The increase in international business and in foreign investment has created a need for executives with knowledge of foreign languages and skills in cross-cultural communication. Americans, however, have not been well trained in either area and, consequently（所以，因此） , have not enjoyed the same level of success in negotiation¹ in an international arena²（竞技场，舞台） as have their foreign counterparts.

Negotiating is the process of communicating back and forth³（反复地，来回地） for the purpose of reaching an agreement. It involves persuasion⁴ and compromise（妥协，和解） , but in order to participate in either one, the negotiators must understand the ways in which people are persuaded and how compromise is reached within the culture of the negotiation.

In many international business negotiations⁵ abroad, Americans are perceived（感知，领会） as wealthy and impersonal⁶. It often appears to the foreign negotiator that the American represents a large multi-million-dollar corporation that can afford to pay the price without bargaining further. The American negotiator's role becomes that of an impersonal purveyor⁷（承办商） of information and cash.

In studies of American negotiators abroad, several traits（特性，特质） have been identified that may serve to confirm this stereotypical⁸ perception, while undermining（暗中破坏，逐渐损害） the negotiator's position. Two traits in particular that cause cross-cultural misunderstanding are directness and impatience⁹ on the part of the American negotiator. Furthermore（此外，而且） , American negotiators often insist on realizing short-term goals. Foreign negotiators, on the other hand, may value the relationship established between negotiators and may be willing to invest time in it for long- term benefits. In order to solidify¹⁰（团结，凝固） the relationship, they may opt¹¹ for indirect interactions without regard for the time involved in getting to know the other negotiator.