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Tessa Feller

Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Nepal is a land of contrasts and incongruities—not in the least in the variety of its cultural, ethnic, and religious weave. The Nepalese attitude toward life is essentially religious. Hindu and Buddhist values predominate and help to maintain social harmony despite the divisions between rich and poor, urban and rural, highlands and lowlands. Culture Smart! Nepal sets out to explain the complexities of Nepalese life, from home to business to the marketplace. It tells you what to expect and provides insights that will help you to go beyond friendly smiles and turn your visit into an enlightening and rewarding experience.

Anna Bentinck

Dreamscape Media

Culture Smart!

Nepal - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Barry Tomalin

Italy delights and stimulates with its magnificent cities and monuments, stunningly beautiful landscapes, the glory of its art and architecture, the richness and variety of its food, the elegance of its design and fashion, and the vitality and charm of its people. Italian style and culture have been exported all over the world. At home, however, Italian society and politics are facing challenges as the country struggles to maintain its standard of living, the stability of its currency, and its ability to provide jobs. The influx of refugees across the Mediterranean is putting pressure on both its social fabric and its economy. 

Culture Smart! Italy is an insider’s guide to their daily lives, passions, and preoccupations. It introduces you to their history and culture and provides vital information and practical tips to help smooth your path in different social situations.

Peter Noble

Italy - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Kendall Hunter

Set aside your preconceptions of postcard scenery, chocolate and cheese, faceless bankers, and spotless cities. The real Switzerland is anything but bland. This small, multilingual, and fiercely independent country at the heart of Europe is full of surprises.Culture Smart! Switzerland reveals the human dimension of this enigmatic country. It provides a historical overview, explores Swiss values and attitudes, and looks at the cultural continuity of festivals and traditions. It will help you navigate your way through various aspects of Swiss life and society and reveal the warmth, decency, wit, and intelligence that characterizes its inhabitants.

Charles Armstrong

Switzerland - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Geoffrey Murray

Vietnam is one of the most fascinating destinations in Southeast Asia. Having emerged from two decades of war, it is has undergone a period of rapid and far-reaching change, and its people have their eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. Culture Smart! Vietnam is for those who want to learn about the traditional values, sensibility, and modern way of life of the Vietnamese. It explains deep-seated attitudes and describes some of the social, economic, and cultural changes now underway. Aimed at dispelling common misconceptions, it gives practical advice on what to expect and how to behave in unfamiliar situations in order to help you discover for yourself the warmth and humor of this tough, resilient people.

Vietnam - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Germany—the powerhouse of Europe and pillar of the Eurozone—feels reassuringly familiar. However, despite superficial appearances, this is a country that operates very differently from the USA and Britain. German history is more than a thousand years old and the relatively new German nation-state encompasses an astonishing variety of cultural and regional differences. German society is also in a state of flux, as people respond to immigration and a tough economic climate, and traditional attitudes such as formality and rigid protocol are softening as German business globalizes. 

Culture Smart! Germany sets out to show you how to be a good and sensitive guest. With chapters on core values and attitudes and a practical business briefing, it is a valuable introduction to the German way of life. It tells you what treatment to expect, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to build rapport and credibility with these culturally rich and inventive people at the heart of Europe.

Germany - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Ian Clarke

Once notorious for the tyranny of Idi Amin, immortalized in the film The Last King of Scotland, Uganda has, for the last twenty-six years or so, struggled to overcome its negative image. It has largely been successful.

Rated the best country to visit in 2012, it was one named of the best tourist destinations of 2013 by National Geographic magazine. In addition to its game parks, home to the Big Five, Uganda has one of the largest numbers of recorded bird species of any country. It is also the home of the famed mountain gorillas, and the mighty Nile River provides some of the best whitewater rafting in the world. Add to this an almost perfect climate and spectacular sightseeing, including the source of the Nile, Murchison Falls, the “little Switzerland” of Kabale, the volcanic lakes, and the Rwenzori Mountains, and one can understand why Winston Churchill called Uganda “the Pearl of Africa.”

