HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life: To Tip or Not to Tip - Avoid an International Incident

Segment 17 - To Tip or Not to Tip - Avoid an International Incident!

In this segment, I want to explore a slightly different topic than the normal translation across borders topics discussed in this blog series. Oh don’t worry; I’ll continue to give professional advice and personal experiences relating to best practices in business and international topics in later blog posts. However today, I’d like to discuss the “art” or “faux pas” of tipping, while not exactly a topic of international business or globalization, attitudes about tipping are critical to most people who navigate around the world, albeit for personal or business travels...

Tipping has been a source of many discussions throughout my international travels.

I was once out with a group of friends, here in Madrid: Two people from Spain, two from France, one from the UK, one from South Africa, and three from the U.S.  We were having dinner at a fairly nice restaurant here in Madrid. When the bill came, it took us at least 30 minutes to settle the tip!

• One person said: Tip is included; no need to add more.
• Another said: Add 10%
• Another said: Are you kidding, add 20%
• Another said: Leave whatever you want, I’m putting in 10 euros for tip

Suffice it to say, we never agreed, everyone just ended up leaving whatever they wanted, but once the money was put down, one person looked at the tip total and said that’s way too much, and took some money back!

Scenario #1:  You are out with friends at a restaurant or bar. Food is coming, drinks are flowing, and you are having a fabulous time.  Then at the end of the evening, the bill comes.  What do you do?

1. A) Divide the bill total by the number of people in the group evenly, and then ask everyone to add on their own tip.
2. B) Look at the bill, ask everyone to agree on a tip amount of say 20%, then add to the total and split evenly amongst the group.
3. C) Look at the bill and figure out who had what, and allow each person to figure out what they owe on a proportional basis, hoping that everyone is honest and also includes proportional tips.
4. D) Say, "Sorry, I don’t do math, just tell me what I owe", and politely excuse yourself for the restroom.

If you’ve ever been out of your house with friends, chances are that this has happened to you. The response can bring on interesting discussions or debates about the tip amount. What about this next scenario.

Scenario #2:  You are out with a small group, maybe just one other friend or two, and when the dinner bill from an expensive restaurant arrives, one friend exclaims happily that he/she will treat and pay the entire bill.  You politely decline, but since he/she insists, you gratefully accept the generous gesture.  He/she pays the bill, but then doesn’t leave a tip.

1. A) You say, “Hey, no tip?" offending the friend.
2. B) You say, “Please allow me to at least leave the tip” taking the risk that you might offend the friend, especially since the bill would have warranted a tip of between $50 -75 by U.S. standards.
3. C) You say, “Thanks” and walk out of the restaurant together without leaving anything.

How you respond to these questions might depend on where you are from, where your friends are from, and where you are dining.  Tipping standards tend to vary based on country or region. 

For example, in many European countries, the gratuity has often already been included in the bill. It is possible to leave a tip for excellent service, but it's not considered necessary.  Whereas, in the U.S., the tip can range from 10-20 percent (or even more if you are so inclined); in some cases, the restaurant may already add a built-in gratuity for larger parties, just to make sure they get their “fair” amount.

When I go out with friends here in Spain, if I leave more than a few coins on the table, everyone looks at me, and some have even told me to “take it back” or “it is way too much”.  I have even had someone tell me that I’m “too American”.  

In Europe, if a person does choose to tip, the tip often takes the form of a currency round-up, for example, a person might leave an even 50 euros if the bill was for 48 euros. This approach to tipping can be confusing to Americans who have been taught that it's almost always necessary to leave a tip based on percentage.

• In some countries, such as Mexico and South Africa, you're expected to tip virtually everyone who helps you.
• In Australia, a 10-percent tip is only expected at finer dining establishments. 
• In Thailand, at Western or upscale Thai restaurants, the American tipping standard of 15 percent is used. For modest restaurants, 20 baht (75 cents) per diner is considered gracious.
• In New Zealand, restaurant patrons almost never leave tips.

In some countries, it can be offensive to tip servers in restaurants. 

• In Czech Republic, leaving cash on the table is considered a faux pas. Instead, round the tab up to the nearest whole number and tell them how much you want to pay in total.
• In Denmark, everything is included on bills; servers will be surprised if you leave something extra.
• In Zambia, if you leave a few coins on the table, the server will be insulted and throw the coins back at you (but if you leave too much, you might be robbed later!)
• In Japan, tips are not expected. If you leave some yen, don't be surprised if the wait staff politely returns it.
• In China, accepting tips might even be grounds for getting fired or scolded by the boss.
• In some cultures, if you leave a tip, the boss will assume you are insulting him/her for not paying the staff well and just take it.

If you're planning an international vacation or business trip, be sure to check around to understand the tipping customs of the country.

I once experienced Scenario #2  above while at a dinner in the U.S. with some friends a few years back.  The friend was not an American, but was generous and decided to treat us. When the bill arrived, no tip was left, rather than embarrassing the person, the group walked out after the bill was paid.  However, the server ran out of the restaurant, stopped the group on the street, and asked the payer why a tip was NOT left, “was there a problem?”  The person politely said that there was no problem, and carried on. What an embarrassing moment, indeed.

Some may wonder what makes one culture more or less prone to tipping than another. Researchers at the Center for Hospitality at Cornell University have investigated tipping attitudes across cultures and suggest that the tests have shown that "neurotic" and "extroverted" personality types leave behind the largest tip amounts.  The research suggests that:

• Extroverts are more generous with tipping, since it is perceived as a way of getting more attention from servers. 
• Neurotics are bigger tippers because they tend to “feel guilty and anxious” about perceived socio-economic gaps between themselves and their servers.
• According to Cornell University, Americans tend to test high for both of these characteristics, suggesting one reason why the U.S. economy is pro tipping, compared to cultures with fewer neurotic and extroverted tendencies. 

So, who knew that adding a little extra could cause such a fuss amongst friends and restaurant workers?  I now just let the locals figure out the bill, and let them tell me what I owe. Saves me the headache and prevents an international incident!  Oh in case you wanted to know, they say “propina”  in Spain for “gratuity”.

 … Stay tuned for the next Segment of HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life Series, where we’ll explore … Getting Back to Business for International Success with Website Localization (for real, I promise).

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This article was written by Rachanee Thevenet, Co-Founder of HT Localization.  Rachanee is an Asian-American expat living in Spain with her family.  She loves all things international including food, art, literature, culture, languages and people.  She has years of professional product marketing expertise and global expansion experience.

HT Localization, LLC. is a worldwide translation & localization agency providing a full range of professional language translation services, including social media localization, marketing translations, website translations, software localization, eLearning materials, documentation translations, etc.  With locations in the US, Spain, France, Zambia & Thailand, and coverage across all languages and most industries, HT Localization is well positioned to provide around the globe services for all translation needs.  

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