Different Games Different Rules or Statistical Consulting

Different Games, Different Rules: Why Americans and Japanese Misunderstand Each Other

Author: Haru Yamada

Japan and the United States are in closer contact politically and economically than ever before, yet in many ways our nations are as far from mutual understanding as ever. Misconceptions and miscommunications between East and West continue to plague this important relationship, frustrating the best efforts of both cultures to work together. Stereotypes abound: Americans see Japanese as evasive and inscrutable, while Japanese see Americans as pushy and selfish. What causes these persistent misunderstandings, and what can be done to avoid them?
Fluent in both languages and at home in both cultures, Haru Yamada brings an insiders perspective and a linguists training to this difficult question, illuminating the many reasons why Americans and Japanese misunderstand one another. Social organization, she explains, shapes the way we talk. Because American and Japanese cultures value different kinds of social relationships, they play different language games with different sets of rules. In America, for instance, Aesop's fable about the grasshopper and the ants ends with the ants scorning the foolhardy grasshopper. In Japan, however, the story has a very different ending: the ants invite the grasshopper in to share their winter meal, as they appreciate how his singing spurred them on during their summer labors. In the difference between these two endings, argues Yamada, lies an important lesson: Americans, because of their unique political history, value independence and individuality, while Japanese value mutual dependency and interconnectedness. The language of both cultures is designed to display and reinforce these values so that words, phrases and expressions in onelanguage can have completely different connotations in another, leading to all manner of misunderstanding. Yamada provides numerous examples. In Japan, for instance, silence is valued and halting speech is considered more honest and thoughtful than fluid speech, while in America forthright, polished speech is valued. Likewise, the Japanese use word order to express emphasis, while Americans use vocal stress: a listener unaware of this difference may easily misunderstand the import of a sentence. In a lucid and insightful discussion, Yamada outlines the basic differences between Japanese and American English and analyzes a number of real-life business and social interactions in which these differences led to miscommunication. By understanding how and why each culture speaks in the way that it does, Yamada shows, we can learn to avoid frustrating and damaging failures of communication.
Different Games, Different Rules is essential reading for anyone who travels to or communicates regularly with Japan, whether they are scientists, scholars, tourists, or business executives. But as Deborah Tannen notes in her Foreword to the book, even those who will never travel to Japan, do business with a Japanese company, or talk to a person from that part of the world, will find the insights of this book illuminating and helpful, because the greatest benefit that comes of understanding another culture is a better and deeper understanding of one's own.

Booknews

Fluent in both languages and at home in both cultures, Yamada brings an insider's perspective and a linguist's training to the question of what causes persistent misunderstandings between Japanese and Americans, and what can be done to avoid them. She explains some of the cultural differences and how they are expressed in language, arguing that by understanding how and why each culture speaks in the way that it does, we can learn to avoid frustrating and damaging failures of communication. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Table of Contents:

	Foreword
	A Few Notes on the Text
1	Two Stories, Two Games	3
2	Communication Equipment	23
3	Speak for Yourself, Listen to Others	37
4	Taking Care of Business	53
5	Open for Business	71
6	Scoring Points	83
7	Support Network	95
8	The Truth about Teasing, Praising, and Repeating	105
9	Role Models: Working Man, Nurturing Mother	121
10	You Are What You Speak	139
	Notes	149
	References	157
	Index	163

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Statistical Consulting: A Guide to Effective Communication

Author: Janice Derr

Dr. Janice Derr covers all aspects of statistical consulting. Using text and video, she integrates three themes that form the perspective of the book. First, a statistician should treat each client as a potential collaborator. Second, diversity must be appreciated. Students will see a variety of cultures, styles of communication and negotiation, and learning preferences in the book. Third, experienced statisticians and clients must work together in the process of training statistical consultants. On the CD-ROM, video segments bring the material to life and cover each aspect of statistical consulting by demonstrating good and bad techniques.

Booknews

So that neither party feels like a stranger in a strange land, the author teaches communication skills to statistical consultants for win-win relationships with non-statistician clients, viewed as potential project collaborators, in diverse organizational settings. The first two chapters introduce the ideal consultant-client relationship and non-verbal communication. The CD-ROM, coordinated with the remaining chapters, model good and laughable consultant-client scenarios. Chapters include examples, suggestions for group discussion, and resources. Based on an author-developed course at Pennsylvania State U. and a videotape entitled . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)