada I would say "what quality means, I would also say, ‘it’s perfect - zero defects’.
Interesting...

Very eye-opening, Derek. Wonderful perspective, as usual.

Derek --
Have you considered making an american "wood egg," so that people from other countries can maximize their chances (or minimize their ramp towards) success in the US?

I suspect you'd need to create several of these for the different sub-cultures within america, roughly defined by geography (east coast, west coast, south, midwest, etc). In fact -- I believe Americans would benefit from this by giving those raised in one area of the country visibility into the cultural differences in other parts. Depending on scope and granularity, you could even get into sub-sub cultures...boston vs. new york, for example.

Anyway, just a thought. Enjoy your posts, please keep publishing and all that.

lovely.

Good post. Understanding differences in culture with regard to language is an ongoing learning experience that everyone in the world will have to come to terms with in trying to achieve some kind of harmony between countries.

Excellent insight.A difference in sameness I never thought of before.

Quality is subjective. However your dicussion opens another issue, that of the limits of human condition as it affects the economy. Sure, the Japanese see perfection as 'quality', but it is only their perspective, point of view. The quality they seek is simply something done to the limits of human capability. It may or may not be 'perfect', just as good as it gets.

But consider what I call the Pinnacle Theory. That is once someone reaches the top of the game, he defines 'perfection' and henceforth, everyone after is just an 'also ran', been there, done that. in music, that would be 70's rock icons like Yes, Pink Floyd, musicians like that took it to the limit in their technical execution. None have ever exceeded that ability.
So where does one go when the pinnacle has already been reached by others? You don't go anywhere. You just swim in another man's pool.

And THAT is the future of this world. Nothing new on the planet. THAT is the fundamental problem with the future of every generation henceforth. The bar has to be lowered in order for the future to have some where to go.

Abraham Maslow. If you can disrupt the bottom of the pyramid, nobody can ascend to self actualization. You buy lots of time by creating instability at the base. Enter the Fed Government.

Paul

The comment about China should be brought to the attention of the State Department. It could affect questions of war and peace.

I came across this difference too when I was in Japan. But the word I noticed was "honest". In my American silliness, I thought this word meant telling the truth, even if it's difficult/embarrassing/rude. One of my students told me that it meant "polite". To me that's the total opposite! I suppose it stems from honest = good and good = polite (thus, honest = polite). Granted, I don't know if the entire country thinks of this word that way, but it sure seemed like it. As a very blunt person, I had a lot of trouble getting to the core of issues with people who were trying to save face. But I learned :)
!! Great example !! Wow. Very telling. — Derek

Impressive!

I was trying to think what translate to "quality" in Brazil and I think is just the same as the US version. And I think that's because we are highly influenced by North American culture and we are very far from Asian one (even though we have the biggest Japanese population outside of Japan).

As Dr. Mani said, probably the world that differ the most must be "rich".

Shopping as a social event? [shudder] I HATE shopping, particularly if it's window shopping without the money to buy if I see something I want. I'd rather read a book. So I guess my best shopping is done at the public library.

GREAT comparison of what quality means in various countries. Useful information to know.

I got to hear this first! :-)

Good article, Derek. Working/collaborating with offshore people, it is always communication that causes the challenges. This highlights that very well.

All the best.

Hmmm, my flutemaker husband tends to say: "Perfection is the enemy of the good enough." When he's carving the blow hole (embouchure) of a new head joint, he has to be very careful about not striving for "perfection," because that quest can lead him right over the top into disaster, turning the whole head joint into so much scrap metal. The Japanese flutemakers (which are notably VERY good!) must be in a constant state of frustration because it's impossible to make a "perfect" flute scale; all a flutemaker can do is compromise a bit between the tone hole placement and hope that a potential customer finds it "good enough." (Any hole placement which produces one "perfect" note will find the other two notes dependent on that hole placement to be too flat or too sharp, so compromises must be made).

i might have to read one of these just for pleasure!

I think it's very interesting that this idea, of shopping locally with friends, surprised you, Derek. Perhaps you've moved around a lot, and not had the chance to be enveIoped in a community? Living in a lively but fairly small community as I do--about 25,000 people between the two towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley, CA--I buy as much as I can locally, and obviously so do others, as there's a thriving number of small farmers, ranchers, artisans, musicians, etc. Going shopping is a social occasion, and not easy to just bluster one's way through without many hellos and how do you dos--which of course can feel like a hassle at times, but is for the most part completely charming.

