Miscommunication in Intercultural Encounters and Stereotyping - Essay Example

Miscommunication in Intercultural Encounters and Stereotyping Introduction Culture gives one a sense of belonging as one is constantly in contact with their background. Language is a strong part of culture that helps people relate more to their tradition which, is in their culture. It does not only remind people where they come from but it helps unify the people since it is a point of understanding. This helped the people maintain their cultural values (Klopf & McCroskey, 2006). Although times have changed, and a lot of cultures are being corrupted by the Western culture, there are some countries that are still struggling to maintain their culture. The main approach to the situation is through the language of communication. However, this may present a problem when there are intercultural encounters since there are bound to be miscommunications. Therefore, this paper is going to look at the miscommunication in intercultural encounters and stereotyping. Objectives The main aim of this paper is to look at the intercultural encounters and stereotypes and how miscommunication may occur. The focus of this paper is going to look at Saudi Arabia and how they embrace their language. This however, may cause some problems for them when they are relating to other cultures. The miscommunication problem is bound to lead to other related problems as well. Thus, this paper will be creating awareness of the importance of learning other languages as well but still maintain their culture. Saudi Arabia is well known for its rich conservative nature of their culture. This is a characteristic that sets them apart from other nations. Considering the effects that globalization has had on most countries, it is only normal that one may assume that it had the same effect on Saudi Arabia. The Arabic language is highly maintained and very popular in the nation unlike many countries who have abandoned their native languages and instead adopted the English language as their own. However, the country has had other cultural changes especially when it comes to women in the society but their language values have remained quite firm. Cultural Communication Cultural miscommunication is usually viewed at from the different points of understanding between two people from different cultures. Gallois (2006), has the opinion that the problem will automatically arise from lack of understanding each individual’s cultural background. Once this concept is dealt with then there are bound to be less cases of miscommunication among people from different cultures. Looking at the Arab people their values come from their religious perspective of everything. This concept however is not applied in the English culture as their beliefs are based on their past and facts. Hence, when such people are asked to relate to each other it is a difficult task as they may tend to have a different perspective concerning everything. Miscommunication is brought about by the difference that exists between cultures. Forms of Communication The form of communication being used is very important as this may act as barring factor when it comes to understanding each other. The Arabs may tend to approach communication from an informal point of view as it makes them understand each other better (Klopf, 2001). The same method applies for the Chinese people where informal communication is greatly applied as a method of understanding each other. Although in this case we mostly focus on the Arabic culture, where formal education is applied as well but not in the extent as to which informal method is used. The Arab language may tend to share some of its words with other nations even including the English language. This is not unusual as the borrowing of words has been in existence for quite a long time. Some of the words that were originally Arabic, but are now used in the English language are; ‘alcohol,’ ‘alchemy,’ ‘algebra,’ ‘algorithm,’ among others. This may lead to some miscommunication at some point since they may not bear the same meaning in both countries or may slightly differ (Ibad, 2010). The process may also tend to be vice versa where the Arabic language may have borrowed some of the words from other languages to make up their own. Thus, the same problem may arise during communication. The pronunciation adapted by the Arab countries may affect their pronunciation in the English language. For example; ki-TAA-bun "book", KAA-ti-bun "writer", MAK-ta-bun "desk", ma-KAA-ti-bu "desks", mak-TA-ba-tun "library", KA-ta- (Modern Standard Arabic) "they wrote it" = ka-ta-BUU (dialect), ka-TA-ba-taa (Modern Standard Arabic) "they (dual, fem) wrote", ka-TAB-tu (Modern Standard Arabic) "I wrote" = ka-TABT (dialect). Doubled consonants count as two consonants: ma-JAL-la "magazine", ma-HALL "place". The Arab culture is known to specialize in writing especially poetry and other related documents; this may differ greatly from the normal writing styles deployed by the western culture. Looking at words such as ‘education is an important aspect in our current society,” when translated in Arabic it will appear as follows; التعليم هو أحد الجوانب الهامة في مجتمعنا الحالي The westerners are known to start their discussions by introducing the main topic therefore; their conversation may seem to flow from one point where everyone is in understanding. However, the Arabs tend to approach a conversation differently by talking about the basic facts that evolve around the main topic and then pin point the topic later. These are good grounds where miscommunication may tend to occur easily, conversation between people from these two different