Specifics of Cross-Cultural Communication - Essay Example

Running Head: Cross-cultural Communication Name Lecturer Date Language is a tool of communication. Through it, an individual person or a group of people is able to pass information to another. This is communicating meaning where a person understands another’s mind. Language is a tool that communicates culture too making a person grasp another’s culture. Cross-cultural communication refers to the various ways in which different cultures interact in given contexts. The contexts may be in the use of language, the interpretations of some acts, and different forms of mannerisms. In a class of people with mixed linguistic backgrounds, these differences are inevitably evident. As a result, the formal outcome of such differences may be of mixed nature, that is, negative or positive. This paper focuses on the different cultural backgrounds that may surface in an institution, and the best ways of understanding them and utilizing them for a better outcome. This makes it a better way of achieving rather than falling into the disarray of formal emphasis on grammar. Moreover, the paper will consider various explanations that have been given in response to this matter and giving a possible constructive way out. In a society or institution where people from different cultural backgrounds come together, it can be chaotic to fail to understand each other. Still, some things seem to be naturally hard for people to let go of their culture. However, on the other hand, it is very interesting to see how people forget about such differences and come together in business, rendering of social services and so on. There are two things that should be considered however which pose a lot of difficulties when not well understood. The first is in giving directives, there are ways in which a directive can sound harsh and rough on a person and there are ways in which it can sound polite. This takes one to the other aspect of language which is politeness. Some cultures have very different sentence structures which need a very careful understanding just in case a person wants to avoid impoliteness and harshness. Still, it is a way of knowing how one can avoid being rude to others by understanding their cultural background (Holmes, 2007). In communicating meaning, the social context is very important. A social context refers to the norms and values of a given society. They are so much engraved in a society’s structure that wherever a person goes he/she carries with himself those norms and values. In a learning institution a teacher should be aware of this social foundation before anything else. Some of the difficulties that may arise from the influence the social context include the following. According to Holmes (2007) says that linguistic politeness is one key aspect which can cause serious misunderstanding. She says that it is one way in which a person can express social distance or emphasizing the power statuses of people. Solomon & Theiss (2013) say that the norms of cultural communication for every cultural group are different. They are influenced by the ways in which some basic questions are answered in the day-to-day relations. By way of example, a student who comes from a cultural background where addressing an elder or a teacher does not require one to mention any title will be disgrace if he/she calls the teacher by his/her first name. Similarly, some cultures have no practice of honouring women and thus a male student can appear to be rude when addressing a female teacher creating a conflict for failure to recognize her status. This will in way be perceived as a mistake in that student’s speech and it can disrupt a whole class if the teacher does not consider the anthropological factors. Another problem which may arise from the cultural background is the formation of sentence structure. It is argued that whenever a person speaks in another language, he/she thinks in the first language and the sentence constructed is mostly in the order of the first language (Haynes & Moran, 2006). In such a case, the most immediate conclusion is that the person (speaker) is poor in grammar. This may make a teacher fail to grasp the meaning in a sentence, say, a question posed to him. Moreover, some sentence structures may make a sentence sound offensive and derogatory, which may not be intended by the speaker. There is also the possibility of a person, while speaking to explain a very simple matter in many words in avoiding to mention certain subjects. There are cultures where matters of sex and sexuality are not subjects of public discussion. A person, as Bennett (2005) reports may use very different metaphors in fear of violating the cultural norms and values. This is common with the Muslim culture. They replace sex with a talk of nafsu, a term which in essence refers to the taste of food. In such a case, a teacher may mistake such a person for being imprecise in either asking questions or explaining a point. Such an incident may be annoying and the student may feel humiliated because some people fail to respect his/her culture. In the above problems arising from the cultural context and interaction is miscommunication. Comparing different cultures shows how people from different cultures may behave differently in a single event. Holmes (2007) gives an example of the American culture with that of the Swedish. The Swedish etiquette requires people to introduce themselves as they arrive as opposed to the American who expect a person to introduce him/herself to those he does not know. A person therefore introducing himself/herself to guests will be missing the etiquette and people may look differently. Holmes (2007) too gives another example of a New Zealand culture and that of the English. A New Zealander inviting a person to a party will say bring a plate which means contribute something like food to a party. The English will think in the literal sense of carrying a mere plate. Such occurrences of miscommunication are very embarrassing and a person can easily think that something is done to offend him/her. From the above example, it is clear that miscommunication is inevitable in the daily parlance of individuals from various cultural backgrounds. These miscommunications can only be overcome if it is recognized that they exist. That is why Solomon & Theiss (2013) suggest that it is important to look for shared experiences with the person they are communicating. They argue that there is a possibility that a compromise will always be realized in communicating. A family, for example, will always have ways of communication different from those with people outside the family circle. Cultural groups such as learning institutions will also have different experiences as well as common ones. These are the ones which a person should seek every time a communication goes on between two people. The other thing that can be done to promote a good cross- cultural communication would be to look beyond the cultural barriers and see other things like gender, age, social skills and even socioeconomic background. It is dangerous to overlook these assumptions which shape people’s behaviour. High-context and low-context communication patterns should be considered. This makes the context of a message very important. In such contexts, intentions are supposed to be stated most clearly. Indirect communication is to be avoided at all costs as Larry et al (2011) suggest. Stringer & Cassidy (2009) also provide useful information on good cross-cultural communication .Since people speaking the same language can experience a miscommunication it is necessary to be careful when speaking a language of the natives. This is because the accentuations can create a big difference when pronounced wrongly. Still, a word can mean two different things when used in a given cultural context. A word like “stuffed” will mean to be pregnant in Australia, while in America it means to eat a lot. These can make very big differences when used. Another thing that should be taken into account is misinterpreting of non-verbal language. A person who is not familiar with another culture should not assume that the body language shown by another in another culture is sending some message. It is good to wait to know after spending time with people in another culture. On the same note, it is necessary for a person to make sure that the tendency of evaluating is overcome. This is because the moment a person tries to evaluate, he/she can only do that in the lens of his/her own culture. Finally, one should not let anxiety overwhelm him/her when communicating with another person from another culture. Miscommunication can easily be influenced by anxiety because a person is never sure how to respond (Stringer & Cassidy, 2009). In conclusion, this paper has just iterated on the nature of cross-cultural communication. It has highlighted some of the various problems arising from the effects of poor communication. It has also shown various ways of avoiding miscommunication and gradually building a good rapport. It is obvious that a person wishing to communicate effectively will need to consider these guidelines for a good communication relationship and experience. Furthermore, a person’s culture will not be affected in a negative way given that understanding the various aspects underpinning communication are clear (Stringer & Cassidy, 2009). References Bennett, L.R. (2005). Women Islam and Modernity: Single women, sexuality and reproductive health in contemporary Indonesia. New York, Routledge. Haynes, W. O., Moran, M. J., & Pindzola, R. H. (2006). Communication disorders in the classroom: An introduction for professionals in school settings. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Holmes, J. (2007). Speech functions, politeness and cross-cultural communication, In An Introduction To Social Linguistics by Janet Holmes.london, Pearson. Solomon, D. H., & Theiss, J. (2013). Interpersonal Communication: Putting Theory Into Practice. Routledge. Stringer, D. M., & Cassidy, P. A. (2009). 52 activities for improving cross-cultural communication. Boston: Intercultural Press. Read More