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Recently, President Obama was speaking with the President of Georgia about the economic development that has been going on.  However, at one point, he mistakenly referred to the former part of the Soviet Union as “Russia”.  For an American who comes from a country where only 30% of people have a passport, this is an understandable mistake.  But for the people of Georgia, it could have been a catastrophic blunder.

 

In general, most nations are sensitive about their identity and there is always that one group of people that you don’t want to be mistaken for.  Kiwis and Aussies, Finns and Russians, Brits and Irish, all over the world you find certain areas of heightened sensitivities if you confuse them.  Never assume that a Canadian is an American, and don’t tell someone from Saudi Arabia they are from the “Persian” Gulf.  As the second-most populous continent with 56 independent countries, it’s a good idea to refer to Africa not as a country, but mention the specific nation you are speaking about.  In our part of the world, probably the single biggest mistake you could make is to confuse an Indian for a Pakistani and vice versa.

 

Recently in our magazine, Culturama, we ran an interview of a man who we claimed was from Denmark, when he was actually from the Netherlands.  While these countries are on cordial terms, we thought we would clear up any confusion that exists about that part of the world.

People from the country of Denmark are called Danish or Danes and speak Danish.  In general, they don’t have many negative feelings toward their neighbors, but are probably most proud of their defeat of Germany in football in the 1992 European Championship.  They are known as a very peaceful country, and often work toward international reconciliation.

People from The Netherlands are called Dutch, and their language is also Dutch (commonly mistaken for ‘Deutsch’, the language of Germany).  Sometimes the word “Holland” is used informally to speak of the entire country, but technically, it is only a region within the Netherlands.  There is a slight sensitivity with Germany, a combination of previous wars and their ongoing football woes against the Germans in major games.  However, the deceased husband of the current Queen was a German aristocrat who became a much-loved figure.

 

As part of creating empowered Global Citizens, we at Global Adjustments know that one of the most important things you can do is to get someone’s national identity right.  We’re sorry when we make a mistake, and we invite you to learn along with us as we interact with the world!

 

For more information about training courses where we equip people for sensitivities around the world, contact courses@globaladjustments.com