But Uganda not only has wildlife and natural beauty to offer—the Ugandan people are what makes it different. Drawn from over fifty tribes, they make up a rich blend of traditions. Kampala is famous as the social capital of East Africa, the city that never sleeps, where every kind of nightlife is on offer, and Ugandans have now been officially rated the happiest people in East Africa!

This book provides key insights into Ugandan life and offers practical tips on how best to meet the Ugandan people on their own terms, vital information for tourists and businessmen alike.

Uganda - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Indre Balcikonyte-Huang

Kathy Flower

For thousands of years, the Chinese believed that they had created a perfect social system based on Confucian values and tempered by the Mandate of Heaven. Dynasties came and went, but the essence of being Chinese remained essentially unchanged until the twentieth century. Since then, change has taken place in Chinese society at an unprecedented speed: the country experienced the turmoil of civil war and revolution and then emerged on to the world stage as a global superpower. This book aims to put these changes into a historical context, explain deep-seated cultural attitudes, and guide listeners through a maze of unfamiliar social situations, in order to help them discover the pragmatism, genius, warmth, and humanity of this extraordinary people.

China - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Grace Cuddihy

Anna King

Discovering the Russian soul is like opening a matryoshka, a Russian doll, revealing the many layers. The Russian Orthodox religion is unique, Russian history is tragic, and the people are unpredictable. Russia’s military and political power, as well as the rich contribution of its art and culture, is the result of an inner dynamic not always understood by outsiders. This book sets out to help listeners become more perceptive travelers and to make trips more personally fulfilling. It explores the connections between Russia’s turbulent past and its paradoxical present, it describes present-day values and attitudes, and it offers practical advice on what to expect and how to behave in different social circumstances.

Dreamscape Media, LLC

Culture Smart! Russia: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Becky Stephen

India’s huge population of 1.2 billion people is as varied and colorful as the spice markets of Old Delhi. Each region, caste, and community has its own culture, reflecting unique histories shaped by conquest, creativity, and religion. Steeped in ancient traditions, exceptionally fatalistic, and intensely passionate about their culture, the Indians are also ingenious, creative, and world leaders in cutting-edge science and technology. Show interest in their country, and it will be reciprocated with genuine warmth and friendship. This book will make you aware of the essential values and behavioral norms, show you how to navigate often profound cultural differences and build relationships, and offer invaluable insights into this great, endlessly fascinating land.

Culture Smart! India: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Culture Smart! China: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Marian Meaney

Belen Aguado Viguer

In the popular imagination, Spain conjures up a picture of rapacious conquistadores, fiery flamenco dancers, and brilliant artists. All true enough—but how closely does everyday life in modern Spain conform to these dramatic stereotypes? This book explores the complex human realities of contemporary Spanish life. It describes how Spain’s history and geography have created both strongly felt regional differences and shared values and attitudes. It reveals what the Spaniards are like at home and in business, how they socialize, and how to build lasting relationships with them. The better you understand the Spanish people, the more you will be enriched by your experience of this vital, warm, and varied country—where the individual is important and the enjoyment of life is paramount.

Culture Smart! Spain: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Paul Norbury

The Japanese people have always seen themselves as a nation uniquely apart. Their exquisite art forms and elegant culture, military prowess and technological precision, have long been the envy of friend and foe alike. Today, even as Japan adapts to a rapidly changing world, its traditional culture and consensus-based philosophy have proved remarkably resilient. Culture Smart! Japan will broaden your perception and understanding of this complex, rich, and dynamic society. It will guide you through modern Japan’s shifting social and cultural maze and equip you with the tools to avoid the pitfalls of cultural misunderstanding. It provides practical tips and invaluable insights into people’s attitudes and behavior to help make your visit a more meaningful and successful experience.

Culture Smart! Japan: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

India - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Russia - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

James Hoare

Apart from the headline-making politics, not much is known in the West about the Korean people and their ancient culture. Yet those who visit Korea, whether North or South, find a land of great interest. 

