Jack, an American sales manager, travels to Argentina to make a business presentation. His counterpart, Santiago, does not speak English very well. During the presentation, when Jack pauses after a question, Santiago takes a long time to respond. When he does respond, he uses poor grammar and mispronunciations. How should Santiago's reaction be interpreted?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Santiago's slow response and poor grammar and mispronunciations indicate that he is thinking through his response in his non-native language. It is common for non-native speakers to take longer to process information and formulate their thoughts in a foreign language, especially in a business setting. It would be unfair to assume that Santiago lacks experience or knowledge based solely on his language abilities. Additionally, there is no indication that Santiago is not interested or is stereotyping Jack.

Jack, an American Sales Manager, Travels to Argentina to Make