1. It was raining 2. I have not eaten 3. If I was a child 4. Everyone has seen 5. If we are late 6. It is snowing 7. I have watched TV 8. I have lived in Canada for 10 months 9. Правильно? 10. I haven’t got an iPhone 11. I have never been to Korea 12. Students had a good time 13. Правильно? 14. Lee is afraid of snakes 15. It was boring 16. Cold in summer 17. If I am late 18. She sat on the end 19. Brian is so stupid 20. There are many nice beaches in Spain 21. Often make mistakes 22. Find anything 23. Правильно? 24. The news on TV is always sad
n 1993, I had my first opportunity to visit Russia as a representative of the University of California. I was there to provide some technical assistance in the area of agricultural labor management. "Russians are a very polite people," I had been tutored before my arrival. One of my interpreters, once I was there, explained that a gentleman will pour the limonad (type of juice) for the ladies and show other courtesies.Toward the end of my three week trip I was invited by my young Russian host and friend Nicolai Vasilevich and his lovely wife Yulya out to dinner. At the end of a wonderful meal Yulya asked if I would like a banana. I politely declined and thanked her, and explained I was most satisfied with the meal. But the whole while my mind was racing: "What do I do? Do I offer her a banana even though they are as close to her as they are to me? What is the polite thing to do?""Would you like a banana?" I asked Yulya."Yes," she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. "What now?" I thought."Which one would you like?" I fumbled."That one," she pointed at one of the bananas. So all the while thinking about Russian politeness I picked the banana Yulya had pointed at and peeled it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Yulya and Nicolai's faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I spent much time letting the world know that in Russia, the polite thing is to peel the bananas for the ladies. Sometime during my third trip I was politely disabused of my notion."Oh no, Grigorii Davidovich," a Russian graciously corrected me. "In Russia, when a man peels a banana for a lady it means he has a romantic interest in her." How embarrassed I felt. And here I had been proudly telling everyone about this tidbit of cultural understanding.Certain lessons have to be learned the hard way. Some well meaning articles and presentations on cultural differences have a potential to do more harm than good and may not be as amusing. They present, like my bananas, too many generalizations or quite a distorted view.Some often-heard generalizations about the Hispanic culture include: Hispanics need less personal space, make less eye contact, touch each other more in normal conversation, and are less likely to participate in a meeting. Generalizations are often dangerous, and especially when accompanied by recommendations such as: move closer when talking to Hispanics, make more physical contact, don't expect participation, and so on.Here is an attempt to sort out a couple of thoughts on cultural differences. My perspective is that of a foreign born-and-raised Hispanic who has now lived over two decades in the United States and has had much opportunity for international travel and exchange.
2. I have not eaten
3. If I was a child
4. Everyone has seen
5. If we are late
6. It is snowing
7. I have watched TV
8. I have lived in Canada for 10 months
9. Правильно?
10. I haven’t got an iPhone
11. I have never been to Korea
12. Students had a good time
13. Правильно?
14. Lee is afraid of snakes
15. It was boring
16. Cold in summer
17. If I am late
18. She sat on the end
19. Brian is so stupid
20. There are many nice beaches in Spain
21. Often make mistakes
22. Find anything
23. Правильно?
24. The news on TV is always sad