The Koreans, when not constrained by politics or other considerations, are friendly and sociable, and the peninsula has areas of outstanding natural beauty. The South’s cities, if not always beautiful, are vibrant and alive. The North, while very different, is complex and fascinating. The standoff between the two countries of the Korean Peninsula is a legacy of the Cold War and a potential flashpoint for future conflict. Despite a brief thaw in relations a few years ago, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north, a secretive single-party socialist state with a centralized industrial economy, conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. The Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south meanwhile, a free-market democracy, has become a rising economic power and, in 2010, became the first former aid recipient to join the OECD Development Assistance Committee. 

This new, updated edition of Culture Smart! Korea looks at the changing social and economic situation and provides real insights into thinking and behavior in both countries. It indicates the pitfalls to avoid and introduces listeners to some of the many delights of the Korean peninsula.

Korea - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide To Customs & Culture

The Japanese people have always seen themselves as a nation uniquely apart. Their exquisite art forms and elegant culture, military prowess and technological precision, have long been the envy of friend and foe alike. Today, even as Japan adapts to a rapidly changing world, its traditional culture and consensus-based philosophy have proved remarkably resilient. 

Culture Smart! Japan will broaden your perception and understanding of this complex, rich, and dynamic society. It will guide you through modern Japan’s shifting social and cultural maze and equip you with the tools to avoid the pitfalls of cultural misunderstanding. It provides practical tips and invaluable insights into people’s attitudes and behavior to help make your visit a more meaningful and successful experience.

Japan - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Spain - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Roger Jones

For many outsiders, Thailand still conjures up images of the East at its most mysterious and enchanting—a view largely formed by Hollywood films like The King and I. Never conquered by foreigners, this proud and ancient land has been shaped by Buddhism, the monarchy, and the military. Today, it is a representative democracy with a populist female prime minister and is ranked among the tiger economies of Southeast Asia. It is a manufacturing powerhouse, the world’s largest rice exporter, and a tourist paradise that welcomes twenty-two million visitors a year to its beach resorts and its vibrant capital, Bangkok.

Yet despite the veneer of Western modernity, the country and its people remain an enigma for many visitors, smiling and inscrutable. It conceals a unique system of personal values and attitudes, developed over centuries. You may find that Thais react to you in surprising and unexpected ways, coming as they do from a culture based on respect, status, self-control, non-confrontation, and harmony. They are also naturally generous and have a great love of fun.

Culture Smart! Thailand describes how the Thai people view the world and themselves. It helps visitors become more culturally aware and better able to interact successfully with the locals. Thailand’s charm lies in being different, and visitors who make an effort to understand the differences will find their stay in “The Land of Smiles” a richly rewarding experience.

Thailand - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Sheryl Buckland

Taking listeners beyond the stereotypical images of windmills, clogs, and tulips, this pocket-sized guide helps visitors understand the complex layers of identity in this small, densely populated country on Europe's northwestern seaboard. With roots as a maritime nation that built a network for transportation, defense, and trade, the Netherlands of today is still a prime economic hub of Europe. The Netherlands is also famous for its liberal attitudes, recently challenged by high levels of immigration, and is home to an intelligent, cosmopolitan, enterprising, tolerant, and modest people. The visitor or business traveler will find that the predominant attitude continues to be one of live and let live and that many different communities live alongside each other in harmony.

Netherlands - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide To Customs & Culture

Debbie Stowe

A land of mountains, hills, and fertile plains, Romania is a tourist destination waiting to be discovered. It is a rich and complex country: a place whose cities are home to beautiful parks and vibrant cultural scenes and whose people welcome guests warmly into their homes, sharing the best of whatever they have and partying into the night, suffused by Latin joie de vivre.

Buffeted over time between three great powers—the West, Russia, and Turkey—Romania betrays the cultural influences of each, and it can be a difficult place to get a handle on. Culture Smart! Romania provides an indispensable tool for the foreign visitor, digging deep behind the clichés, explaining many of the behavioral quirks of the people, smoothing your path toward better understanding, and outlining the many attractions—cultural, social, and geographical—that await you in this underexplored part of Europe.

Culture Smart! - The book series

Culture Smart! - The book series

Culture Smart! books in order

Listen and read