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Euroland: one culture? Non, nein, nee, na, nej, nei, no!

International marketing, technically speaking, refers to the marketing of goods and services in two or more countries. So, consider yourself an international operator if you already trade, or are about to start trading with, just one other country in Europe, and read on…

With IT and global communications shrinking the world, it would be all too easy to think that it is a smaller, more homogeneous place and that the concept of foreignness is a thing of the past. But the hard reality of international business projects a different picture and one in which foreignness - defined as the distinctive cultural and environmental characteristics of a nation - still matters very much indeed.

And, nowhere is this more important, and potentially dangerous if ignored, than in Europe now that the euro is hard currency. A single currency doesn't mean a single culture, especially with the underlying bedrock of cultural, geographic and psychological divergences which give the region its rich national and social heritages.

Having said that, there are indeed strong European and world-wide forces at work to increase economic co-operation, free up the movement of goods and capital and deregulate certain sectors such as telecoms, financial services and power generation. But the fact remains that no two countries - no matter how close their historical, cultural or trading links - share the same environmental differentiators - and we're not talking "green" here.

Cultures develop symbols to represent ideas. They take many forms: colours, logos and taboos. Those in the East and West, for example, being more obvious, have been openly acknowledged on both sides of the world for some time. In Western cultures white is pure, but in Eastern ones, it is death. The elephant has a distinct, esteemed value in the Far East, whereas it portrays bulk and durability in the West. And taboos are derived from what is considered unacceptable or excessive social behaviour and religious observance. Alcoholic drink, pork, unclad females, men doing housework may all be taboo in certain cultures.

The long-standing Chinese attitude to copyright infringement continues to confound many Westerners (those in publishing, films and the music industries are but a few) who believe it has something to due with the country's communist past. But the problem was around long before Mao and communism took hold. According to William Alford in his book To Steal a Book is an Elegant Offence (Stanford University Press, 1995) this social norm can be traced back to a Confucian axiom which actually encourages duplication: "I transmit rather than create; I believe in and love the Ancients."

But strong dividers exist even when geographic distances are shorter because what is acceptable in terms of behaviour, promotion or product in one country is not necessarily so in another.

Consider the varied cultural tapestry of Europe. A comparison of the French attitude to food with that of the British could well explain why microwave cookers were slow to win acceptance while dishwashers were regarded as "must haves" in France. In the UK, the reverse happened. Germans in business generally take a long-term view on investment (rather like the Japanese), while the UK (more like the USA) looks for shorter-term results. At business meetings, the OK sign (making a circle with your thumb and index finger) is definitely OK in Britain, but it gets the thumbs down in Holland, Germany and Spain where it is considered vulgar, and means zero or useless in France.

The four key differentiators between nations are commonly acknowledged to be: political-legal-governmental frameworks, economic systems, technology levels, and cultural-social attributes. International intelligence gathering - though more complex than domestic market research - can now access data to take a lot of the guess work out of the first three.

But with socio-cultural attributes it is not so easy unless, that is, you are a participant in that culture - a possessor of real local knowledge and understanding. These distinguishers are harder to grasp and yet they are critical because they affect how individuals interface with each other and with the institutions and companies in the locality.

The first and most easily perceived is, of course, language because it has been proven to make a huge impact on trade. It is widely acknowledged that trade between countries that share a language will be three times greater than between countries without a common one.

A recent survey of the LNTO revealed just how often language - or the lack of a common one - presents a problem. It showed that the value of language skills and understanding of other cultures, both in terms of individuals' employability and effectiveness, was not fully recognised. Almost 20 per cent of the companies that responded to the audit said they had lost business through inadequate language skills and nearly 50 per cent admitted that this created large barriers in the development of their business. Only 33 per cent claim to have a business strategy for languages.

In the absence of language skills to native or near-native proficiency - and this applies to situations even with a common language - companies of all sizes frequently turn to translators. It's a fair and pragmatic option - often an economic one as well. But literal translation without local knowledge, cultural sensitivity and technological acumen can deliver unfortunate consequences.

Take the case of a young English woman executive stating in a French restaurant that she is full and can eat nothing more as, "Je suis pleine". Her French companions would no doubt be perplexed and perhaps amused at the classic double entendre. Not only does it literally describe a a state of pregnancy, but one that is reserved for animal - not human - mothers to be.

But even though language often presents a problem, it is minor compared to those posed by the sets of values acquired through the processes of cultural, social and religious development. In international communications, these can either be quite marked or so subtle as to be unnoticeable, until you get it wrong. These powerful norms extend to ways of conducting business and what is beyond the local socially acceptable behaviour.

Without an appreciation of and sensitivity to foreignness and the importance of real local knowledge, you go forward internationally ill-equipped. The only way through this socio-cultural minefield is through business communications with three strategic capabilities: corporate scale efficiency; national level knowledge, responsiveness and flexibility; and cross-market capability and leverage.

Preferential trading arrangements and a common currency will, of course, encourage trade, but do remember, even in Euroland, foreignness lives, OK?