【Abstract】With the development of economic globalization and trade integration， economic and trade exchanges between China and other countries become more and more frequent， business English negotiations become the key to the success or failure of business activities. In addition to possess professional knowledge of business and relevant legal knowledge， the language skills used by negotiators also play an important role in the success or failure of negotiations， accurately and appropriately use of some language skills can achieve a good result. At the same time， the other side of negotiators may come from different countries and regions， they represent their own interests， affected by different cultural backgrounds， their values， mode of thinking， social customs and cultural traditions are different from ours. Therefore， negotiators need to master these cultural differences and correctly apply them to maximize the benefits of the enterprise and make the business negotiations successful.

【Key words】international business negotiation； language skills； cultural differences； cross-culture communication

【作者簡介】蔡江玮，武汉轻工大学外国语学院。

Foreword

In recent years， especially since Chinese joined the world trade organization， as the pace of economic globalization is further accelerated， China participate in more and more international competition and cooperation， and trade around the world have become increasingly frequent， as well as the exchanges and cooperation become gradually close. At the same time， the increase in the number of international business negotiations and the enhancement the negotiation level play a important role in the promotion of international business activities. At present， the international business negotiations have a variety of forms， such as video telephone exchanges， electronic business communication， but usually is still used in face-to-face international business negotiations， because direct negotiations and talks are accepted by the majority of the business people. Business people from different cultural backgrounds and different regions have different understanding of culture. Cultural factors play a more and more important role in international business negotiations while the two sides argue about commercial interests. So business people should be familiar with those cultural differences， and get some negotiation skills， especially language skills， so as to win in the negotiations.

1. The definition and importance of English Business negotiation

Business negotiations require that the atmosphere of harmony and stability in the premise of not to show restraint.This puts forward higher demands on the negotiators vocabulary， sentence pattern mastery， understanding of western cultural customs， contextual perception， practical adaptability， and so on. Only by incorporating these factors can the negotiations succeed and a long-term and stable business relationship be established with each other.

There is no doubt that English business negotiation is used in international trade， which refers to the economic activities in which the two parties with different capital capabilities take the protection of their own interests as the basis and premise， and the cooperation and win-win situation as the fundamental purpose. There are great differences between business negotiation and daily oral English communication， so they are very sophisticated in the application of vocabulary and sentence patterns. In addition， there are also many differences between Chinese and Western cultures， so we must take this point into account when negotiating. Although we do not have to deliberately let it go， we should firmly avoid taboos， that is， to choose a reasonable topic when starting negotiation.

Through communication and consultation， the two sides grasp the business opportunities， and finally sign a cooperation agreement， so that the two sides eliminate differences， mutual benefit， and finally reach an agreement of the entire process. The importance of English business negotiation is self-evident. Success in negotiations means taking orders， signing contracts， expanding business， and getting a career out of the limelight. Negotiation can help enterprises of different sizes to realize the sharing of resources and maximization of benefits， and it can also help them to grasp the market trends and information. It is worth emphasizing that， as excellent negotiators， they should not only master English and Western culture， but also have a good command of business knowledge， agility and versatility.

2. Language Skills in Business English Negotiation

2.1 analysis of language principles

Firstly， negotiator should be familiar with politeness principle and correctly use it. As a pragmatic strategy in communication， politeness principle plays an important role in international business negotiation. In negotiations， both sides will strive to maximize their own interests， but for the purpose of cooperation， they should also make some concessions. In order to obtain the result of negotiation without offending the other party， it is effective to use polite language by changing imperative expression into request expression.

For example， negotiator A：“If possible， would you please give us a little discount？” （“Give us a little discount.”）. Negotiator B： “Im afraid that we cant grand you such a discount if your order is less than 500pcs.”（We cant give you such a discount”）. Obviously， the previous sentences are more polite than the later one， which sounds more comfortable to the listener and reflects a good culture and professional ethics of the negotiators， so that the other side is willing to cooperate with you， and can maximize your benefits.