cultures will not be pleasant unless there is understanding (Klopf, 2001). This problem however is slowly diminishing as the new generation in the Arabic countries is starting to adopt the western culture as well. This way conversation is starting to be quite simple as both are approaching it under the same perspective. Privacy in Conversation According to Ibad (2010), Arab is a nation known to be very conservative in terms of speaking, dressing and other related issues. The Western countries on the hand have a different definition of privacy that does not coincide with the Arab culture at all. The time used during conversation determines how conservative one is (Young, 1994). Individuals from the Arab culture value privacy very highly and will not tend to engage themselves in lengthy conversations in order to maintain that trend. The westerners on the other hand are very open in their conversations and feel free to talk about anything that they feel interested in. This is a habit that may appear to be very annoying to the Arab people leading to a lot of miscommunication as well. Use of Names The naming system of different cultures may affect their system of communication as well leading to miscommunication in the intercultural encounters. The Western culture is fond of addressing people based on their names; this trend has developed to a manner that even children are addressing their parents by their names. This is usually very common during communication process and although this may seem very common among the western culture it may appear insulting to the Arabic community. The Arabic community is keen on observing respect at all times especially when addressing the elderly or people in the higher monarchial rank. Some of the Western cultures are known to give their last names to the women after they marry them (Goliath, 2002). In fact this is not only observed in the western culture but in other cultures as well. Recently there have been cases where women have been keeping their names after marriage. During a conversation the addressing of each other may lead to miscommunication due to the different styles adopted by different people. Intercultural Encounters Intercultural encounters is referred to when people from different cultures come together to discuss important matters. This may be applicable in different fields such as; the corporate world, social gatherings, and other economic related matters (Jandt, 2006). Such encounters are meant to strengthen the bond between countries while breaking barriers. These kinds of meetings usually have settings that help make communication much easier for everybody involved. However, there may be some situations where translation may not be as effective as it should be. Translations and Interpretations Misinterpretations may occur at any time since the way people view things are different. This will also lead to other related problems such as bigger disagreements among the people. This is where the use of English comes to play as it can be very advantageous. The fact the people in Saudi Arabia should learn English does not necessarily mean that they abandon their culture (Goliath, 2002). As much as the people selected to conduct the translation process are professionals, there may be misinterpretations at some point. This is a situation that everybody may wish to avoid at all costs as the damages may be rather extreme. Action may even be taken based on the wrong information and this may cost different nations a lot of trouble. The citizens of Saudi Arabia value their language as they go hand in hand with their Islamic laws. They are based on the Sunni law which is the largest division in Islam; they follow the example of ‘Muhammad’s personal deeds and utterances.’ These laws set them apart from other nations since they limit them to their language only. This is quite advantageous to them as they are able to maintain their close family ties (Gallois, 2006). Multicultural Education Education is an important aspect in our current society and it has evolved with time. The Islamic community has been more focused with their traditional education where the boys are given priority (Young, 1994). However, with the current changes in the society many countries are starting to embrace and support education for all sexes. Looking at Saudi Arabia, their education leans more tot heir system and the bodies that are supporting female education have encouraged a lot of people to get education as well. Most students seek education from the western countries because it supports all forms of education and it is much better. Communication may seem to be a barrier for the students when they go to the western countries. This is because English is not a well known language in Saudi Arabia, thus there may tend to be several cases of miscommunication. This will not only pose a problem for the students but for the professionals as well. The western culture is adapted to the English language and their culture and since English has been adopted by other countries, they only assume that everybody is conversant with the language (Carbaugh, 1990). Individuals who are seeking better education from the western countries may find it quite difficult to adjust to the new environment. Miscommunication may play a very big role in such cases; since some of the students may not be able to acquire a translator. This may also tend to waste time and fail to catch up with the res of the students. With time this may tend to be beneficial for some of the people but others may succumb to the pressures of learning and may not get anything from the cultural encounter. The English culture is known to respect gender