The local farmers markets are booming, and arts and craft fairs shops are the places to go to buy. Having all this massive amount of shipping and transporting of STUFF made on the other side of the world (not to mention the hazards of ever huger container ships) or even on the other side of the country, is only worsening what is already an extremely fragile environment. The plus side of shopping locally is not just being with friends, but building community. So, when you talk about "saving" time and money by shopping online, I think that perhaps you are missing the bigger picture.

Aside from that, in the amazing world of words, it's so true how tricky navigating those waters can be, in any language.

Cheers to you...

Dude you're friggin amazing. Planet Sivers is a nice place to visit ! I aspire to acquire some of your knowledge. Thanks for sharing

Brillian post!!! Not only it was a brilliant marketing tool but your post contans valuable information. It is soo true that people don't know what they don't know.

Your friend needs to be the moderator at the UN meetings of world leaders!
Derek, I love, love, love the photos of the covers of your books. Stunning! That means "WOW" to me.

Great stuff, Derek! I have LOTS of thoughts and was going to submit! Then I saw brevity in everyone's posts, and thought, maybe I'll just tell Derek he ROCKS!!!

I guess I'm going to be the lone commenter who expresses complete disbelief and indignation at such a insidious phenomenon? No offense to Derek - you're just reporting what you've found and I don't doubt that it's true. But it's unacceptable.

Language and communication do not function when the meanings of words are disregarded. Quality has a definition, just as every word does; this definition is not up for debate or cultural poetic license. Some words have multiple meanings, often subtly or tangibly related variations of each other, and homonyms do exist. Yes, English is a global language subject to the telephone game phenomenon, and of course certain words expressing intangible, subjective or malleable concepts have some leeway in their interpretations. But no one gets to arbitrarily decide what a word means, whether in another's language or even their own, particularly if that arbitrarily chosen meaning contradicts, undermines or completely eschews the true definition of the word.

One commenter mentioned that in Japan "honest" means "polite" which is at best unrelated to and at worst the exact opposite of the definition of the word. This represents the inability of Japanese and American speakers of English to communicate in the same language! It's a total breakdown of communication. This is equivalent to the American phenomenon of using "literally" to mean "figuratively", which as anyone who values communication and has spent time and energy cultivating their language skills knows is completely unacceptable.

English speakers to do not get to choose the meanings of words in other languages, why should foreign language speakers get to choose what our words mean? Incorrect usage and ignorance of meaning should be corrected, not adapted to, otherwise words have no meaning at all.

Imagine if an American told a Spanish speaker visiting our country that "embarazada" meant "embarrassed" in spanish, not "pregnant" which is the actual meaning of the word! They would be scolded, and rightly so; more enlightened Americans would apologize on behalf of the ignorant American. Imagine an American asking a native speaker of a foreign language to change the way they use their own language to accommodate our own carelessness!

Interesting story. Reminds me of how the Chinese look at the terms 'past' and 'future'. For many we would say 'let's put the past behind us.' Or 'let's look forward to the future.' But for the Chinese this makes no sense as the past is below and the future is above. Your article is very good in pointing out our cultural differences which makes all of us more human.

A little follow up after reading more comments here and on Hacker News.

IT'S AN ADVERTORIAL
Some said it was an advertorial. To those I would reply that I don't think Derek makes much money off those books compared to the time and money he invested in them. Not mentioning the opportunity cost of what he could do instead! Also, the books are priced at about 1h of minimum wage, if it saves you an hour of work, you're breaking even.

IT IS TRIVIAL
Some said that pointing "different culture, different meaning" was trivial. Maybe. What is not trivial is figuring out the correct meaning for each culture when the person you are talking to assumes you have the same understanding of words as he does. There is thus a need to go from "unconscious incompetence" (ignorance) via conscious incompetence (awareness) to "conscious competence" (understanding) and ideally "unconscious competence" (mastery). Good luck to all of us.

EVERYBODY WANTS PERFECT
Several mentioned that "perfect" is not right in Japan since there is the "wabi-sabi" which highlights transience and imperfection.