Secondly， negotiator should rationally use of vague language. In international business negotiations， both sides will strive to achieve win-win results， while in some cases it is inconvenient to respond directly or to avoid offending others， we can use vague language to ease the atmosphere of negotiation and test the intention of the other party， thus to obtain more opportunities for further negotiation.

For example： negotiator A：“If thats the case， there is hardly any need for further discussion.” negotiator B：“Well never be able to come down the price you request. The gap is too great. Well， in order to get business， we are quite willing to make some concession.” The sellers（B）offer was too high for the buyer（A）to accept， so that he was a little angry， but in order to maintain a relaxed atmosphere and keep the negotiation going， the seller said “it was willing to make some concessions”， which avoided deadlock and left room for manoeuvre between the parties， changing his own position quickly.

Thirdly， negotiator should use euphemism strategy. In international business negotiations， by using euphemism and implicit words instead of harsh words， will prevent hurting the feelings of others， and avoid embarrassment situation and tension. When a party makes a request or expresses refuse， it is usually possible to use euphemism to make his language more appropriate and to achieve the purpose of communication.

For example：“The items were not fulfilled according to the contraction.” “You didnt fulfill the items according to the contraction.” Since the former sentence has no subject， which can avoid direct criticism and show respect for each other. In international business negotiations， if the negotiators always criticize the other party directly as the later sentence， then it will make the negotiation into an awkward position， and cause troubles. While criticizing in an euphemism way， the other will be more likely to accept， and promote mutual understanding between the two sides .

Fourthly， negotiator should use humorous expression， as a negotiation strategy， which can make serious and monotonous negotiation lively and interesting， and help to express the communicative intention indirectly. Humor is not only a smile in negotiation. Moreover， it is the lubricant in the negotiation， which has the penetrating power， makes the negotiators viewpoint more acceptable， thus avoids the vanguard， causes the negotiation between the two sides to proceed smoothly， achieves the effect of “moisturizing and silencing”. For example：

Goodwin：There is a particular clause in our contracts which Id like to discuss with y ou.

Tong： The arbitration clause.

Goodwin：Yes，as a matter of fact， I know it by heart now. It says：“I n case of dispute，it shall be first settled through friendly negotiation， and if negotiation fails， it shall be submitted for arbitration.”Now， I am pleased to Bay weve never had any occasion to invoke this particular clause.

Tang： And I hope you never w ill （They laugh ）.

In the end， the words “I hope you never will” makes the serious atmosphere of arbitration become relaxed. Both sides have been eased.

The International Business English negotiation should be carried out in a friendly atmosphere， appropriate use of English skills is very important， it can make the negotiations in a favorable the status of politeness principle， vague language euphemism use pragmatic strategies to help create a harmonious atmosphere of negotiations， the negotiations between the parties to establish friendly relations of cooperation， enhance trust for international business negotiators， negotiations “plays an important role in the win.

2.2 Lexical Choice of language skills in English Business negotiation

2.2.1 A concise and precise vocabulary

Simplicity and not procrastination and exaggeration are the basic principles to be followed in business negotiations. Different from daily communication， the purpose and professionalism of business negotiation are strong. In other words， when negotiating， we only need to convey the truest information to the other party calmly and clearly， and do not need to “add color” to it with literary rhetoric.The use of words must be objective， accurate， simple， clear expression， do not need too much modification. Secondly， business negotiation aims at winning business opportunities and creating a win-win situation， rather than competing with each other negotiators for better oral English. So... In order not to cause ambiguity， it is better to use some commonly used and common words that are easy to understand， and if you deliberately use idioms， proverbs， etc.， it will not only make the other party think you are not paying enough attention to this negotiation，What is more， it will reduce the success rate of the negotiations.

2.2.2 Dont use words with emotional colors

Business negotiation， pay attention to the stereotype， seek truth from facts， so do not use intense emotional words in the negotiations， because it is easy to let the other party feel you are exaggerating or even exaggerating， thus causing the other partys antipathy. For example， when you are asked to introduce the working environment of your workshop， you can first tell the location of the workshop area and describe it as bright， spacious and tidy， but if you say， “its like home， its very comfortable.”I love this place！ which will let the other party feel that you are just a salesman not a negotiator. In short， use a simple language to objectively tell your merchandise or company environment， the other person can make a good impression on you.

