Business Tips for Spain
Traveling to Spain on business will bring you to a country rich in culture
and history. The old time ways of large extended families working and living
together is being changed by the times into a society where men and women
share responsibilities and work independently from the rest of their family.
Where the Spanish society used to be a male dominated one, today equality
for all is stressed and embraced by most, especially those of the younger
generations.
As a predominantly Roman Catholic society, Spain hosts some of the most
amazing cathedral buildings in Europe. In fact, many of the most impressive
buildings in the country are churches and cathedrals.
Just as with traveling to any other country on the globe, if you will be
traveling to Spain on business, it is essential that you understand a bit
about the culture of the people, and the etiquette rules of business for
the country. This understanding will lead you in having successful business
dealings in Spain.
Building Business Relationships
Building business relationships in Spain is done through allowing your hosts
to get to know you, as a person, and allowing them to build trust in you.
Where some countries are all about hierarchy and position within a company,
the same cannot be said for Spain. While there is a structure, and you should
be doing business with people who are of similar rank within their companies
as you are, you will not be trying to impress those above you in ranking
as you might in some other countries.
Business Introductions
When introduced in Spain you will be expected to shake hands. Some Spaniards
also do a two-handed shake where the left hand is placed on the forearm of
the other person while the right hand is shaking hands. Once you have established
a relationship, hugging between men is considered a normal thing to do.
Business Cards
Your business card should be handed to the receptionist when you arrive
for a meeting. If you will be doing a lot of business in Spain it is a good
idea to have your business cards translated into Spanish on the backside.
Teamwork and Individuality
In Spain, teamwork is important, however individuality and trust are more
so. In Spain you should be modest about your accomplishments and allow your
Spanish business partners to get to know and trust you. At this point, you
can do business with them regardless of who your employer is and what you
official title within a company is. As well, you may find that while a company’s
employees are working as a team, the hierarchical structure still dictates
who makes the major decisions.
Use Software to Translate English to Spanish or Spanish to English
Communication is at the heart of doing business in Spain. It is imperative
that you are able to communicate well with your Spanish hosts. To this end,
you should invest in Spanish Translator software and install it on your laptop,
before you travel to Spain. This will insure that you are able to communicate
all of your information and that the Spaniards who you will be doing business
with will be able to understand you completely.
What Can Spanish Translation Software Do For You?
• Convert text from English to Spanish or Spanish to English
•
Translate e-mail messages and documents to/from the Spanish language
•
Translate business letters, memorandum, and report into Spanish or
English
•
Convert Word, Excel, Power Point and PDF files.
Tip: If you rely on software completely to do the translation and do not
have human to proof your document, send both the English and the Spanish
translation and put a note on the translated text to let the recipient know
you have used software to do the translation for you. This way if there is
any question they can refer back to the original English document.
Final Thoughts
Conducting business in Spain can be very profitable for your company if
you take the time to learn the customs and society before you attempt to
do business there. While in Spain, work on building business relationships
through clear communication and open trust. If you do not speak Spanish,
make sure you take along a laptop with translation software, or a human translator,
to facilitate better communication and avoid misunderstandings.
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