The meeting is on home turf. You are hosting a delegation from overseas. Perhaps they are from Japan, or the Middle East, or Eastern Europe. It doesn’t matter. The point is they’re foreign. They don’t speak English. It’s their first time outside their country.

Negotiating with the help of a translator, you have reached the crux of the meeting. The nitty-gritty. You’re talking money. You make your pitch: Let’s say $1.1 million. Your visitors huddle together, discussing the figure in their impenetrable language. You don’t have a clue what they’re saying. At last, the leader of the group turns to you, and, with an inscrutable smile, he slowly, deliberately, raises his middle finger.

What do you do?

Your first instinct, naturally, is to leap across the table and punch his teeth out. But what if he isn’t telling what he thinks of your offer? Perhaps, in his culture, this particular gesture is the equivalent of a thumbs-up. Or maybe he is indicating a counter-offer of $1 million.

Whatever he means — or doesn’t mean — two cultures have just collided head-on. It is a common occurrence in today’s global business environment. Prospective business relationships all too easily can founder on rudimentary misunderstandings or failures of communication. The most obvious barrier to communication is language.

“I could never imagine what it would be like to be illiterate,” a businessman once told me. “Until I went to China. When I arrived there, suddenly I couldn’t read shop signs, or official notices or vital contracts. To all intents and purposes, I was illiterate, and I was completely dependent on my translator.”

Learning the language can be beneficial, though there are also potential pitfalls. When I lived in South Korea, a friend of mine married a Korean woman and, painstakingly, he became a Korean speaker. Then, one evening at a family dinner, he asked his father-in-law an innocuous question: “Could you pass the water?” or something like that.

There was uproar. His in-laws stood up and left in disgust. It was months before they spoke to him again. It turned out that he had used a highly disrespectful term of address, and although it had been a genuine mistake, he later was told that it would have been better for him not to speak Korean at all than to speak it badly.

Similarly, attempts to converse in Mandarin Chinese or Japanese can be fraught with danger. The wrong inflection, or a slight mispronunciation, can turn a harmless sentence into an offensive one. Unless you are completely confident in your ability, it is probably best to rely on an expert translator (preferably one well-versed in the terminology of your particular business.)

But it always pays to learn a few words. Your hosts will appreciate the gesture, and it often can be a good icebreaker. At the other extreme, to fully understand a language but not to reveal that you can understand it can cause grave offense.

Far more insidious than language is the tricky matter of etiquette. When it comes to social formalities, body language, and a whole host of other cultural undercurrents, you’re on your own. Not even your translator can protect you from the occasional catastrophic faux pas. In effect, you’re naked. Sometimes, almost literally.

A few years ago, I was in the changing room of a plush golf club in Southeast Asia wearing nothing but my shorts and socks when my playing partner ushered me over to meet the CEO of the national airline. There he was, a tremendously important man, standing in his underpants.

Back home, this would not be regarded as a suitable moment for introductions. But the CEO was completely at ease with the situation. He shook my hand, and then — I have no idea from where — he produced his business card.

In Asia, there is an entire etiquette devoted to the receiving and giving of business cards. On receiving a card (preferably with both hands), you should read it, often with a deferential nod of acknowledgement, and then offer your own card in exchange. On this occasion, I had to dash back across the changing room to rummage through my clothes while this most important of men was left waiting. The moral, I suppose, is this: Be prepared, even in the most unlikely of settings.

Having received a business card, another problem rears its head. How do you handle the name inscribed on it? It can tricky enough at home. If Thomas Smith gives you his card, do you call him “Mr. Smith” or “Thomas” or “Tom”? Generally we know instinctively how to proceed.

In a foreign land, it’s not so straightforward. For a start, it is not always apparent which of the names on the card is the surname, and which is the first name. In China and Korea, the surname is transcribed first, followed by the generational name, then the given name. So “Lim Chong Yang” should be addressed as “Mr. Lim.”It is increasingly common for Asian men to adopt a Westernized name. Mr. Lim might also call himself “Tommy Lim” and be happy to be referred to as “Tommy.”

The Japanese also transcribe the surname first: e.g. “Kawasaki Yuzo” is “Mr. Kawasaki.” They are much more reluctant to use first names and familiarity is generally expressed by adding san to the surname, regardless of sex. For example, “Kawasakisan.” This honor is extended to Western visitors, so Tom or Theresa Smith both can be known as “Smith-san.”

