Culture can account for misunderstood actions and miscommunication, she explains, citing the case of a Japanese man who landed a job at an international manufacturing company in Canada.

He would often sit too close to female co-workers, and fail to look them in the eye while talking to them, not realizing that they regarded his behaviour suspiciously. No one had briefed him on how to interact with co-workers here, nor were the workers taught anything about Japanese ways of communicating.

The problem came to a head when, during a conversation with a female superior, the man pointed his index finger at her and pulled his thumb like a trigger, as if to say "gotcha." The woman found the gesture threatening, and complained to the occupational health nurse, who thought the man needed a mental health assessment.

Ms. Melles was called in and immediately arranged for a Japanese therapist to meet the new employee; the therapist discerned that the man was not dangerous and explained the context of his actions to his colleagues. It turns out that the man was using a gesture common in Japan, that signified a positive understanding between two people. The employee learned some common Canadian interactions and his co-workers, in turn, because less suspicious and more helpful.

Some companies are turning to cross - cultural specialists, such as Ottawa - based Malkam Consultants Inc., to ease the transition for newcomers and equip them with the language skills necessary to their profession.

Quite often, well-educated professionals from countries such as India and China possess excellent reading and writing skills but lack familiarity with spokenCanadian English, says Laraine Kaminshy.

What they need is training not in English as a second language, but rather English as a second dialect, she says. They learn this by practicing "natural communication" in such situations as boardroom meetings and corporate social functions. This also introduces them to industry-specific terminology and North American idioms.

A smattering of knowledge about sports also helps newcomers, Ms. Kaminsky half-jokes, noting that it's common at a business meeting to hear talk of someone being "out in left field" or an idea that "hit a home run." A person with perfect English but no knowledge of baseball would be lost, she says.