@Cross-cultural communication i27j@
27jHow do you make Dutch people feel at ease?
I think it was in 2009. I was asked to chair a special lecture by a Dutch professor at the annual academic conference of the Primary Care Association. The role of the chairperson is to introduce the speaker before the lecture and to manage the Q&A session after the lecture. As the lecture would be interpreted simultaneously, there was no need for interpretation, but it was necessary to use English out of respect for the speaker. The Dutch are good at English.
The lecture was in the afternoon, so I had a meeting with the Dutch professor and his wife in the morning. At the meeting, it is necessary to first create a relaxed atmosphere. After creating a situation where it is easy to talk, you can obtain various information and use it as material for your introduction. As an ice-breaker, I first brought up the topic I had prepared.
gDo you know who the most famous Dutch person in Japan is?
gI don't know. I don't think there are many Dutch people known in Japan,h said the professor.
gDo you know anything about Peter Aerts and Remy Bonjasky?h
gI don't know...
They are both former K-1 champions, and they are very popular with young people in Japan.h
gReally? I think I've heard something about them on the news...
It was a spectacular swing and miss. I had been a fan of K-1 myself since I had accompanied my third son, who was still in high school, to watch the New Year's Eve tournament two years in a row. Both Aerts and Bonjasky were former champions and were very popular at the time. Bonjasky in particular was a handsome, tall black Dutchman from Suriname, and he was a fighter with a huge impact.
I stumbled at the very beginning, and I was in a hurry. So, in desperation, I came up with a name that came to mind at the time.
gHow about Sylvia Kristel (who passed away in 2012)? She is the most famous Dutch person of my generation (born in 1951). Unfortunately, most Japanese people think she is French, though.h
As soon as I finished speaking, the professorfs wife burst into laughter. Sylvia was, of course, the lead actress in the French film gEmmanuelleh, which was a huge hit at the time. She was Dutch, and the French she spoke in the film was a little lispy, and some people thought it was cute. However, there are very few Japanese people who would be interested in trivia like this.
From there, the mood gradually relaxed and I was able to naturally find out about the professor's hobbies. When I introduced the professor during his lecture, I said, gHis hobby is gardening and bicycle riding. Very European.h He turned to me and smiled.
| BACK |
