Americans Working with Indians: Hearing ‘But’ the Indian Way
In global teams, Americans working with Indians often encounter subtle differences in communication styles. One of the most common is how the word “but” is used. In Indian English, “but” often serves as a polite connector—balancing positives with limitations—while in American English, it is frequently heard as a negation that cancels the first clause. For […]
Correcting Communication Missteps in Real Time: Reframing “But” Across U.S. and India
Introduction It’s one thing to know intellectually that “but” can reduce positivity. It’s another to catch ourselves mid‑conversation and pivot gracefully. In cross‑cultural teams—especially where American English and Indian English styles meet—correcting communication missteps in real time is essential for building trust. When translating intent across these two styles, a “but” phrase can sound collaborative […]
Global-Ready Talent, Rooted in India’s Diversity
In today’s borderless workplace, technical expertise alone isn’t enough. Success across cultures demands agility, empathy, and the ability to communicate with clarity and confidence. Indian professionals bring a unique edge to this global landscape — one rooted in lived multicultural experience and everyday adaptability. At Authentic Journeys, we help teams transform these strengths into […]
Cultural Intelligence for Indians Working with Americans
India’s multicultural legacy offers a powerful foundation for global collaboration. At Authentic Journeys, we support Indians working with Americans to develop cultural intelligence (CQ) and thrive in cross-cultural roles. In today’s interconnected workplace, Indian teams partnering with American colleagues benefit from cultural fluency—skills that help navigate communication styles, align expectations, and build lasting trust. This […]
Cross-Cultural Dos and Don’ts Lists: Helpful or Harmful?
When navigating across cultures, some may gravitate toward cross-cultural do’s and don’ts lists. Are they a helpful guide for newcomers—or a shortcut that risks turning people into stereotypes and generalizations? In the past, we’ve also shared do’s and don’ts lists over the years—but always with a “warning label.” And that’s what this article (and the […]
Cultural Differences Between India and the West
In today’s blog, published in 2022, I want to share a podcast where Hugo Messer (Founder of multiple companies) and I discussed cultural differences between India and the West in 2016. At the time of this podcast, Hugo hosted this under the banner of Bridge Global based in Kochi, India. I appreciate Hugo for giving […]
#stayathome Hashtag in Different Languages
As we are in quarantine or lockdown and some are using the hashtag stayathome (stay at home), I thought to post on Facebook to ask my friends to post this hash tag in different languages. So, this information is crowdsourced!! Apologize in advance for any mistakes as I am not fluent in any other language beside English […]
Cross-Cultural Skills Resolve Conflicts In Daily Life
Did you know cross-cultural skills are helpful for understanding abroad and at home? When I say ‘at home’ I do not only mean in your own country of origin but literally at home– in your home among your family and friends. How can this be so? Well, let’s take a look at three cross-cultural skills: […]
Learn by Doing – How to Broach Delicate Topics
The third tip in a series of tips on How to Broach Delicate Topics is to: Use Hands-on demos: Hands on demos and role plays are great tools to use for training programs where there is more time to do role plays and dos and don’t sessions. Some demos I have used in previous training […]
Uncomfortable Discussions – Ways To Start Talking
Not every situation is easy to talk about. Especially when getting used to another culture and facing culture shock, we encounter so many different things that catch us off guard. Things we thought we knew about suddenly don’t make sense anymore. Some things are easy to talk about; while others are not so easy to […]
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