Cross-cultural communication （67）　

67) The Ant and the Grasshopper
In Japan, “The Ant and the Grasshopper” is known as one of Aesop's Fables, but in France it is known as a work in the collection of fables called “La Fontaine”. The story goes that the grasshopper, who had spent the whole summer happily singing, ran out of food in winter and went to the ant for help. The grasshopper told the ant, “I spent all summer singing, so now I've run out of food in winter.” The ant replied…
Now, the way the ant responds to the grasshopper differs between the La Fontaine version and the Japanese version. In the La Fontaine version, the ant says, “Eh bien, Dansez maintenant. (Oh well, then dance now.)” in a very cold and somewhat sarcastic tone, and with just those words, he sends the grasshopper away. The story ends with those words, and there is no continuation.

There are apparently several different endings to the Japanese version, but the most common one seems to be something like “Well, eat this food we've saved up and sing with a good voice next summer too. Everyone in France has grown up listening to this story. Whether it's good or bad, they seem to think that there's no need to feel sorry for someone who doesn't live up to their own standards (they brought it on themselves).

Therefore, when you are discussing or persuading a French person, you need to first explain the principles and then tell them what you want them to do. If you take the Japanese approach of using euphemistic expressions and attacking them from the outside, they will misunderstand and think that there is something wrong with you. This kind of discussion is a daily occurrence for French people, so it is unlikely to damage the relationship between you.

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