This comment illustrates three things:

- Readers interpreted "perfect" as "symmetrical" and "permanent", but this is their view, not the Japanese definition of perfection. Another illustration of wrong assumption.

- A bonzai is impermanent and asymmetrical. But to be perfect, an object just has to follow its nature and intent perfectly- it can be fragile, asymmetrical, "ugly", yet perfect. There are relations between this notion of perfection and the Bauhaus school (form follows function), which itself inspired product designers such as Dieter Rams, which in turn, along with the Zen spirituality, inspired Steve Jobs' sense of "quality", which include aesthetics.

- The level of expectation for quality is still very different in Japan. Packaging in particular often falls short of the expectations of Japanese customers. Only luxury goods (including Apple products) seem to reach the bar, and Japanese are not very price sensitive when they see "quality" (whose meaning for electronics would be "long lasting, reliable, easy to use, beautiful, made with good materials, strong customer service").

WORDS HAVE DEFINITIONS
@James had an interesting comment, which I think boils down to "stick to definitions" and "don't impose your meaning to others". If we all lived in US and spoke American that would be much easier. The reality is that words don't have 1-to-1 translations and people in different places and socio-economic status have vastly different experiences, which affect their use of words, which spills into their use in translation. In addition, the world keeps changing, which requires updating expectations and thus, words. "Quality" a century ago was probably "long lasting" only, for most.

For fun, I often refer to the "enthusiasm scale" as a point of comparison: in the US when you ask people how they are doing, it generally goes from:
"good" to "great" to "awesome" (actually, almost no one says "good")

But what it means is different.
Afaik, good = not so well / great = well / awesome = good

In France, the scale would start lower and be more compressed: ranging from "alright" (= not so well) to "good" (= great/awesome).

This is also what makes Americans great marketers :)
Thanks Benjamin! — Derek

Excellent example pointing out the vast differences that can exist between cultures. This reminds me of a Global Business class in college when they told us about when Coca Cola first wanted to get in on the Chinese market. They didn't do their research to translate their brand properly and ended up calling their drink something like, "Bite The Wax Tadpole", ha ha ha. I don't think that was good for their sales.

Back in the day, I was taught that 'peace' meant 'peaceful coexistance' to us Americans and that it meant 'dominating power' to the USSR...hmmmm
Read all the comments and my wonderment on the India(n) take on 'quality' hasn't been answered...do you know?
peace

Thanks for keeping me thinking. It is always so good to think outside of one's own worldview. I appreciate the insight.

Hi Derek:

I'm wondering how well CD Baby has evolved in your eyes since it was taken forward by others and does that give you any hint about what you might like to see happen, over time, with the Wood Egg series?

In other words, perhaps, does quality beget quality (subjective as that term may be) in the natural order of things and have you seen that take place for CD Baby, for instance?

Both CD Baby and the Wood Egg series of books seem to be great examples, in any case, of you making or doing useful things; sharing what you've learned in life in the process, as well, as you do with these blog posts and their commentary process.

I suppose in some ways the most useful things in life are often the most sharable, as well, or hopefully, they ought to be, and the usefulness of the Wood Egg series will be their litmus test then.

Very catchy covers to the books.

All the best - Cam

Interesting...cultural biases that are attached to perceptions and interpretations. Religions have bias of perception too, even in the same country, as do scholastic circles, races, geographic areas and economic status. How does one impress others with the myriad of brain wiring that the world has???

Howdy Derek, again;

I'm always intrigued by the things you write, therein I find great pearls to incorporate into my thought pattern.
Having now interacted, on a personal level, with Singapore and a circle of wonderful Singaporean friends, I have a tremendous sense of the truth of this latest article.
Even simple phrases/words can and are misconstrued, thankfully, with humor.
The historic English "colony" influence in conjunction with Singaporean mixed cultures makes it even more of a morass of culture clashes......but......I am learning, and I always love to learn, even at my age.
TY Derek, always a pleasure.
TC.................Harris..................<><

Your friend already has the invention of staying home getting drunk alone...

It's often called: The Internets [sic].

There's also cable TV. Video games. Home theaters. Big screen TVs, etc...

Very informative. This article really gives a different perspective on the world market.

Since YOU are living in New Zealand, would you consider authoring one for NZ (sooner than later ;-) ?

