Unit 6 Intercultural Communication
Knowledge to Learn
What Is Culture?
The word culture has many different meanings. For some, it refers to an appreciation of good literature, music, art, and food. However, for anthropologists and other behavioral scientists,culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns.
There are three layers or levels of culture that are part of our learned behavior patterns and perceptions.
Most obvious is the body of cultural traditions that distinguish our specific society. When people speak of Italian, German, or Japanese culture, they refer to the shared language, traditions and beliefs that set each of these peoples apart from others.
The second layer of culture that may be part of one’s identity is a subculture. In complex,diverse societies in which people have come from many different parts of the world often retain much of their original cultural traditions. As a result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable subculture in their new society. The shared cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from the rest of their society.
The third layer of culture consists of cultural universals. These are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively. No matter where people live in the world, they share these universal traits.
What Is Intercultural Communication?
The term intercultural communication (ICC) was first used by Edward T · Hall in 1959 and was simply defined as interpersonal communication between people from different cultural backgrounds. It occurs when a member of one culture produces a message for consumption by a member of another culture. It consists of international, interethnic, interracial and interregional communication.
International communication takes place between nations and governments rather than individuals—it is quite formal and ritualized. Interethnic communication refers to communication between people of the same race but different ethnic backgrounds. Interracial communication occurs when the source and the receiver exchanging messages are from different races which are related to physical characteristic. Interregional communication refers to the exchange of messages between members of the dominant culture within a country.
Intercultural communication is a universal phenomenon. It occurs everywhere in the world. And the communication between cultures has been going on for thousands of years. The communication between cultures today is happening continuously,taking place almost everyday. Today, thousands of Chinese students go abroad to study, and millions of foreign travelers come to China, and foreign artists come to China to give performances and many joint venture enterprises do business in many cities in China. These are all examples showing how prevalent intercultural communication is today.
Article to Read
Good Collaboration Is a Must
Lead-in
It’s no secret that today’s workplace is rapidly becoming vast, as the business environment expands to include various geographic locations and span numerous cultures.What can be difficult, however, is how to communicate effectively with individuals who speak another language, or who rely on different means to reach a common goal. In this new world, good cross-cultural communication is a must.
While many companies now offer training in the different cultures where the company conducts business, it is important that employees communicating across cultures practice patience and work to increase their knowledge and understanding of these cultures. This requires the ability to see that a person’s own behaviors and reactions are often culturally driven and that while they may not match our own, they are culturally appropriate.
If a leader or manager of a team is working across cultures or incorporates individuals who speak different languages, practice different religions, or are members of a society that requires a new understanding, he or she needs to work to convey this.
Consider any special needs the individuals on your team may have. For instance, they may observe different holidays, or even have different hours of operation. Be mindful of time zone differences and work to keep everyone involved aware and respectful of such differences.
Generally speaking, patience, courtesy and a bit of curiosity go a long way. And, if you are unsure of any differences that may exist, simply ask team members. Again, this may best be done in a one-on-one setting so that no one feels "put on the spot" or self-conscious, perhaps even embarrassed, about discussing their own needs or differences.
Next, cultivate understanding and tolerance. In doing this, a little education will usually do the trick. Explain to team members that part of the team that works out of the Australia office, for example, will be working in a different time zone,so electronic communications and/or return phone calls will experience a delay. Most people will appreciate the information and will work hard to understand different needs and different means used to reach common goals. However, when this is not the case, lead by example and make it clear that you expect to be followed down a path of open-mindedness, acceptance and tolerance.
When you communicate, keep in mind that even though English is considered the international language of business, it is a mistake to assume that every businessperson speaks good English. In fact, only about half of the 800 million people who speak English learn it as the first language. And, those who speak it as a second language are often more limited than native speakers.
When you communicate cross-culturally, make particular efforts to keep your communication clear, simple and unambiguous. And avoid humor until you know that the person you’re communicating with "gets it" and isn’t offended by it. Humor is notoriously culture(-?)specific: many things that pass for humor in one culture can be seen as grossly offensive in another.
Finally, if language barriers present themselves, it may be in everyone’s best interest to employ a reliable, experienced translator. The translator can help everyone involved to recognize cultural and communication differences and ensure that all parties, regardless of geographic location and background, come together and stay together through successful project completion.
Cases to Study
Case Study 1
A French woman who had just come to live in the United States said that she was really shocked by the way Americans behaved on the telephone. In some cases, when she attempted to converse with American acquaintances who answered her phone call, they would ask whom she wanted to speak with, and, without allowing her to continue, they would hand the phone over directly to the person she intended to speak with, as if they did not like chatting with her. On other occasions, she answered the phone, heard the voice of an acquaintance, and was surprised and hurt when the caller, instead of greeting and conversing with her, simply asked for somebody else. Apart from that, she sometimes felt a little annoyed because, unlike people in France, many American callers did not say anything to apologize for disturbing her.
Why did the French woman feel shocked and hurt by the way Americans behaved on the telephone?
Analysis
1) In France, it is required that all calls begin with an apology for disturbing the answerer.
2) They are also expected to begin the phone call by checking that they have reached the right number, identifying themselves, and then chatting with whoever has answered the phone, if this person is known to them.
3) Only after some conversations may callers indicate their wish to speak with the person they have actually called to or speak to.
4) In contrast, callers in the United States only apologize when they feel they have called at an inappropriate time. They often ask for the person they want without identifying themselves or conversing with the answerer, even when that person is known to them.
Case Study 2
John Rohrkemper is an American professor. It was his first time to teach in a Brazilian university and he was quite excited about it. His two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 a. m. and end at noon. On the first day, to his surprise, there was no one in the classroom when he arrived on time. Many students came after 10 a. m.; several arrived after 10:30 a. m. Two students came after 11 a. m. Although all the students greeted him as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Dr. Rohrkemper was very angry about students’ rude behaviors and decided to study the students’ behaviors.
What will Dr. Rohrkemper find in his study about Brazilian students’ lateness?
Analysis
1) In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. By contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour.
2) Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in America, but also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students leave the class at noon; many remain past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions.While people’s arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.
3) People from Brazilian and North American cultures have different feelings about lateness. In Brazil, they believe that a person who usually arrives late is probably more successful than a person who is always on time.
4) In fact, Brazilians expect a person with status or prestige to arrive late, while in the United States, lateness is usually considered disrespectful and unacceptable.
5) Consequently, if a Brazilian is late for an appointment with an American, the American may misinterpret the reason for the lateness and become angry.
Case Study 3
Once a U.S. automobile manufacturer was shown on television, and he tried to make a sale to some Japanese automobile firms. He was dressed in a boldly patterned cardigan sweater; his hosts were all in dark suits and white shirts. The TV camera caught a few of the hosts repeatedly looking at his sweater with something like alarm in their eyes, and looking away again. Finally it was reported that he failed to make even a single sale.
Do you think the sweater the U.S. salesman wore was a factor in his failure to make a single sale?
Analysis
1) Businessmen from the United States often dress informally, in sweaters and slacks, or in short-sleeved shirts without jackets. When they are in very warm countries, they may wear shorts for leisure. This attire can be acceptable in certain situations,but it can also appear disrespectful toward the other culture.
2) In Japan, a businessman wears a dark suit with a white shirt. A serious, responsible businessman will be expected to dress like this.
3) The American salesman in this case was acting according to ideas about dress that seemed appropriate in his culture. But in the Japanese culture, this kind of dress is considered very inappropriate for such a formal business occasion.
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