In Russia, the given name comes first, while the middle name is patronymic — effectively, “son of.” Therefore, Anatoly Antonovich Yakovlev is the “son of Anton.” Russians tend to be formal, so it is advisable only to use someone’s first name if invited to do so, and usually you will use it with the patronymic — “Anatoly Antonovich.” To confuse matters further, among friends Russians use diminutive nicknames, so Anatoli will often be known as “Tolya.” Russian women add an “a” to their surname, making Anatoly Antonovich’s wife “Mrs. Yakovleva.”

Nicknames also are popular among Spanish-speakers, as I discovered to my chagrin in Bolivia. During a meeting, my host’s mother briefly intruded and had a quick conversation with her son, during which she called him “Gordo.” So I took to calling him Gordo, too, only to find out that it was his childhood nickname, meaning “fatty.” (To make matters worse, in adulthood he had lived up to it. No wonder his colleagues raised their eyebrows at me.)

It is not just the spoken word that you need to be wary of. Most cultures also employ a wide lexicon of hand gestures, which can be acceptable in one country but deeply offensive in another. The humble thumbs-up means “OK’ in North America and Western Europe, but in Greece, parts of Italy, Africa, and much of the Middle East it is interpreted as “Up yours.”

Making a circle with your thumb and index finger means “A-OK” in most countries, but is considered insulting in Brazil. And in Britain, a V-sign with your palm facing the recipient means “victory,” but in reverse — showing the back of your hand — it is regarded as obscene.

Eating out is another potential minefield. In Islamic countries, traditional meals often are eaten without cutlery, but you should use only your right hand (the left hand is used for ablutions, and is not considered clean — it is polite to keep it under the table, out of sight). Do not leave a completely empty plate when you’re finished, as it can be interpreted as an omen for famine.

In the Far East, only use chopsticks if you know how; you usually will be offered the option of Western cutlery. To lay your chopsticks across the top of your bowl is considered bad luck, and to leave them sticking out of your rice bowl signifies death.

In Russia, business meals often include a bottle of vodka — and by tradition, once the bottle is open, it must be finished. Toasts are exchanged, and then the shots are downed in one gulp. Be warned that Russian businessmen generally are confident in their ability to remain clear-headed, and they might press to conclude a deal when you are nicely drunk.

Wherever you travel, if you are a vegetarian or have special dietary requirements, be sure to inform your host well in advance. Vegetarianism is not always understood, and in parts of the Third World it can be considered rude to decline meat when it is offered to you.

One of the trickiest aspects of doing business in some regions of the world, especially the Far East, concerns the giving and receiving of gifts. In countries such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, the exchange of gifts is an important element of business meetings, but, at the same time, bribery is illegal. So when does a gift constitute a bribe?

Safe gifts include golf balls, polo shirts or other items bearing your company logo. For a more personal gift, you could offer a coffee table book of your local area, or local handicrafts. But it’s probably best not to give an envelope full of cash, or something unnecessarily extravagant, such as a car. The more lavish you are, the greater the danger of your gift being interpreted as a bribe. And that could land you in court.

It is Asian custom to decline a gift up to three times before accepting it, so don’t withdraw whatever you’re offering if it isn’t accepted immediately. On receiving a gift, it is impolite to open it in front of the giver.

Most of the most basic pitfalls can be avoided by doing some background research before arriving in your destination. There are several books devoted to business etiquette around the world, including the reasonably comprehensive Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: The Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway (Adams Publishing Group; new edition published July 2006).

As an Englishman, some of Morrison and Conaway’s advice on the mores of England did not entirely tally with the country as I know it. For instance, they advise against using the question “What do you do?” as a conversation starter — which, in fact, is a standard icebreaker. And it came as complete news to me that businessmen in England should only wear laced shoes.

So don’t rely too much on the advice of such books. The rules of etiquette are not completely rigid. In any country, you will meet some individuals who are sticklers for formality, and others who prefer a more relaxed approach.

But etiquette cannot be ignored. It is the currency of social interaction. To do business successfully on the international stage, it is essential to be aware of the fundamental do’s and don’ts of each country. It often can make the difference between losing a deal and sealing it.