1.
customer-service smile; fake professional smile; business smile
A smile put on for professional or business purposes rather than genuine emotion. Often used to describe the polite but insincere smiles of salespeople, service staff, or hosts/hostesses.
あれは営業スマイルだよ。
That's just a business smile.
店員の営業スマイルに騙されないで。
Don't be fooled by the shop clerk's fake smile.
彼は誰にでも営業スマイルを振りまくので、本心が分からない。
He flashes a business smile at everyone, so you can never tell what he really thinks.
A Japanese-English hybrid compound: 営業 (business/sales) + スマイル (smile). Refers to a polished, professional smile that does not reflect genuine feelings. Often used with a slightly cynical or knowing tone, implying that the smile is calculated rather than heartfelt.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 営業スマイルを振りまく: to flash business smiles around
- 営業スマイルで対応する: to respond with a professional smile
- ただの営業スマイル: just a customer-service smile
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japan's service industry, maintaining a pleasant smile is considered a professional skill. The term 営業スマイル acknowledges this as a performance rather than genuine emotion. It is often discussed in the context of emotional labor (感情労働).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 愛想笑い: polite laugh/smile — a forced smile to be sociable
- 作り笑い: fake smile — deliberately manufactured smile