I’m a design engineer for interior air-quality systems. Mainly we do particulate control for factory floor environments. We also work on alarm systems and toxic sensor systems used to monitor industrial processes. Anywhere people are breathing compromised air is a business opportunity for us.

We are restructuring our sales model. We used to sell systems abroad as a package, and only salespeople had to travel. Now we’re beginning to design custom solutions for clients on a case-by-case basis, and I’ll be working abroad as much as one week a month, some of the time by myself. I’m not all that comfortable dealing with customers here, so I don’t see myself doing well abroad.

I’ve heard some disturbing stories from the sales staff, and the more I think about this, the more terrified I am. I want to keep my job, and I’m open to new things, but I’ve hardly been out of Michigan and this seems overwhelming. Any advice?

— Reluctant Traveler

Dear Reluctant Traveler:
You’re not alone. See the following letter from another reader, and I’ll answer both of your queries together.

I fly US Airways frequently, and I’ve noticed that your advice is worthwhile. Maybe you can help me succeed in my next transition. I’ve been blessed by rapid advancement in my company. To get to the next level, though, I will soon be traveling to Latin America and Asia. I consider myself a worldly person, but most of my international travel has been to all-inclusive resorts — fly in, fly out. That’s not exactly the same thing as doing business. I’m a woman, and I know I’ll be dealing with some cultures that have a different take on gender issues than we do in the U.S.

My goal is an officer-level assignment, if not with this company then with the next. I’ve noticed that everyone at those levels has had a successful overseas assignment, either a long-term relocation or at least key relationship management with an offshore client, customer, or production facility. I start traveling this summer, and I’m planning ahead for success. Any tips for me?

— Future Traveler

Dear Travelers:
In the old days, multinationals sent employees abroad for long periods of time, usually two to three years. This opportunity gave the worker ample time to discern the nuances of another culture and to develop a passing proficiency in the local language. The employee’s family also went on the adventure. Now, for myriad reasons, the trend is toward sending employees abroad on short-term assignments on an as-needed basis — Hong Kong one week, Singapore the next, then to Peru, followed by maybe a month back at HQ in Peoria. In this paradigm, a worker needs to be an internationalist, rather than bicultural.

One unexpected advantage for women is that a visiting female is considered an American business executive, whereas if the same woman were to become a local resident, she would be expected to conform to local mores for gender roles. This fact has been a boon to American women on assignment abroad.

On the other hand, this new model opens the door for many more opportunities to make mistakes abroad. Here’s a simple example:

My wife and I went to dinner with a Taiwanese executive. He gave each of us one of his business cards. My wife was unfamiliar with Asian business practices and placed his card on the table next to her water glass. The ice in the water was causing condensation to form on the glass, and it began to drip down the side and pool on the tabletop, which was also glass. The business executive was more and more distracted by this and began to stare at his card as the water got closer and closer to touching it. He was getting agitated and tense, but he wouldn’t dream of saying anything.

Sensing his anxiety, I reached over, took his card, and placed it carefully in my shirt pocket. Only then did he relax. A business card, in almost all of Asia, is a proxy for the honor of the person who offers it to you. It is figuratively an extension of their body. Anything that happens to that card happens to them. You should take it in two hands, look at it for more than a brief moment, say, “very impressive,” then put it in a secure pocket or card holder, never your wallet (you don’t want to sit on it!), as if it were the most important document you could possibly be touching. And you do all this smoothly without looking like you’ve read a book about how to do it.

Here’s my advice for going abroad on business:

1. There are companies that specialize in global business etiquette. If you’re looking at a critical assignment, such as negotiating a multimillion-dollar, multiyear agreement, get your company to pay for this level of preparation. If it’s not that big an assignment, use the books listed in the sidebar.

2. If you’re selling or negotiating abroad, hire a translator/interpreter/driver/guide wherever you go, even if you’re conducting business in English. And tip them well to gain their allegiance. That way you can learn what people are saying in sidebar conversations in the local language, which is critical to your endeavors.

3. Never tell your host, “Your English is very good.” This is almost universally considered rude. Of course an educated person’s English would be good.

4. Be quieter. Americans abroad are often too loud, brash, pushy, and bold. Take your cues from the people around you.

5. Skip the nightlife unless you go out with a fairly large group. A visitor almost never knows the limits of proper behavior in another country, especially late at night if alcohol is involved.

6. Relax. As a visitor you’ll probably make mistakes. If you ask a European executive about his personal life, touch a Buddha statue in Thailand, take offense at a joke in Australia, or blow your nose in public in Japan, your host will forgive you — the first time.

My best wishes for your continued success.