Executive Travel : Speak Softly and Carry a Big Phrase Book

John Freivalds knows the difference between speaking the language and speaking the culture of a country. That difference can have a big effect on the bottom line if you’re trying to do business.

That’s why Freivalds, a Minneapolis-based international marketing consultant, suggests a technique he calls “guerrilla linguistics.”

The approach is an alternative to trying to learn an entire foreign language--something few adults can do with a few evening courses or tapes, he said. Instead, it helps by providing key phrases.

Freivalds, who was born in Latvia, comes by his proclivity for languages naturally. Like residents of other small European nations, Latvians tend to speak the languages of major countries as well as their own. Freivalds counts German, English, Spanish, Portuguese and passable Russian among his languages.

Most Americans aren’t even bilingual, he notes, and that puts them at a disadvantage in other cultures. Indeed, many Americans aren’t sure which languages are spoken in which countries. Freivalds has heard people asking Peruvians whether they speak “Mexican.”

“We live in a global economy,” said Freivalds, who has lived and John Freivalds worked in 50 countries. “You have to feel comfortable with it.”

“Most adult Americans will never learn a foreign language unless they go to language camp,” he said. Short of total immersion, it’s difficult for adults to process new language information, especially if they’re trying to cram it into a short period before a trip.

Those who manage to master part of a language aren’t any better off if they don’t know how to use it in a cultural context, he said.

For example, Freivalds was called in when Pennsylvania-based Mack Trucks Inc. wanted to expand sales into China. The company’s slogan was that its trucks were “bulldog tough,” and it used a dog logo. But it was unwise to translate that directly, Freivalds said.

“The Chinese don’t revere dogs--they eat them,” he said. Mack changed its logo to a horse to symbolize strength. The Chinese word for horse is ma , close in sound to Mack.

Understanding such cultural nuances is at the heart of guerrilla linguistics, Freivalds said. The idea is to learn selective phrases that typify the business culture of the country.

“It is a way to make you effective without having to learn a lot of language,” he said.

For example, knowing how to say “Where is the bathroom?” is unlikely to make you effective in a business negotiation, Freivalds said. “You need something more ingenious.”

He suggests learning foreign expressions peculiar to or commonly used in the country you’re interested in. For example, you might learn the equivalents of American English’s “What’s the bottom line?” or “You’re in the ballpark.”

Russian, for example, has a saying, “Dengi schet lyubyat,” that means “Money loves to be counted.” It might be used in the context of accounting procedures.

Other such sayings in Russia are “Money doesn’t smell,” roughly the equivalent of “Money tells no tales,” and “Money sticks to money,” for “The rich are getting richer.”

In Mexico, you can score points if you ask a business associate about la grilla , or the bureaucracy, Freivalds said. “It’s like being in D.C. and asking what the Beltway Bandits are doing for Washington, D.C., today,” he said.

Understanding such phrases accomplishes two things, Freivalds said. First, you recognize them when you hear them, which helps you follow along with your interpreter.

More important, if you master the art of throwing the phrases in at appropriate times, you’ll catch your business partner off guard and keep an edge in the negotiations. The person speaking the language usually has more control in a negotiation, Freivalds said. If you make your business contact stop and wonder how much you know or understand, that person is likely to treat you with more respect, he said.

The best way to pick up such cultural slogans is to ask people, Freivalds said. Ask cabdrivers, ask the concierge, ask your business associates when you’re in social situations, and ask your interpreter.

Freivalds, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a master’s in international affairs from George Washington University, came to the United States as a child. As an international marketing consultant, he has helped companies such as Federal Express, American Airlines, UPS and Pillsbury get their messages across. Earlier this year, he worked with FedEx to translate its new motto, “The World on Time,” into 12 languages. He also writes a monthly travel column for World Trade magazine.

Freivalds has also developed a poster he calls the “Periodic Table of the Languages.” It lists 40 countries and includes a phrase or expression that helps describe each culture.

For example, under the American flag is the phrase “Can do,” which Freivalds feels typifies U.S. culture. “We have an innate sense of progress,” he said. “Even if something won’t change, we think it might.”

The word that goes with Germany is Arbeitsam , or “love of work.” And Mexico is linked to the phrase “Mi casa es tu casa”--”My home is your home.”

Freivalds came up with the words and phrases by polling linguists, diplomats, business people and journalists. “The way I put it is: ‘If you had a minute and you had to pick a word or a phrase to tell people about your country, what would it be?’ ”

“We often buy huge foreign-language dictionaries or a set of language tapes and still do not get the essence of a language or culture out of them,” he said.

Freivalds calls guerrilla linguistics a way to enhance business travel. “You may (still) do your standard American Express-type trip,” he said, “but you’ll get a little more out of it.”