As a Chinese, I have a comment on your interpretation of Guanxi:

I think you mixed "Guanxi" and social status up. Guanxi is your personal social network, or your own special network that can help you secretively achieve the goals that is not allowed under most circumstances. Now, Chinese are very negative on Guanxi, because there is so much corruption involved.

Quality means you can be perceived as rich and glamorous.That's right. :)
Good point. Thanks for the correction! — Derek

So true...we talk a lot about relevance today, but the approaches we usually see to achieving relevance are all about short cuts as opposed to achieving deep and local understanding first.

Describing someone as "Trustworthy" in Taiwan can also have the connotation that the person is "stupid and naive". I used to think I was being complimented, but later found the other meaning... :-)

I think it's really great how instead of "sticking to people you know", you are one who builds bridges between them. Thank you!

Ha ha! That's very insightful. I tried sarcasm on a bar tender in Jamaica once. He didn't get it at all. Very good article.

Quality when used in the phrase "Quality of life" is entirely subjective. Robert Louis Stevenson — 'It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.' cheers!

Interesting anecdotes. Thanks.

For some reason, I am reminded of when I worked with an Australian at Harrods in London during my gap year - 'You have a really strong accent,' I said to him. And very gently, he replied, 'You have an accent too, you know.'

I've now been living abroad for almost thirty years, so I know exactly how the Australian felt. But his comment changed for ever the meaning of the word 'accent' for me.

The truth is, we all have an accent.

I knew words change their meanings with geography. I'm a language teacher and I anjoy watching how our life changes affect the way we communicate and the kind of language we use in that communication. However, the things you mention about shopping in Singapore cause some unrest in me. It is a dictatorship regime where everything is based on the economy. People are happy shopping because that is one of the few things theyr are allowed to do. I sense there is something wrong in the fact that "shopping" constitutes a form of entertainment. It happens all over the western world, and in developed countries worldwide. I believe we should encourage other ways to spend time with friends or enjoy ourselves. We all need to go shopping because we all need some items from time to time, but I don't agree with shopping as a way to enjoy.

Timeless!

So true, great article again, thanks buddy!

Some thoughts regarding James's comments (#90). I respect the point he is making, but I do not think James is seeing the point which is that we need to understand that non-American English speakers may be using words in a way that we think we understand what they are talking about, but actually do not know what they really want (which can then cause miscommunications).

Yes, I would agree that the Korean and Chinese words of "quality" are not correct (the Japanese is more in-line with our definition), but are you going to be the pedantic person to correct them, or just realize that they are speaking "Korean English"? It is similar to the British English use the word "pissed" to mean "being drunk" and in American English is means to be "angry or annoyed".

This conversation reminds me of Frindle, the book by Andrew Clements, which tells the story of how language is ever changing. Maybe it is not a good thing, but language is ever changing. Try reading a diary of an American from the revolutionary war time period.

Thanks for your email regarding the fellow in Singapore. I've replied, however I am not sure it got through. My finger by accident hit the keyboard/flash my message flew off to?

This topic is so interesting. It's something I didn't think about until now. It Colombia, it would be the same situation. Quality is American made or new, hip, or the latest style would mean quality.

Wisdom and cultural insight for anyone looking to do business abroad. As we move to a more globalized economy, this is definitely something people should look into reading. Good job, Derek, and thanks for sharing these books with the world.

Derek, great post, as always! It reminds me about John Alexander study I came accross when I was living in Sweden some time ago: http://www.lagomsisu.com/ - very useful survival kit! ;)
Cheers from Poland!

Very interesting! I've always viewed cultural differences as more built from history, customs, adaptation to surroundings, and other factors. I had no idea so much of it flows through or is tied into different ways of defining what a word means. One more layer to understand, how a word you think you have a good handle on can mean totally different things depending on where you are and who you are talking with!

We have traveled a lot between Maine and Scotland/England. There are some pretty well known language disconnects (pants, fanny pack, to be "knocked up") but the one with lethal results is "while", which in amerispeak means "during". In many parts of the UK it means "until".
These disconnects in meaning of language pale in comparison to other cross-cultural misunderstandings. This is why international diplomacy is so challenging - especially for America which believes that everyone should be, act, and think like them. Your odyssey , living in several radically different cultures long enough to begin an understanding, is the sort of thing that would make the world a better place if more people could do it. That may have been one of the most important consequences of the Peace Corps.