2.3 Stress on sentence patterns in Business negotiation

2.3.1 Use more conditional sentences

Conditional sentence is a kind of sentence which can be divided into real conditional sentence and non-real conditional sentence by assuming some condition and then expounding what kind of situation or consequence will happen.The former often expresses that the speaker is likely to happen and become a reality. The latter tone is more euphemism， mainly used to express inquiry， request， negation and other tone， which can avoid disputes and contradictions to the maximum extent. The proper use of conditionals is an important factor in determining the success of the negotiations. Imagine that when someone smiles and asks gently， “What would you plan for if we decided on a partnership？”Or “If you think there is still room for improvement for those criteria i put forward， then we dont have to be so hasty.”You must feel that the other party is polite ， and always ask for your opinion， thus ensuring the harmony and equality of negotiations.

2.3.2 Proper use of interrogative sentences

Questions are most commonly used in business negotiations. Interrogative sentences can enhance the interaction and participation of negotiation， which makes both parties more harmonious. Interrogative sentences can more fully express respect for each other， thus winning favor， although interrogative sentences are sometimes self-answering. For example：

What would you do if we agree to a 2-year contract？

What shall we discuss next？I suggest we talk about insurance.

By asking and answering， the other side can not only see the speakers attention and planning to the whole negotiation， but also feel his gentlemanly demeanor.

2.3.3 Avoid the use of imperative sentences

Imperatives are often used to advise others to do （not to do） one thing， and so not in business negotiations. Once used， it makes you feel that the speaker is a high-profile， insolent， impolite and sincere speaker. If you have to use imperative sentences， be sure to add “Please” to the end of the sentence to reduce the tone of the command. For example： “Please have a look at the contract.”

2.3.4 Try not to use exclamations

The article mentioned that the negotiations should be based on facts， too much modification and subjective will make them feel boasting and “puff” suspected. However， we know that the exclamatory sentence is used to express their love for a person or thing of wonder， hate， hate the sentence， it can be a complete sentence， and it also can be an isolated interjection， such as “Oh”， “wow” and so on. However， in either case， they are not suitable for commercial negotiations. Because the other side of a product is well received is not the recommended ones will. To use exclamatory sentences in business negotiations sometimes may run counter to ones desire.

3. Cultural Differences in International Business Negotiation

To some extent， international business negotiation is a cross-cultural communicative activity， which is complex in content and wide in scope. As the say goes“Something to you， it is a habit， however， to him is just a mistake.” This is a vivid portrayal of the impact of culture on international business negotiations. Because negotiators come from different countries and regions， they have different political， economic， historical and cultural backgrounds. This requires negotiators not only to be proficient in language， but also to be good at using different pragmatic strategies， to understand the customs and habits of the negotiators， and to be good at cross-cultural communication， which is very different from negotiations under the same cultural background， as they know each others habits and values， so agreement can be reached much more easily. However， with different ways of thinking， different communication styles， and different negotiation principles， the negotiation of intercultural communication has many uncertainties and challenges. Thus， we should regard culture as a tool of economic activities in negotiation， and attach importance to the synthesis of spiritual culture to meet the interests of all parties.

3.1 Negotiators should be familiar with the cultural differences in international business negotiation

3.1.1 Analysis of behavioral habit factors

Behavior habit is the most prominent form of cultural factors in international negotiations. It is well known that westerners have strong spatial distance factors in the process of communicating with others， especially in international business negotiations， which should pay more attention to such cultural habits.When you go to a westerners office to engage in business negotiations， you should pay special attention to whether the door is open or not. Westerners think that private space is sacred and inviolable， that opening means inviting and knocking on the door to show respect. Unless the business situation is very urgent， there is usually no phone call after 9：00pm. In the process of international business negotiation， we should pay attention to the communication distance and show the social identity of both sides. People from different cultural backgrounds have different views on the timing of international business negotiations. Places such as North America and Europe are more focused on the use of a single time， while places such as the Middle East and Latin America are more focused on multipurpose. For most Westerners， the concept of time is very strong， not only strictly abide by the agreement， but also in the negotiation process straight to the topic， never muddy. Some countries advocate the establishment of good personal relations through business negotiation， so the international business negotiation time is lengthened accordingly. The behavior habits of these different cultural factors are worthy of great attention in the international business negotiation process.

