Real Life Story One American journal editor continued to vouvoyer the printer he worked with for seven years. Finally, he risked it and told Monsieur Claude that he could tutoyer him. Politely, the Frenchman agreed, but continued to vouvoyer his client for another two years. The Tip Remember, the French are in love with form. Don't be too loud, gregarious, or familiar too quickly.
Business is done at a culturally recognized pace.
Americans tend to be too direct, bold, and to the point for French employers. The French care more about the individual's ability to integrate, the work together, the respect protocol, the grow patiently with the job. Real Life Story One American metals dealer from Boston was stunned when he took along an experienced translator friend to help him sort out a nasty snag in a deal with the director of a large French importer. The American had one hour to resolve the problem and catch his plane at Charles de Gaulle airport. The first thirty minutes of the meeting were devoted to chatter about the director's summer house in the Loire, wine, his son's interest in studying in the US, and other assorted blabber.