Different countries have different traditions and customs when it comes to greeting or addressing others. There are many nuances that depend on the culture of a nation and its history (Khan, 2017). That is why choosing the correct name to use and to be addressed by can be sometimes difficult if one is not familiar with the culture of the people that communicate with them.
Taking this into consideration, we should be careful when we insist on other people calling us in a certain way. For example, in India “it is advisable to address people by their title (Mr, Mrs, etc.) and last name until they have indicated that you may move on to a first-name basis” (Kumar, 2020, p. 27). Apart from that, they have various titles that are chosen according to formal or informal social and religious relationships between two people or in a group of people (Dutta, 2017). That is why if I travelled to India for my first business visit and insisted that everyone called me by my first name, it could cause some confusion among my Indian colleagues. Because it would be our first interaction, it is possible that they would not understand why I act like that. Seeing them at a loss, I would probably become confused as well.
Because of these possible complications, I believe that it is essential to get to know the culture before you need to interact with people that belong to that culture. Even if one’s social skills are not as good as they could be, I think it is important to be respectful and show interest in the local culture and traditions. I believe that if people see one’s honest desire to learn more about their customs, they will be glad to help.
References
Dutta, U. (2017). Intercultural communication study in India. The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 1-10.
Khan, R. (2017). Rethinking “National Culture” of India: An Entangled Indo-German Intellectual History. Transregional Research,, 1(3), 1-7.
Kumar, K. J. (2020). Mass communication in India (5th ed.). Jaico Publishing House.