equality although it is still an issue but they know how to value it. When some of the male individuals have intercultural encounters in some of the English speaking countries, there is bound to be a lot of miscommunication. Since some of the teachers are female, then they demand respect due tot heir position. Some of the male students from Saudi Arabia may find this as an insult. This is part of the miscommunication concept that is bound to arise in (Young, 1990) multicultural education. Explaining the gender equality concept to the people is very difficult and this may turn out to be a very big problem for the people from Saudi Arabia while the people from the English country view it as a simple issue. When individuals from Saudi Arabia learn about the English language they are bound to learn about other cultural values that are very advantageous. Business Saudi Arabia is known form its rich oil production business, this puts the nation at a position to interact frequently with other countries. Communication comes to play here as well as a very important aspect. The trade interactions require constant communication in order to make sure the transactions carried out are done appropriately. Saudi Arabia has many ties with European countries and America as well (Jandt, 2006). These two nations use English as their main language of communication. Thus, this means that Saudi Arabia should be able to learn a few concepts concerning the language in order to avoid future disagreements. This will make work much easier between the countries and the relationship will tend grow much stronger with time. The Main Causes of Miscommunication The problem of miscommunication is mainly attributed to the prospect of identity. One’s identity ties them down to their culture and their understanding revolves around their traditions and culture. Miscommunication can be avoided but the focus that is on negative stereotyping. The blame is focused here especially since it is done in the wrong manner and miscommunication between cultures takes a lot of time to solve (Gallois, 2006). Solving the communication problems between cultures is triggered by people’s beliefs but negative stereotyping has been receiving a lot of focus that is not helping at all. One’s identity does not only revolve around culture, but on other related issues such as; mother tongue, sex, education and other factors. These factors trigger miscommunication anytime and when the problem is approached from this base then the problem of cultural communication can be reduced. Methodology This research involved intensive research since the information collected had to be accurate. The method approached for this research included information from both written and unwritten sources. Written sources Since similar researches have been conducted on a similar or related topic, then there were bound to be articles, journals and books with the information I needed. Information form written sources is very reliable and helps shed light on areas that I may have missed out during my research process. Unwritten Sources Other methods of data collection included the use of short interviews and questionnaires. Six students were selected from two different ethnic backgrounds that are Arab and Western. This included three boys and three girls to avoid biasness and to encourage equality. The ages of the students ranged between 16- 18, since as students there were bound to be miscommunication in intercultural encounters. The interviews were short structured questions that aimed at covering the main topics at hand. They were conducted at convenient times and they did not disrupt the schedule of the students. The questionnaires were short structured as well and reflected on the main issues as well. This was quite advantageous as I was able to get different feedback from different people and this was used to my advantage. Conclusion In general miscommunication in intercultural encounters and stereotyping may appear to be a big problem in our society but when approached appropriately then it can be solved easily. The problem may arise in different scenarios or situations but it does not necessarily imply that it cannot be solved. When people stop focusing on the false negative stereotype accusations then they might focus on the root cause of the problem, which lies in identity. Therefore, as much as miscommunication between cultures may pose a threat to many institutions, it can still be solved given time. Reference List Carbaugh, D. (1990). Cultural communication and intercultural contact. New Jersey and London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. Gallois, C. (2006). Reconciliation through communication in intercultural encounters: Potential or peril? Journal of Communication. 53(1), 5- 15 Goliath. (2002). Perceptions of intercultural interaction and communication satisfaction: A study on initial encounters. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1825894/Perceptions-of-intercultural- interaction-and.html Ibad, F. (2010). Promoting intercultural communication. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://www.brandsynario.com/mindkey/article/553_promoting-intercultural- communication.aspx Jandt, F. (2006). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a global community - 5th Edition. California: Sage Publications. Klopf, D. (2001). Intercultural encounters, Fifth Edition: The fundamentals of intercultural communication. Englewood: Morton Publishing Company. Klopf, D. , & McCroskey, J. (2006). Intercultural communication encounters. Prentice Hall: Ally & Bacon Young, L. (1994). Cross Talk and Culture in Sino-American Communication. Cambridge: CUP. Read More