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 发表:2002/12/7 15:34:25 人气:108       
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Koreans learning how to smile
Koreans learning how to smile
韩国人学微笑
SEOUL, Republic of Korea-It's Saturday night and a room full of accountants and bank tellers are school learning a news business skill.
"Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey," they chant together, pulling their mouths into a grin at the end of each word.
They're practising smiling. Instructors say it's the hardest part of the curriculum at Korean Air Service Academy, a school that aims to make South Korean businesses more globally competitive by training "international manners."
"South Koreans have difficulty smiling," said Y D Lee, the academy's general manager. "Our ancestors…had the philosophy that the serious person-stern or strict-is better than the smiling one. That's changing."
The academy teachers not just service with a smile, but also proper greetings, Korean bowing, posture, the importance of a polite refusal and so on.
And it's not just for business.
Officials at the several academies that make up this growing new consulting industry in the Republic of Korea say their fastest-growing group of students comes from the government. That's partly because businesses have been tightening their belts during the economic crisis of the past two years and partly because citizens are demanding better treatment from the government.
Tax collectors, prosecutors and others are been sent to school to polish their service manner-a recognition of how things have changed from the era of authoritarian military governments that ended a decade ago. Then, it was citizens who had to show deference to rulers.
"It's a symbol of a democratic conscience for a government official to express kindness and sincerity," said H D Cho, assistant general manager at the Korean Air school.
Since the airline started the academy in late 1992,compititor Asian Airlines also has started a course and travels the country to train people at their workplace.
Price and length of courses vary, but a client would pay about US$ 1,600 to send 25 employees to an eight-hour course over two days at Korean Air.
"Before, the main factor in competing was the product," said Lee. "Now our product, price and quality are on the same level (as local and global competitors), but the difference is service-the way of delivery, way of speaking, way of negotiating."
New Words and Expressions
accountants and bank tellers 会计和银行柜员们
grin 露齿而笑
tighten one's belts 束紧腰带，节衣缩食；本文指（生意）不景气，萧条
polish 改进
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