Category: Business Practices in Colombia

Business Practices in Colombia

Hotel Reservation Activity

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In 204x, we are exposed to many items that are native to Spanish culture; ie not some print off from an online activity. My favorite activity was making a hotel reservation. This was due to the practicality of having to deal with non-english speakers while on business travel. During the activity we would have to use context clues and deduce the meaning for some lines on the form.

The reservation had to meet specifications that the clients would prefer. For example, when reading the activity we had to deduce that the room had to be a mountain view. With my limited vocabulary knowledge from my textbook and the small amount of given information I completed the task. Most Spanish used in today’s generation can be deduced from knowing surrounding words or from previous experience with similar forms/exchanges.

Now, having passed with flying colors, I can identify what information is needed and how to apply it. This seemingly simple task can be daunting in a foreign country, but with this prior experience I can safely say I would be more confident in the future when traveling abroad.

Business Practices in Colombia

Webcast Script

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On the webcast, I prepared a script to discuss business practices, perspectives, products, and taboos in an infomercial. This task is a challenging one that made me step back as an American. I used multiple sites to discuss taboos and perspectives. Columbian culture is very unique. Throughout the project, I found myself relating more and more to the culture. Their conservative beliefs and faith made me feel for their problems with cartels and drug trafficking.

If I ever visit Colombia I must know what is taboo and what is encouraged. In Colombia, no person is an individual and they love to talk about national treasures and their beautiful scenery. Us Americans love to talk politics and we don’t realize that in a conservative catholic state trying to escape its dark past, it is not okay to discuss such things. For example, I should not discuss negatives of bull-fighting and their issues with cartels. Even though Colombian’s are very personable with business associates, it can be seen as a personal affront.

Colombian culture and their products are beautiful with a rich history, color, and diversity. The country can provide beautiful music such as cumbia, vallento, and llanero. When working on the webcast I listened to a little and I was hooked. Their culture is very aware of American culture and they expect the same back. When visiting Colombia, or an country for that matter, we as American’s must take time to learn the practices associated between friends and business associates. This shows mutual respect to the indigenous population that they deserve.

About Me, Business Practices in Colombia, Career Goals, Resume

204X-Artifact1-IPA1

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IPA-1 was the first IPA we completed in 204x. It challenged my analytical skills, translation skills, context association skills, and verbal skills. I had to interpret a deeper meaning from a text in Spanish and apply it to a real world situation through finding a main idea through context clues, cultural understanding, and a limited vocabulary. The artifact I have is an index card that includes what I did well and what I needed to improve upon. It also showed how assumptions cannot always be made and that your’e never going to be perfect.

I met expectations in the main idea category and the vocabulary understanding section but exceeded expectations verbally when put into the situation of being a travel agent and having to answer a customers questions without a script. I excelled in identifying supporting details, while not being sure of the main idea. I lacked on the vocabulary side of things. I was surprised by how natural conversing in spanish was and how I became the “leader” in my group with delegating tasks. I came to the assumption that I perform best in spanish when I have the situation tailored to me, not to the benefit of some commercial, historical text, or vocabulary wordbank.

Now, I know what my main weakness’s are; vocabulary and pulling a main idea behind a form of media or text. I know my strong-suits; verbal proficiency and supporting details in regards to writing ability. I can do more in the future in out of class time with learning vocabulary related to each chapter, and using context clues to make a more natural sentence in my writing. Also, I should spend less time during IPAs focusing on what small right answers I can get, and more time on the big idea, because without that the entire exercise is lessened. I am excited for the future of my spanish endeavors because verbally I exceeded expectations and hope to push them further into semi-fluency verbally. I hope to see the world some day and use those verbal skills to thrive overseas and further deepen my understanding.