What language to adopt in Brazil Businesses?

Brazil is the largest geographic area in South America and has a population of over 196 million people. In this country, 99% of the population is speaking Portuguese; therefore, Brazil is the most populous Portuguese-speaking country in the world by a large margin.

Being able to speak the Portuguese language is a useful tool when doing business in Brazil because it is often interpreted as a sign of sincere interest for Brazilian society. While speaking the local language is always advisable for gaining market insight and building relationships, the use of Portuguese in Brazil, by North American business people, is of particular value. Brazilians have come to expect that the majority of North American business people with whom they come in contact will speak little or no Portuguese. For this reason, it is a real asset for a foreigner to learn to speak Portuguese, as it will likely reflect a presumed commitment to Brazil that the non-Portuguese speaker would have to demonstrate in other ways.

Besides, even in business, Brazilians do not speak English properly. Indeed, in Brazil, neither Public, nor Private Schools are able to educate students in speaking, reading, listening and writing English adequately. Hence, if some Brazilians want to learn the language properly, they have to pay exuberant fees for attending a private English tutoring institute like The English Language Centre. 

And, for the few Brazilian people who are speaking English, they have to face a strong phonetic issue. Indeed, because teachers in Brazil are concentrating more on grammar than on the audible correct pronunciation of English’s words by their students, it is difficult for foreigners to understand them. Thus, when they are entering into companies, Brazilians people are mainly speaking Portuguese, and their inability to speak English is the reason why Brazilians have always been isolated from the world and Brazilian businesses are losing opportunities in other countries.

Because it is of the utmost importance you learn Portuguese as thorough as possible! I am providing you below a concise dictionary of some of the most useful Portuguese expressions to be knowledgeable about for different situations.

Now that you have some basis knowledge about Brazilian Portuguese, keep pursuing the efforts and go to take some paid language lessons or go to watch some free videos on YouTube (such as the one on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXjkXqhH_Lc) in order to avoid being dependent on a translator if, one day, you are working in Brazil. 

'If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.' – Nelson Mandela

Brazil: A collectivist Culture!

Building strong personal relationships is essential for being successful in doing business in Brazil. 

In fact, during my trip in Brazil, I have noticed one particular characteristic of Brazilians: they give a huge importance on trustworthy and long lasting relationships. Family bonds seem to be vital for them in their daily life as they are always trying to be there for everybody and help others due strong reliance on collectivism. And, as a personal experience, it was something that I have really appreciated in Brazil; the fact that people seem to protect each other and the interests of everybody for the well-being of the entire group. 

Thus, keep in mind that Brazilians do not come straight to business, first they get to know you personally and check you out. For example, when you sit down for a meeting, allow some time for social interactions in order to show to your team that you are respecting their culture by staying relaxed and being flexible. And if you are liked and respected by them, they will feel more motivated to work for you. So, as you can imagine, it helps a lot when you are being introduced by someone respected from your future Brazilian counterparts.

Hence, as you might have understood, this concept of face-to-face is primordial within the workplace, and this is the reason when working with Brazilians you should avoid conduct meetings and negotiations over the phone or through videoconferencing, and reduce the sending of phone messages, IM, and email. Because Brazilian will want to get to know you, it implies spending time with you by talking to you in person.

Hence, I would just conclude this blog post by saying that if you are doing business in Brazil, always keep working on your ability to socialized with others, give people some freedom for enjoying their lives and don’t forget that Brazilians love to chat with colleagues, share a long meal or simply dance with guests and friends.

Sources:
Hofstede, G. The Hofstede Center. Retrieved from: https://geert-hofstede.com/brazil.html

Speed in Brazil is never good!

I wanted to start this blog post by simply telling you one key word to always keep in mind in Brazil: PATIENCE!

Brazil and the United States are extremely different in the way each conceives of time. Brazil is what Edward T. Hall termed a polychronic culture; the United States, a monochronic one. Brazil, like all polychronic cultures, performs many tasks simultaneously, time is viewed casually and the primary importance is to establish long lasting relationships. In contrary to the United States, where most businesses view personal interactions as less important than maintaining the schedule.

Therefore, if you are doing business in Brazil, you have to be conscious that Brazilians approach time in a very relaxed and flexible manner. Punctuality and precise plans are not common as Brazilians tend to live life at a slower pace, and this carries over into business which can result in negotiations taking much longer than you are used to. And it is important to not rush this process of business dealings with your Brazilian colleagues by spending the necessary time to continue building strong relationships for negotiations to be successful.

Besides, if you are doing business with Brazilians, schedule two to three weeks in advance and confirm once you arrive in Brazil. Also try to leave a few hours in between appointments in case they go on longer than anticipated. Nevertheless, you should remember that meetings are often delayed or cancelled without any prior warning; therefore, it is necessary to adjust budgets and planning accordingly.

Besides, avoid putting pressure on your counterpart(s) for final decisions and don’t show feelings of frustration or impatience as this will reflect poorly on you as an individual. Indeed, Brazilians pride themselves on their ability to be in control; therefore, learning to hide your impatience will help you to be keep maintaining a good atmosphere within the workplace.

Even during business lunch in Brazil, you will see that the word 'fast' doesn’t fit into their vocabulary: do expect a meal to take longer as it is always like a celebration.

To conclude, I just need to remind you once again that the operative mindset you need to have when starting a new business, investing in Brazil or simply doing business with Brazilians, is patience!

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."- Eddie Cantor 

Sources:

Hall, Edward T. The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984.