Well said! It's never easy to build a global brand...

Great article. I lived for 8 years in Korea but this insight was news for me. Keep it coming!

Great points - you can take this even further. The most fundamental way we relate to other people is through language and words, and even within a culture, a community, a family people can have huge differences in their perception of and reaction to, certain words. It's truly amazing to find out the differences between what is said and what is heard, and when we become skilled in this, we become powerful relators and communicators.

Derek you did a fantastic work to improve business communication. Congrats.
Now talking about 5th dimension communication, we need just energy of feelings, no words! Instrumental Music does also this communication with different culture and universe, even different gallaxys. Have you thought about that? I would love to have your feedback on that. Musically and lovely Anaya

I learned this lesson years ago in England, then later in Haiti. My wife and I were living in Alaska at the time and had been invited to England where I had the opportunity to speak to a church group. I mentioned that in Alaska most women wore pants because of the cold, and the Brits began snickering among themselves. The reason was because in the UK pants meant underwear. Then a few months later, in January, we were on a mission in Haiti where I spoke to another group in a remote jungle "church" with no electricity or running water. When I tried to relate to them that where we lived a glass of water thrown into the air would freeze before hitting the ground, I was met with blank stares because they had no concept of what it meant to freeze. They had never seen so much as an ice cube. Language is somewhat relativity to our life experience. To some, spam comes in a can, to others it messes up your computer.

Great stuff. I posted a link on my Facebook page.

This is great information to know Derek! Thanks for sharing this quality blog with us all! If you created this blog while in Korea they would say "It's Brand New". I just received the email a few seconds ago and am wondering how I'm over the 100th person to comment because it's also Brand New for me too in America :) You've got a lot of folks responding and it's very interesting how we interpret wording all over the world. Thanks Derek and Bejamin!
Trey

Maybe not germane but this reminds me of a line where inflection and intonation leads the meaning:
ex: "He did not say he stole the money".

" 'HE' did not say he stole the money"...THEN WHO DID?
"He did not 'SAY' he stole the money"...THEN WHAT DID HE SAY?
"He did not say 'HE' stole the money"...THEN WHO DID?
"He did not say he 'STOLE' the money"...THEN WHAT DID HE DO WITH THE MONEY?
"He did not say he stole the 'MONEY' "...THEN WHAT DID HE STEAL?

Very interesting Derek

I haven't read all this yet but will. Just read the quality thing which opened my eyes bigtime. I feel like I'm in a little corner of a giant world. Inspired and eager to go check it out.

gorgeous covers, Derek -- IMO great choices, convey a lot.

Brilliant as always
Derek you are high profile and incredibly successful and striving to allow others to become entrepreneurs
Happiness Always
Your good friend Ken Davis (International Composer )

Hi Derek. Haven't communicated for quite a while with you. I understand what you are talking about. I always think of the time my friend Randall G. was in England and introduced himself to a young woman at the pub he was at and she slapped him because he said "Hi. I'm Randy". Randy in England means "horny". Oh well.

In the case of the word quality I would suppose striving to equal all that it means worldwide would be a worthwhile goal.

"Democracy." I would love to know what this means in countries outside the US, particularly to our Turkish prime minister who uses it so often in his speeches and as an example of his leadership ;) "Beauty" would be another interesting one. I love language.

A quick and fun play on words. Turkish lesson 101:

muz = banana
o muz = that banana
omuz = shoulder
domuz = pig

kiz = girl
kizdi = it was a girl, (he/she/it got angry), and got hot (as in, the oil in the pan)
kizma = don't be mad

☺ awesome. thank you. — Derek

Body language helps when words come up short.

indeed very true the same words can mean completly different things elsewhere.
Therefor you might need to use more words and less fancy to say what you mean despite in your part of the country you would only use one or two words.

To me, the concept of ‘quality’ in Chinese boils down to the‘好坏’ (hao3-huai4) of things or any entity. That is the “ 'good' and/or ‘bad’ (the degree of ‘goodness’ and/or the ‘badness’, or ‘un-goodness’) ” of any-thing or entity. Chinese boils down to, and/or springs from ‘yin-yang’ opposites. Again, this is to 'my' mind, the mind this one is amidst here-now.. !

