Faux pas means a social mistake made by someone who is unaware of the social conventions in the area they are visiting. It can be corrected politely, and it’s best to take someone aside to correct them. Missteps can relate to language, greetings, gifts, body gestures, and cultural taboos. To avoid making mistakes, people should watch their language and body and follow the lead of their hosts.
Faux pas is a French expression meaning “false step”. It is used in English to mean a mistake or social mistake, unintentionally committed by someone who is unaware of the social conventions in the area he is visiting. French speakers typically use the word gaffe to describe a similar situation, while the other term is used a little differently by native French speakers.
Typically, when someone makes a faux pas, it’s politely corrected by someone else nearby. When correcting someone for making such a mistake, it is conventional to take them aside, rather than embarrassing them in front of the entire company, unless the offense was serious and needs to be corrected immediately. Generally, most people recognize that someone doesn’t make this type of mistake out of malice, especially when an act of attempted kindness accompanies the mistake.
In most cases, a misstep is related to a figure of speech that violates good manners or a stupid action. For example, many languages have formal pronouns that are used to address people who are older or in a position of authority. Using a casual pronoun with one of these individuals would be considered a faux pas. In French, for example, the informal tu would not be used to address a person’s boss at work; the correct pronoun would be vous. Another common linguistic mistake is neglecting social greetings. In many Middle Eastern and Latin American cultures, an individual entering a room is expected to greet everyone in the room individually to avoid giving offense.
When someone commits an action that is referred to as a cultural faux pas, it is unfortunately often connected with a gift. In China, for example, giving someone a watch is considered bad taste, just as bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner party in France is offensive. Usually, a gift-related error violates a cultural taboo surrounding death or other cultural rituals. Another common mistake is related to body gestures, which can indicate various offensive acts or suggestions, depending on the county. In Greece, for example, facing someone with your palm and fingers spread is rude, not number five.
To avoid this kind of mistake, people should watch their language and body when in another country and follow the lead of their hosts. They shouldn’t be afraid to ask a guest privately about a situation that has confused them, especially in an alien culture. Until a visitor is familiar with the area, it is safer to err on the side of caution by addressing everyone formally and using gestures sparingly until he or she knows what gestures mean in the culture.
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