Italy is the Peninsula surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. In the central region of Italy, the climate is mild, and, in the islands, winters are particularly harsh. For the last 3000 years, Italy has gone through many migrations and invasions, and its culture has been influenced by many civilizations including the Romans, Greeks, and Etruscans.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476, a small number of shattered states divided Italy. The Austrians, the Spanish kingdom, and Napoleon’s empire successively captured it during the early modern period. The Peninsula witnessed numerous uprisings during the rebuilding period. After that, the Italian war for independence started and Italy took independence under the leadership of Victor Emmanuel 2 in 1861 this leadership continued until the end of the Second World War, at that time Italian chose to adopt the republican constitution. For a nuanced understanding of this rich history or to explore contemporary Italian and business culture, professional Italian translation services are of great help.
Why Start a Business in Italy?
Italy is one of the industrialized nations of the world with efficient production. Its strong economy deals with cars, electronics, machinery, and fashion products. Importers bring in raw materials. Italy’s agriculture sector also holds an important part in its economy. Italy is the seventh exporter of agricultural products. The main agricultural products are wheat, milk, fruit, wine, and olive oil. Apart from electronics and agriculture, the other important sector is tourism.
Many state-owned businesses and partnerships or family-owned small to medium enterprises lead Italy’s economy. Italy’s government also gives incentives for enhancing investment opportunities, especially in the Southern part of the country in which the industry is far behind as compared to the North. Italy also provides incentives to foreign investors, such as subsidizing loans, offering tax credits, and granting cash incentives.
Considering the potential business opportunities in Italy, it becomes significant to bridge language barriers effectively. For a seamless entry into the Italian market, businesses may find value in leveraging professional Italian translation services.
Business Relationships
Networking holds great importance in Italian business culture. If you find a well-connected person then you will not face any problem in establishing your business in Italy.
One thing you should keep in mind is that your Italian partners have great faith in you. In business meetings, you need to convince your business partners with constructive arguments. Initial business meetings are usually informal. Participants undertake these meetings with the primary goals of getting to know each other and developing a business relationship. In Italian culture, the appearance of the documents matters a lot. Business documents need to be more aesthetically pleasing than the content inside them.
Chain of Command
In Italian society, people strictly follow the chain of command. Moreover, they show respect for both designation and age. Italy emphasizes a slow decision-making process, with zero tolerance for stress. The Decision-making process is slow in Italy and stress is not tolerated. The office timings are from 8.30/9.00 am till 6.00/6.30 pm from Monday to Friday with one or two hours break. Companies avoid conducting business meetings in August due to Catholic festivities and other national holidays. Considering these cultural nuances, engaging professional Italian translation services can enhance your business communication and contribute to the success of your endeavors in Italy.
Introducing Yourself
While introducing yourself in Italy you need to shake hands individually with everyone in a group. You need not wave like Americans. They shake hands using the right hand and from a standing position. They introduce older people and women first. Therefore, you also need to follow the same protocol. Italian people greet each other politely by saying, Buongiorno Good morning, and Buonasera, Good afternoon. Moreover, they embrace each other warmly. Italians exchange expensive gifts among themselves, but they do not expect foreigners to give gifts in return.
When introduced to Italian executives they say Signore to Mr and Signora to Mrs with the surname. Last names are used only when you are invited by your Italian host. You must get assistance from a translation agency to understand the business and cultural intricacies of Italian society.
Business Conversation
Interruption is common in business conversations in the Italian community. The Italian community has a unique style of conversation. Italians are open and inquisitive towards other manners and uniqueness. They hate arrogance and rudeness but tolerate lateness and sincere mistakes.
Business Negotiations and Meals
Italians have a great dressing sense. Their dressing sense portrays their social standing and their success as an entrepreneur. Italian people are not so punctual. You need to wait for your business partners to come so that you can enter the office but they expect you to come on time.
During business negotiations, people exchange business cards in Italian language. You should mention your educational degrees on both sides of your card. Giving a business gift is not obligatory unless you have received one. Avoid presenting gifts displaying your company’s logo. Business negotiations can occur during a lengthy lunch, which may last for three hours. They can be conducted over a long lunch which can last for three hours. Accepting a business invitation is mandatory, rejecting is considered as an insult.
Wrapping Up
Starting your business in any foreign country is not an easy task. It becomes convenient for you when you have a knowhow of the country in which you want to start your business. You can get cultural and business know-how of the country in your native language. Therefore, you must hire the best translation agencies to mitigate the communication barriers.