3.1.2 Analysis of value factors

As “harmony” is the core of Chinese culture， so we attach great importance to other peoples feelings in interpersonal communication. This stems from the ancient Chinese culture and the spirit and concept of getting along with each other in harmony， solidarity and mutual benefit. This is why we always put courteous at the first place when doing something， and why Chinese businessmen always entertain others before they do business. This attitude towards life and interpersonal relations is conducive to further cooperation between the two sides， and to some extend， it is beneficial to the success of the exchange.

While “individualism” is highlighted and deeply rooted in Western culture， which emphasizes individual initiative， independence， personal will， and the privacy of the individual. It stems from the idea of private ownership of means of production and property in the western capitalist system. The early industrial revolution brought capitalism to Western society， featured with market transaction and competition， people pursue the maximization of benefit and interests， which build a “benefit relationship” between people. Human feeling means nothing to them. Under this cultural background， westerners get used to linear thinking， when expressing their ideas， they like to express directly. In the international business negotiations， people and things are always separately treated by them with a clear purpose and planning， and the negotiations are generally straightforward and do not pay attention to the establishment of private relations.

In negotiations， the Chinese focus more on building long-term cooperative relationships than on the subject of negotiations. Therefore， the discussions at the beginning of the negotiations involve a broad range of issues and social activities， until mutual trust is built then they will start real negotiation. In the event of a dispute， the Chinese figure out how to win the support of the surrounding public rather than the legal means to solve the problem. However， to the Westerners， they focus on the substance of the negotiations rather than the relationship. Once disputes occur， they resort to the law， and most companies employ lawyers. For example， in the United States， businessmen place speed and money at the first place， they put much more emphasis on “trade” than personal feelings. When they sign a contract， they take into account the issue of legal compensation for accidents， so when signing a contract with the Americans， we must see clearly all the terms of the contract.

In all， values are considered the biggest cultural factor in international business negotiations. It can be said that values directly determine the behavior and value orientation of business people. Westerners more advocate equal consultation， accustomed to achieve a “win-win”， together to maximize business benefits.In the process of international business negotiation， westerners use rational thinking mode more often， like to use examples to prove that， using data to speak， has achieved the purpose of convincing the other side. For our country， the establishment and perfection of market economy system has gradually drawn closer to internationalization in the process of business negotiation. But traditional ways of thinking and cultural habits are still the root. As a result， it needs to be perfected in the actual process of international business negotiations.

3.1.3 Analysis of the factors of custom

Although international business negotiations have developed today， customs and habits have been gradually replaced by international conventions， but the worship of religion， place of residence， and other factors from the heart，Custom is still an important part of international business negotiation. In many countries， customs and habits have been integrated into international exchanges and international business negotiations， such as Americans are particularly disgusted with the number “13”， some countries do not use the left hand to pass things on， and so on. In the process of Chinas accession to WTO， we also faced with the problem of improving its ability to adapt to the international market. Among them， China has more cultural factors that affect international business negotiations.

3.2 Negotiators should know how to deal with cultural differences in international business negotiations.

From my opinion， first of all， negotiators must establish a awareness of cross-cultural communication. International business negotiations are dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds， negotiators should understand the needs of each other， believe and respect each others cultural habits， flexibly adapt to different negotiation styles， and avoid using our own subjective consciousness and standards to measure each others culture.

