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Localisation Faux Pas (Archive)
October 2003 |
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It is important to remember that faux pas can also be non-verbal. During the 1950s, for example, there was widespread hostility between the US and Latin America. In an effort to improve relations, the American Vice President, Richard Nixon, went on a tour of Latin America. At one of his early stops, he stepped out of his airplane and flashed the "OK" symbol at the crowd. (The "OK" symbol is formed by making a circle with the thumb and the forefinger). He intended this to be a postive sign for the people, but the crowd responded by booing, because this gesture is in fact seen as very insulting in Latin America. Newspapers the next day published large photographs of Nixon using the derogatory gesture. Note that the "OK" symbol respresents "zero" in France and "money" in Japan. (Adapted from: Roger E. Axtell, The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World. 1998, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) |
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