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Doing Business in Greece

Culture influences language and language, in turn, influences culture. This happens in ways both obvious and almost imperceptible. TJC Global understands that being fluent in a language also means being fluent in the subtleties and intricacies of the culture and business etiquette associated with it. To ensure that no embarrassing misunderstandings occur in a professional context, all our translators and interpreters are experts in the business culture and etiquette associated with the languages they work with.

Greek Language

To speak of Greek as a single language is almost impossible. With a history spanning 34 centures, contemporary Greek is merely the result of centuries of a huge linguistic evolution spanning from Mycenean Greek to Ancient Greek to Biblical Greek. It has the longest recorded history of any Indo-European language and along with Latin, is one of the most culturally, intellectually and lexicographically important languages of the Western world. It is the language of Homer and Aristotle: the language of epic poetry and groundbreaking philosophy. With over 50,000 English words derived from it, its seminal significance is truly beyond measure.

Nowadays, what is known as “Modern” or “Roman Greek” is spoken by approximately 12 million people as a native language. It is the official language of both Greece and Cyprus and is also recognised as a minority language in a number of other Southern and Eastern European states. It is one of the 23 official languages of the European Union.

The phonological system of Modern Greek differs greatly from that of its Ancient ancestor. There now exist only 5 vowels – which is somewhat different to the multiple vowel heights, lengths that characterised Ancient Greek. There are 24 letters to the modern Greek alphabet, in addition to two diacritics: the acute accent and the diaeresis (aka. two dots above a vowel).

Despite differences in pronunciation and the use of pitch accent in Ancient Greek, the basic alphabet used in Modern Greek does not differ from its ancestor of the 8th Century BC. It is one of the oldest in Europe and consists of 24 letters:

Α,α[=alien] Β,β[=video] Γ,γ[=yellow] Δ,δ[=there]Ε,ε[=Ellen] Ζ,ζ[=Zeus] Η,η[=idiot] Θ,θ[=thorn] Ι,ι[=idiosyncratic] Κ,κ[=Kent] Λ,λ[=lemon] Μ,μ[=morning] Ν,ν[=nature] Ξ,ξ[=x] Ο,ο[=olive] Π,π[partner] Ρ,ρ[=real] Σ,σ[=storm] Τ,τ[=treasure] Υ,υ[=if] Φ,φ[=federal]Χ,χ[=heel] Ψ,ψ[=psychology] Ω,ω[=open].

You should bear in mind that, apart from the regular alphabet, Greek also uses combinations of these letters, such as: αι, as in helicopter, ου for unisex, μπ for business, ντ for donuts, τς for children, and finally γγ and γκ as in Greece. The Greek language is extremely complicated both in terms of spelling and pronunciation.

Minority languages are spoken by people in different geographic regions of Greece, for example the Arvanites are an Alanian-speaking group located in rural areas around Athens. In northern Greece, there are also some Slavic-speaking groups whose dialects can be classified as Macedonian or Bulgarian. Despite these small communities, Greek is spoken by almost the entire population.

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Travelling around Greece

There is an extensive public transportation system in Greece. Within Athens, there is a brand new metro, tram and bus network, which became available after the Olympic Games in 2004. This system of transportation covers all Attica, i.e. Athens, Piraeus (Athens’ closest port just 15 min away) and also all of the surrounding areas.

There is also an extensive network of buses, trains and airplanes, in addition to one of the best boat and ferry networks in Europe, connecting mainland Greece to Italy, Turkey and other neighbouring countries. Timetables for buses, trains and ferries can be found on the internet, where an extensive list of hotels can also be found.

If you wish to drive in Greece, you should keep in mind the following points:

Important Information & Tips

Body Language

Wining and Dining

Investing in Greece

Investing in property is rather a good option in Greece. There are lots of estate agencies and you will find a lot of advertisements in the local newspapers. Make sure that you find yourself a good lawyer before taking any action towards purchasing the property that interests you. They will be able to help you with everything you might need to ask, and in addition, will be able to do all the paperwork that is needed. You should also ask for Ministry approvals, and make sure you check tax rates, capital gains tax laws and any other relevant laws.

Superstitions and Customs

Shopping

Shopping is very popular in Greece and so is exchanging presents. If you want to impress your business partners, offer them a present representative of your country or your business, or something that can’t be found in their country. This gesture will be highly appreciated.

There are a lot of different shopping centres in Greece, such as THE MALL and ATTICA, in Athens, as well as hundreds of individual stores that are usually open from 9.00 till 20:30 or 21:00 on weekdays, and 9:00 – 15:00 on Saturdays. On Sundays, all stores and businesses are closed.

Useful Vocabulary

What forms of interpreter services can TJC Global provide?

Dutch arbitration interpeter video

Video/videoconference interpreting: (Video remote interpreting is also available) TJC provides language interpreting services to support events such as business meetings, conferences, legal/court/arbitration/litigation, and other online business interactions in the industry.

Participants can communicate via video or voice calls using computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. These can be recorded should you wish to take minutes. Our professionally qualified interpreters can join your online virtual meeting, event, or proceeding, for example, and interpret remotely in the language pairing you require to facilitate smooth communication between all parties. They also provide relay interpreting.

Telephone interpreting Dutch arbitration

Telephone/teleconference interpreting is a practical way to bridge any language barriers. The interpreter is either located remotely (away from either party) or is with one of the parties. In both cases, they deliver interpreting services through telephone conferencing.

Telephone interpretation is helpful for clients who cannot travel to their counterparts’ countries but still wish to hold business discussions or communicate progress updates. At TJC Global, we are pleased to provide professionally qualified interpreters in almost any selected language combination.

Simultaneous & Consecutive interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting (also available with Video Remote Interpretation (VRI))

is used for international conferences, critical business discussions, seminars & symposiums. In this case, two to three interpreters are usually situated in a booth, away from the audience, and take turns to interpret at high speed, changing over every 15-20 minutes to avoid fatigue and the lack of concentration, which affect the quality of interpretation.

The interpreters listen to the speaker’s message using headsets and repeat it immediately (practically “simultaneously”) in the target language to benefit relevant audience members. They also provide relay interpreting, which is helpful if the speakers give presentations in several languages.

Consecutive interpreting

Consecutive interpreting (also available with Video Remote Interpretation (VRI)) is the most common type. It is used for business discussions, negotiations, contract exchanges, commercial, legal and technical meetings, medical or court hearings, or on-site inspections or audits. The interpreter listens to the speaker, often making notes, and later delivers the meaning in the target language.

The interpreter may wait until a pause or the end, at which point they deliver a translation relatively quickly. Consecutive interpreting may also be used at conferences for panel discussions, Q&A sessions or private discussions between parties – at a stand or elsewhere.

Looking for translation or interpreting assistance?

TJC Global provides specialist interpreting and translation services in various specialist fields. Whatever your requirements, we can find the right linguist to assist you. If your industry or project type is not listed here, please contact us directly with your enquiry.

Our language specialists utilise their knowledge of subject-specific terminology to deliver precise, unambiguous translations, whatever the context – enabling you to communicate effectively with the rest of the world. We are also able to adapt to almost any type of project.

What to do next?

Please use the Quick Quote system above for a quote for interpreting, translation services or a related enquiry.
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