Secondly， negotiators should stick to the principle of respecting each other. No matter how deeply the economic globalization develops and no matter how different the cultural backgrounds of the two sides， respect should always be placed at the top of the international business negotiations. At the same time， with the deepening of cultural integration and frequent exchanges of business activities， both sides show a more rational attitude towards cultural differences and cultural factors. In the process of conducting international business negotiations， we should firmly establish a sense of seeking common ground while reserving differences， objectively understand each others cultural factors， and fully respect each others customs， habits and religious beliefs. Resolutely abandon from their own interests and cultural perspective to examine each other.

Thirdly， negotiators should adhere to the principle of mutual tolerance. The the says going “Harmony can bring win-win benefit”， so that we should stick to the attitude of tolerance and inclusion in the international business negotiation. If we meet the cultural norms in the international business negotiation ， we must always keep calm and never try to comment on the cultural elements of the other party. We should cultivate and use the good international business negotiation habit of“Do in Rome as Rome does” as soon as possible， and fully respect the production of the other partys lifestyle， etiquette， customs and beliefs and other cultural elements.

Fourthly， negotiators should adhere to the principle of effective communication. Effective communication is the key to ensuring the ultimate success of international business negotiations. In the international business negotiations， there will be a lot of cultural views or customs of collision， to this collision should be correctly understood， rational view， can not blindly avoid and cover up. To achieve the smooth progress of international business negotiation through active and effective communication and exchange. In the aspect of language barrier， we should choose as far as possible the language expression which everybody understands and uses commonly， ensures the translation process to be effective and smooth.

Fifthly， negotiators should adhere to the principle of flexibility and diversity. Despite the variety of cultural elements and ways and means of communication， in international business negotiations， while adhering to international practice， comprehensive preparations for negotiations should be made by negotiators. At the same time， we should actively and boldly adopt flexible， prudent and flexible negotiation techniques and methods to resolve all kinds of negotiation problems caused by the differences of cultural elements. International business is not a one-shot business， but a long-term sustainable business. We should attach great importance to communication and communication after business negotiation and adopt corresponding communication mechanism according to the cultural background of different countries.

Further more， negotiators must be fully prepared before negotiation. Before negotiating with foreign business personnel， we should know as much as possible about each others culture and customs， learn about each others etiquette， and learn about the situation of our opponents through various channels， so as to “know ourselves and know our enemies”， and to win the negotiations.

On the basis of the cultural differences between China and the West， negotiators should be careful not to deal with private matters .Both Chinese and Westerners attach more importance to privacy， not to mention that the negotiating partners are not friends. Therefore， the negotiation process must not ask about age， marital status， monthly salary and so on， nor can you use Chinese thinking to praise Westerners casually， such as “your skin turns white， you lose weight”. Because Westerners do not fair-skinned beauty， nor the pursuit of bone beauty， weight is undoubtedly a sensitive issue. At the same time， do not involve third parties. In business negotiations， you should be one-on-one， dedicated， and try to avoid third parties. And you should not l compare each other with their third party， even to express praise， because the Westerners will regard those “compare” as a fool or disrespect due to the cultural differences. Therefore， in the negotiations to be successful， and we dont say “Were going very well this time， unlike the last time， a miser， his wild speculations makes it very hard”， which can easily achieve the opposite effect， resulting in a failure to negotiate.

Last but not the least， negotiators must deal with cultural differences correctly. For the smooth progress of negotiations， we should try our best to communicate with the other party with simple language and sincere attitude， and try to adapt to the their habits and negotiation styles， such as Westerners like to negotiate from a specific point to the overall negotiation. When falling into awkward atmosphere or tension condition， we must use a relaxed and friendly attitude to resolve the problem， and to minimize cultural differences through language.

4. Conclusion

From the macro level， international business negotiation is a kind of intercultural communication behavior， but it is accomplished by language， and its success depends on the correct use of language. Negotiators should be good at using certain pragmatic strategies to understand each others psychology in order to improve the efficiency of negotiations. At the same time， the role of culture in international business negotiations cannot be ignored. International business negotiations are closely related to culture. Understanding the cultural background of different nationalities helps to overcome the cultural obstacles. Only when we have a deep understanding of the cultures of other countries can we make the use of language more proficient， and can we use pragmatic strategies more easily， and finally can we win the negotiations.

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