Very true, and Happy new year!

All so true!
A Mongolian friend of mine is working on an English-Mongolian dictionary and we argue about the meanings of words and how they are defined in our respective cultures all the time. For example, Democracy and Capitalism which many Mongolians I've talked to, assume they are the same. (I hope he gets those right in his dictionary.) ;) Also reminds me of books by the Anthropologist Edward T. Hall who discusses cultural differences and communication. For example, "Silent Language".

Good article, thanks. Your discussion of quality is in relation to products. Look at Robert Prisig's book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Mantinence" for a more comprehensive discussion of quality. And keep up the good work.

General Motors would have had more success selling its Nova model in Spain had the marketing department conducted research to determine that the definition of "nova" in the Spanish language means roughly "no go". Successful marketing entails knowing your customer and his/her language in order to meet his/her needs. The Wood Egg book series provide entrepreneurs with the essential tools for a successful marketing campaign in their respective countries.

always enjoy ur thoughts wisdom and wit derek! and thank you for sharing!
the word play and their meanings made me think of how we use the english language down south where i come from here in india...the two most fun literal translations are when you ask someone at dinner if they'd like another helping..they often reply "no thank you , I'm fully fed up!"....
the other is when you ask them if all is well they often reply "yes! alll is in the well"!....keep the good advice comming!
fizzy g

i think that nowadays the culture of each country unfortunately or fortunately is more and more near each others, compared for example 30 years ago , i totally agree with Benjamin Joffe and i think that the Topics covered in these books are really really interesting ! but i think also that with the change of time change also the meaning of the words , for example if you ask to someone during the Tang dynasty in china what's the meaning of the words :QUALITY , may be some people will give to you the same answer of the Japanese people today .

Thanks Derek! Great fun to learn that in spite of their similarities (Confucianism, Buddhism, probable constant exchange of ideas due to their proximity), there can be such huge differences. Clearly, the knowledge of culture and being sensitive to the culture of others matters.

Great article. I reminds me of teaching in India and the locals' meanings for the words "yes" ( i.e. "yes") and "yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-yes" (i.e. "no"). :)

I hope a 'meta'-comment might be okay. Benjamin Joffe’s comments on the article seem worthy of attaching to the text in some way, as perhaps close-at-hand “further reading”; The comment format doesn’t seem to do them justice.

Thank you for your writing Derek.

Love this article it should be my new sales pitch, I run this company: www.publiclexicon.com , can you put me on your emailing list for blogs and thoughts? Thanks

Harold Timm, CSO

Amazing, really…& confirms what I've long suspected, but never tested (?!) about the use of the same words between different people (& that's not restricted to different countries or cultures, but different sub-cultures, even cliques!). Being a Songwriter/music-maker (I initially encountered Derek via his then-fledgling CDBaby a few moons hence!), I firmly believe in the power of Music as an international language. But how can we bridge such verbal barriers in a global world we increasingly share (via travel, internet, music/media)? I think that's the question which interests me, personally…but of course this truly interesting series of pithy pieces collected & combined by Mr. Sivers, is a start - & IMO, should be Required Reading for All Senators or out-of-state 'career' politicians!
:)

Derek you so rock!
I love who you are and what you aspire to…
'Entrepreneur, programmer, avid student of life. I make useful things, and share what I learn.'
Indeed!
I am a composer/pianist/teacher, photographer, cook, sailor, improvisor-at-large and general bon vivant!
…looking for a deeper, more engaged way to live, beyond the already beautiful and current magic. Quite challenging!
But in reading your books I see a bold adventurer willing to take on just about anything you are interested in.
Rock on!
Stephen

The lack of self-thoughts is creating a 'niche' of books considered totally redundant 30 years ago. You better sell them fast before the social way 'is going to the place 'she' belongs: in the Corbusier dome.

