5 Word you must know in the language of your remote team

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In this globalized workforce world, remote teams are facts of life for every company around us. And especially in the software world having teams that are remote and a mixture of software developers from many corners of the world is very common. Such remote teams are perfect for companies to move fast and stay on track in the fast-paced world of software products. But they also bring in lots of new challenges to the teamwork dynamics essential for software teams. Remote teams are nothing new for us, as a software development consultancy, we’ve been working with literally 100s of remote teams from around the world for the past 19 years! We’ve written extensively about managing such teams well. Some recent posts include the things to remember when managing multicultural remote teams, tips about making remote team meetings fun, team leadership skills for remote software teams, and many more.

One of the things our project managers and clients talk about is the simple idea of knowing some important cultural important words in the language of your remote team. Note that it’s not about knowing how to speak the language but just knowing a particular word that has a lot of cultural contexts. A good example for someone working from the UK would be “a pint” - the word points to a pint of beer on the surface but also a million other associations related to relaxing, having fun, being with friends, etc. in the UK. We did a survey with our clients and some of the remote teams we work with and asked them:

“Give us 5 (and only 5) words we should know before we start working with you”.

Here are the results, but remember that pronunciation is a big thing, so make sure to use google translation to find the correct pronunciation.

Bangladesh:

  • Salam (Hello)

  • Dhonnobad (Thank you)

  • Cha (Tea)

  • Bhorta (Mashed food)

  • Pahela Baishakh (Bengali New Year)

India:

  • Namaste (Hello)

  • Shukriya (Thank you)

  • Chai (Tea)

  • Roti (Flatbread)

  • Diwali (Festival of Lights)

Vietnam:

  • Xin chào (Hello)

  • Cảm ơn (Thank you)

  • Trà (Tea)

  • Phở (Vietnamese noodle soup)

  • Tết (Lunar New Year)

Cambodia:

  • Sous-dey (Hello)

  • Or-koon (Thank you)

  • Chaa (Tea)

  • Amok (Fish curry)

  • Khmer New Year

Mexico:

  • Hola (Hello)

  • Gracias (Thank you)

  • Té (Tea)

  • Tacos (Mexican food)

  • Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Poland:

  • Cześć (Hello)

  • Dziękuję (Thank you)

  • Herbata (Tea)

  • Pierogi (Polish dumplings)

  • Wielkanoc (Easter)

Egypt:

  • As-salām 'alaykum (Hello)

  • Shukraan (Thank you)

  • Shay (Tea)

  • Koshari (Egyptian dish)

  • Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast)

Spain:

  • Hola (Hello)

  • Gracias (Thank you)

  • Té (Tea)

  • Paella (Spanish dish)

  • La Tomatina (Tomato Festival)

The above words are what came from our survey of the top 5 and may not be representative of the entire culture or language. It's always best to just ask your local team members for a better understanding of their language and culture!