Japanese people do say ‘NO’
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Many people assume that Japanese are so humble and shy that they can’t say no for a favor or a business proposal. But it is not true, it is only that we don’t get it right. So, where does the problem arise from.
First problem is Japanese are grown and taught to be a part of the group. And that means doing favors even though you are not very willing. But you do it anyway just keep the relationship going smoothly.
But when it comes to dealing with foreigner’s or business meetings is that they cannot or will not take a decision on the spot, so they will say, “we will look into it” [検討します]. And there comes the problem, English people think that is positive but only native Japanese people will understand where that was a positive or negative based on the subtle tone used. It is so easy to get lost in translation.
While it may be true that they don’t say no, but they do say no in many other ways which does not include a negative word. Just like Hollywood’s, “We will call you back”. Only thing is you never get the call.
Foreigner’s applying for jobs in Japan have terrible time waiting. The company does not say yes or no on the same day and one has to wait for two to three weeks to get a yes or no. If you are desperately looking for a job, don’t wait for answer from one company, keep going for interview.
I lost a month of my time, thinking I did well in the first interview and the call for the second Interview. But when I went for the third Interview, they gave a lame excuse which they could have told me in the second interview and they withdrew the offer. I think, they just keep you on hold and keep looking for other people within the recruitment dead line they have.
So, play smart. A Japanese saying no is not direct but you need to know a certain subtleties in the language to correctly interpret.
Don’t get lost in translation.


