Business English (Listening): "Cultural Awareness at Work"

Vocabulary 1

A. MISUNDERSTANDINGS – malentendus. (When people don’t understand each other correctly.) Example: "There were many misunderstandings between the two teams." (Il y avait beaucoup de malentendus entre les deux équipes.)

B. VALUED – apprécié. (Something or someone considered important or useful.) Example: "Her opinion is highly valued in the team." (Son opinion est très appréciée dans l'équipe.)

C. BE PREFERRED – (as adjective) préféré. (Something liked more than other options.) Example: " Coffee is preferred over tea in my family.” (Dans ma famille, le café est préféré au thé.)

D. AVOID – éviter. (To stay away from something or someone.) Example: "You should avoid eating too much sugar." (Vous devriez éviter de manger trop de sucre.)

E. CONFLICT – conflit. (A disagreement or fight between people.) Example: "The conflict between the two groups lasted for weeks." (Le conflit entre les deux groupes a duré des semaines.)

F. BE USED TO – être habitué à. (To be familiar with something.) Example: "I’m used to waking up early for work." (Je suis habitué à me lever tôt pour le travail.)

G. BLUNT – direct. (Saying things in a very clear, sometimes rude way.) Example: "He was blunt when giving feedback to his colleague." (Il a été direct en donnant des retours à son collègue.)

RUDE – impoli. (Not polite or respectful.) Example: "It’s rude to interrupt someone while they’re talking." (Il est impoli d'interrompre quelqu'un quand il parle.)

Guide Questions
1. What does the speaker say about cultural awareness at work?
2. Talk about the speaker’s examples.

Vocabulary 2

A. PUNCTUAL – ponctuel. (Being on time for something.) Example: "She is always punctual for meetings." (Elle est toujours ponctuelle pour les réunions.)

B. MORE RELAXED APPROACH – approche plus détendue. (A less strict way of doing things.) Example: "The manager has a more relaxed approach to deadlines and expectations." (Le directeur a une approche plus détendue des délais et des attentes.)

C. LEAD TO – mener à. (To cause something to happen.) Example: "A lack of communication can lead to problems." (Un manque de communication peut mener à des problèmes.)

D. SIDES – côtés. (Different groups or opinions in an argument.) Example: "Each side argued strongly during the debate." (Chaque côté a argumenté fortement pendant le débat.)

E. AWARE – conscient. (Knowing or understanding something.) Example: "She is aware of the changes in the schedule." (Elle est consciente des changements dans le planning.)

F. OVERCOME – surmonter. (To deal with or solve a difficult situation.) Example: "They managed to overcome the challenges of working remotely." (Ils ont réussi à surmonter les défis du travail à distance.)

Guide Questions
1. What is another challenge mentioned by the speaker?
2. How can we overcome these challenges?