Dear Derek,
I got your e-mail with the new books a few days ago!
First of all, I hope you are doing really fine and I am very happy to know that you always come up with new ideas. You are one of my favorite examples of people who radically changed their life and even though no matter what kept walking! I love it!It may sound strange because we have never met each other but after reading your book and exchanging a few emails you look like a distant friend.
So, Derek, I took a look at the books and it is a really fine job!Congratulations!
May I ask you if you have or you will prepare sth about the Arab countries? I started to learn Arabic and I want to learn more about business opportunities there or any other kind of useful information. :-)
Keep up the very good work!
Bye bye,
Dimitra
Thank you. Sorry no plans to do other countries yet. — Derek

In Peru, "chifa" means Chinese food. It didn't seem like people in any other South American countries used it. I know it's esoteric but I'm hungry...also I like that word.

Good Morning Derek, African Americans have always had different meanings for different things. We kind of have formed our own language. In the past the term Bad meant awful in American Culture, But for us it meant it was nice, something great! People used to look at me strange when they heard me tell my friends I was at the crib, to them that meant something you put a baby in, to me it meant I was at home. So I can understand in most cultures words have different meanings. However Americans have always been so rude & arrogant in the past, & present to accept this. They have always shoved American ideas down everyone's throat!

I'm not too sure who you were talking to but I was pretty appalled to find out that this post was written VERY recently. The online shopping industry is huge in Singapore with Korean and Japanese companies (GMarket and Rakuten) setting up HQs in Singapore. Amazon also has their free global shipping for Singapore so I would say that online shopping is pretty prevalent.

Good day to you.

I am Canadian living in Switzerland. I too believe that the understanding of the common language English can also be misperseived or interpreted in different ways. I would love to know if you have come across cases regarding German cultures and English. I also think it goes beyond words. In English we flower coat our sentences. In German it is direct and straight to the point, for instance a bit too direct and a bit rude to an English speaker. Thank you and look forward to hearing from you. Steven Martin
Try reading the book “Germany: Unraveling an Enigma” — Derek

Is there a term for this- when words mean different things in different regions?
Good question! I don’t know! If anyone knows, please leave a comment here. — Derek

As for car names, another unfortunate mistake for overseas sales was calling a car "killer" in Spanish. (matador) In Canada I remember the car manufacturer trying to recover by showing a lemon on four wheels during a snow storm saying, "No one wants to buy a lemon." This after trying to market in bi-lingual Canada a car called a citroen. (lemon)

In Canada right now some teenagers don't know the word Ms., while non-feminists may object to guys being used as plural for a group of women or men or both. I suppose I might try to explain "guys" is like you-all, which in the U.S. south is always plural, not singular.

For comment 159, Germans being more direct to the point and rude than the English, maybe it's because their individual words, and their sentences, are so long, so they feel less time for flower coating. I have wondered if their army feels frustrated trying to do quick radio traffic when they share the same frequency.

For comment 160, words that mean different things in different regions, I don't know the term for this, but I can give an example:
Canada has five and a half time zones, that's a lot of regions. For their English speaking army bases out east (not the French ones) the written words (outside the mess hall, say) dinner and lunch can both mean the mid day meal, so I try to ask, "Do you mean supper?"

I liked it. I have been recently on an adventure on what quality is. I have been writing about it and actually mention this article because I think it is what quality is from the perspective of the consumer. How like beauty is in the eye of the beholder so to is quality. Your article really answered some of my questions about quality.
Thank you!
Ed

When multicultural organizations want to manage quality they define it as: meeting the customer’s requirements.

That way we focus on what is important to those we serve through our work.

That definition of quality works well but it first needs some discussion before everyone regardless of nationality is on board.

Crosby’s “Quality is Free” is his seminal work on this and was published in response the Pirsig’s better known book that suggests quality cannot be managed.

First, my thought on quality was something made real well. Like someone who makes a dress and the stitching is in a straight line. And the material that is used is of the best quality material like silk, linen, and velvet....etc. That person has shown me that they care and are patient to keep there stitching straight.

After reading all of the conversation between you and the gentlemen what came to my mind was marketing my music. I do not think this applies to music, because You Tube, itunes, Amazon,....are busy. Of course, I could be wrong, I hope that I am not wrong. It doesn't seem so since I got a message from a guy in Japan who is a songwriter.

But its so important not to assume in this world of people. We get ourselves in a lot of trouble. Like a friend, whose background is Latin of Costa Rica, said I would need to be careful about using words in Costa Rica that are casual words here.

Thank you very much.

Have a great Day Derek you and your family.